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Tag Archives: Texas Legislature

Austinites testify for, against Precourt bill

Dave Greeley, president of Precourt Sports Ventures, told a Senate committee Tuesday night that SB 1771 “would jeopardize the viability” of Austin FC, the soccer club slated to play in the stadium his company has agreed to build at McKalla…

Austin defends its short-term rental rules before Texas lawmakers

Austin’s rules on short-term rental units – advertised on apps and sites like Airbnb and HomeAway – are under fire at the Texas Capitol. House lawmakers heard testimony Thursday on a bill that would override the city’s ban on properties…

House Speaker Pelosi says attempted voter purge in Texas shows need for stronger federal protections

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a visit to East Austin on Tuesday to promote sweeping voting reform legislation currently before Congress. Among other things, House Bill 1 would ensure online voter registration or automatic registration for citizens across the country.…

Buda seeks passage of aquifer storage bill

Buda’s explosive growth, from about 7,300 people in 2010 to nearly 17,000 today, coupled with a changing climate that brings both floods and drought, means that the city has to carefully manage its water resources. The city is hoping to…

County pushes for progress amid state’s political battles

Travis County has already filed bills for a third of its dozen legislative priorities for the 86th Texas Legislature since the session began Jan. 8. One of these priorities is to ensure that sobering centers are authorized to assume responsibility…

Texas wants to put more autonomous vehicles on the road

Like a mirage on a sun-beaten West Texas highway, the future of autonomous vehicles in Texas isn’t altogether clear. A new state effort hopes to clear up the prospect of an increasingly connected fleet of vehicles on the road. The…

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Better session ahead, legislators say

Senator Kirk Watson told those gathered at the Real Estate Council of Austin luncheon on Wednesday that he is “more optimistic than I have been in the past by quite a bit” about the possibility of resolving numerous problems related…

Local pols examine impacts, options in state school funding debate

Leaders from all levels of government in Central Texas, plus most of the area’s school districts, learned Wednesday that they could be in for budgetary hits if state lawmakers pass limits on local property tax increases without restructuring the state’s…

Austin, TravCo leaders brace for state laws targeting revenue, local control

Austin leaders have started gaming out the budget cuts and possible staffing and service reductions that would come from possible state caps on property tax increases. At last week’s meeting of the Austin Regional Affordability Committee, city staff briefed a…

Texas capitol dome

Property taxes, Austin Energy top city's worry list

Once again, the city of Austin, along with other large Texas cities, will face a grueling task as the 2019 legislative session begins in January. Intergovernmental Relations Officer Brie Franco told City Council during Tuesday’s work session that she and…

Texas usually fights Austin at the Capitol. Lately, the fight is in the courtroom.

The city of Austin has endured several legal jabs from the state in the past couple of months. Recently, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stepped into a dispute over the makeup of the city’s Planning Commission. A week ago, the…

Austin Monitor Radio: Deece Eckstein

This week, Travis County Intergovernmental Relations Coordinator Deece Eckstein joins Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano. Listen in below to hear predictions about the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature and a review of some of the…

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