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Tag Archives: Texas Legislature

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…

Council braces for another tight budget cycle amid threats from Legislature

City Council will have to raise property taxes by 5 percent in the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget just to continue funding existing programs, according to a financial forecast prepared by the city budget office. In a presentation to Council members…

Court upholds majority of 'sanctuary cities' law

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Senate Bill 4 can remain in effect for the time being. Tuesday’s decision will allow the so-called “sanctuary cities” law to take effect while the case against it plays out.…

Sheryl Cole and 'Chito' Vela head to runoff in Texas House race, pushing Dawnna Dukes out

Democrats Sheryl Cole and Jose “Chito” Vela will move on to a runoff election for Texas House District 46 after pushing out embattled incumbent Dawnna Dukes in the primary on Tuesday. The district includes parts of East Austin, Manor and…

Reporter's Notebook: What blind spots?

Colossus of roads… “There’s no question that I am probably the largest road proponent in the Milky Way.” Thus Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty began a stemwinder about his transportation prescription for Central Texas at a luncheon hosted by the…

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Council greenlights new pedestrian mall on Congress Avenue

City Council paved the way Thursday for a major state project that will transform three blocks of downtown from roadway into a grass-covered pedestrian mall. Council voted to give the Texas Facilities Commission the OK to seize control of city…

Council drills down on Capitol plan

An ongoing effort by the state of Texas to move much of its workforce downtown has City Council members wondering what, if anything, the city can get out of the project. The state is planning on getting started with implementation…

Casar reports on SB 4 hearing in New Orleans

City Council Member Greg Casar attended Tuesday’s hearing on Senate Bill 4 at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The city of Austin, along with Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, the small border city of El Cenizo,…

Travis County sheriff responds to community outcry after 'sanctuary' policy reversal

At a town hall meeting on Monday organized by the Commission on Immigrant Affairs, Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez faced a crowd of immigrant rights advocates, service providers and undocumented community members, many of whom expressed disbelief at her Sept.…

After court ruling, Travis County will comply with all ICE detention requests

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office will honor all federal immigration detainer requests following a federal court ruling that held parts of Texas’ “sanctuary cities” law can go into effect. A three-judge panel for the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals…

Despite Austin’s crime lab meltdown, Texas is working to clear its DNA backlog

When Wendy Davis decided to find out how many untested rape kits there were in the state of Texas, she readily admits she had no idea what she was getting into. Davis, a former state senator, was first told that…

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