|
July 22, 2017 1:08 PM
Co-founder of Pilgrim's Pride and longtime political player was 89
Here
is the story from the Longview
News-Journal.
|
|
Copyright July 22, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 22, 2017 10:47 AM
Tracks argue it should have gone through normal rulemaking, the choice to implement the fee went outside the board’s authority, and it gave license holders no chance to review the supporting materials
Four of the 10 remaining owners of racetrack licenses in
Texas have sued the Texas Racing Commission and its board for passing a
supplemental fee last month to cover agency shortfalls.
License holders – and especially the greyhound license
holders – had warned the board and staff that additional costs would be
devastating to the industry. The license holders – LRP Group, Ltd.; Valle de los Tosoros, Ltd.; Gulf Coast
Racing, LLC; and Gulf Greyhound Partners, Ltd. –
filed a temporary injunction against the supplemental fee, due August 1.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
|
|
Copyright July 22, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 21, 2017 8:00 PM
Lack of invited testimony signals to business leaders that senators are disinterested in their thoughts; hundreds line up to oppose restrictions on which people can relieve themselves in which public facilities
In
the first public hearing on the so-called bathroom bills of the special
session, over 250 people signed up to testify on SB 3 and SB 91,
most of whom opposed the measure. It was a familiar sight for those who attended committee hearings on similar legislation during the regular session. And just like the regular session, the legislation was kicked out of the committee nearly along party lines, with one Democrat voting yes.
The
bills authored by Senator Lois Kolkhorst,
R-Brenham, were filed to answer Governor Greg
Abbott’s call to “protect the privacy of women and children” during the
special session, following a relentless push from Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to legislate which people
can use which public facilities.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Lyanne A. Guarecuco
|
|
Copyright July 21, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 21, 2017 6:32 PM
Click the Press Releases button above for the latest
|
|
Copyright July 21, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 21, 2017 2:40 PM
Patrick says Straus is "a Republican who has a Democrat as his chief of staff, a Democrat consultant and who gets elected by 55 Democrats." Straus spokesman says "Yes, our chief of staff last worked in government for noted Democrat Rick Perry."
For the first two years or so of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's time as presiding officer of the Senate, he regularly took
a pass on weighing in much at all about Texas House Speaker Joe Straus.
When
previously asked about whether Straus was sufficiently conservative, Patrick
would often demur and stay focused on leading the Texas Senate in his public
comments.
That
time in Patrick's political career has now fully concluded, it seems.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
|
|
Copyright July 21, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 21, 2017 2:38 PM
QR’s Liberal Columnist Glenn W. Smith argues that the enormous sums donors give state Republican officeholders raise especially disturbing questions in a one-party state like Texas.
Wealthy
Texans are contributing extraordinary sums of money to Texas Republican
officials these days. The sums are so large it’s a wonder that a candidate
hasn’t surfaced with the message, “Elect me and I’ll grant your wishes for half
the price.” Government favors at a discount.
It
has a certain appeal.
Looking
at Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s recent
campaign finance report, former Houston Astros owner Drayton McLane gave Patrick $150,000 in
June. Highway contractor James Pitcock matched McLane with another $150,000 to
Patrick. Apparently not to be outdone, H.
Ross Perot gave Patrick $150,000 on June 28 and another $75,000 on June 30.
It’s
almost like pitiful little $50,000 contributors will have a hard time getting
beneficiaries of their largess to return their phone calls these days.
The full column by Glenn W. Smith is in the R&D Department.
By Glenn W. Smith
|
|
Copyright July 21, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2017 5:19 PM
"The move to transfer money from HHSC, which primarily funds Medicaid, could be devastating if lawmakers don’t put the funds back in 2019”
Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick’s proposed funding
of teacher longevity bonuses, TRS-Care support and bumps to
charter school facility funding would squeeze $675 million from the Health
and Human Services Commission, pitting the budget’s two major agencies
against each other.
Temporary
or no, many of those who would benefit from Senate Bill 19 are
dismayed by the chosen method of finance. The bill mirrors much of what Patrick
promised in a news conference last week, pulling from an agency that just
propped up funding for Child Protective Services.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
|
|
Copyright July 20, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2017 5:18 PM
Click the Press Releases button above
|
|
Copyright July 20, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2017 10:50 AM
Chairman Hunter says the deadline for filing amendments will be 24 hours prior to the floor debate. So, amendments need to be in by 2pm Sunday.
|
|
Copyright July 20, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2017 12:44 AM
Teacher pay raises including TRS-Care, school finance, limited school vouchers, property taxes, spending limit, spending limits for cities and counties, union dues, abortion restrictions, maternal mortality, and more. On TRS-Care, teacher groups have recently rallied around a proposal by Rep. Lance Gooden.
Here
is the supplemental
proclamation.
|
|
Copyright July 20, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 20, 2017 12:32 AM
|
|
Copyright July 20, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 19, 2017 1:46 PM
Senate chairs expect to start holding hearings on school vouchers, bathrooms and more on Friday
|
|
Copyright July 19, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 19, 2017 1:18 PM
|
|
Copyright July 19, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 18, 2017 4:19 PM
Senators Zaffirini and West said they’ve never seen the tag rule suspended in their 30 and 24 years in the Senate, respectively
The
Texas
Senate today hit the ground running on Sunset legislation, with Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills,
filing a motion to suspend rules including one that would suspend the tag
placed on SB 20 by Senator Jose
Rodriguez, Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
The
tag appeared to be a move as part of a broader strategy by Senate Democrats to
delay debate on sunset bills SB 20 and SB 60, while Senator Hancock pushed
to fast-track the bills so that they could be taken up in the Business
and Commerce Committee while the Senate recessed before noon.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Lyanne A. Guarecuco
|
|
Copyright July 18, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 18, 2017 4:01 PM
During the regular session, the House pushed for the use of the Rainy Day Fund to resolve TRS-Care problems but the Senate balked
One
group of people nowhere on Gov. Greg
Abbott’s call clearly have reaped the benefits of a three-week gap between
the regular and special sessions: retired teachers.
The
efforts range from nominal to astronomical: Reps. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, and Ryan
Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, put aside $100 million in House
Bill 76. Rep. Trent Ashby,
R-Lufkin, is ready to pull $150 million out of the Rainy
Day Fund. And Rep. Lance
Gooden, R-Terrell, is hosting a Facebook
Live event this afternoon to talk about a four-year $1
billion expenditure to plug the liability in the system, as well as a true
interim review of potential remedies.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
|
|
Copyright July 18, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 18, 2017 3:54 PM
After years of pursuing voter ID, which does nothing to crack down on mail voting fraud, Republican leaders turn to emphasize this
Gov. Greg Abbott
brought what seemed like genuine passion to the issue of mail-in ballot fraud at
the TPPF
Policy Orientation yesterday, suggesting additional reprisals and even
felonies for those who cheat the election system.
Mail-in ballot fraud is one of Abbott’s 20 for 20 reforms
in the special session. The governor had plenty of applause points during his
question-and-answer session yesterday, but he hit the mail-in fraud issue
particularly hard, noting his tough stance as attorney general.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
|
|
Copyright July 18, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 18, 2017 12:53 PM
|
|
Copyright July 18, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 18, 2017 11:40 AM
Bills already in B&C with the Senate coming back onto the floor at noon to vote; Abbott could be on the spot within the day to open up the call further
|
|
Copyright July 18, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 6:20 PM
“I’m going to be establishing a list. You all or other organizations may be establishing a list. We all need to establish lists that we publish on a daily basis, where we call people out”
Gov. Greg Abbott
left no doubt he was no fan of the current “Sunset and Sine Die” movement at
this morning’s TPPF Policy Orientation and instead favors publishing a daily
list of which lawmakers are with him and which are against him during the special.
In a series of questions Abbott clearly appeared prepared
to answer, Abbott said he was sorry he would disappoint those who want the Texas
Legislature to pass the necessary agency sunset bill and then adjourn
for the special session.
“That is not going to happen, and I think the reason that’s
not going to happen is because of what has happened over the last 30 days,”
Abbott told TPPF’s Kevin Roberts.
“We didn’t call it a special session, call it a day and then decide to come
back 30 days later.”
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 6:19 PM
Public education dominates the narrative for now, but the legislative combatants should not underestimate Patrick’s ability to undermine the speaker in the lower chamber
Throughout
his ascendancy at the Texas Capitol, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has proven time and again
the ability to adapt to the political environment. Unlike many in the Tea
Party faction of the Republican Party from which he derives his support,
Patrick comes to government to govern, not to protest.
Last
week as Patrick rolled out his education plans, we saw him adapt because the environment
had indeed changed ahead of the special session set to start tomorrow.
Speaker
Joe Straus has all year invited
Patrick to a debate about public education – the issue that represents Straus’
surest political footing with his members – and Patrick has finally shifted his
rhetoric accordingly. The Speaker reset the landscape in recent weeks by focusing
on public education and publicizing his concerns about suicides among
transgender Texans as a consequence of passing restrictions
on public restrooms based on gender.
Patrick
quickly learned in his first session as a senator, back in 2007 when he entered
government as a protester, that he wouldn’t get everything he wanted all at
once.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 6:18 PM
A “bathroom bill, or any discriminatory legislation that targets the LGBT community [which] hurts our ability to recruit and maintain talent in Texas.”
The
day prior to the start of the special session, business leaders and tourism
officials from around the state gathered on the South Steps of the Capitol
to speak out against “bathroom bill” legislation.
“Faced
with overwhelming risk, we have no choice but to oppose the legislation that
introduces discrimination into Texas,” said Jeff Moseley, CEO of the Texas Association of Business.
IBM, which has major locations in Austin, the Dallas/Fort Worth area, Houston
and San Antonio, has been one of the more vocal corporations opposing “bathroom
bill” legislation.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Lyanne A. Guarecuco
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 5:08 PM
Spokesman says "Speaker Straus doesn't support a state income tax because it would be bad for Texas and harm our economy, just like the bathroom bill."
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 5:05 PM
Click the Press Releases button above for the latest
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 4:18 PM
"The health, safety, and lives of our fellow Texans depend upon your swift action."
The
letter to lawmakers from the Texas Medical Association is available here.
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 2:50 PM
Here’s the note
from Hegar to lawmakers this afternoon.
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 2:44 PM
Tea Party darling raised about $200K
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
July 17, 2017 1:26 PM
Our resident number cruncher Dr. Stuart Greenfield breaks down the revue picture as legislators settle in for the next 30 days in Austin
As legislators gear up with
anxious anticipation for the special session starting tomorrow, they can cap
their Valium/Xanax containers.
On July 5, Comptroller
Hegar released a press release
indicating substantial growth in sales tax revenue for June. Also noted was a
31.5 percent increase in monthly severance tax collections, The substantial increases in both these taxes
resulted in the growth rate (3.1 percent) in General Revenue-Related (GRR)
receipts now exceeding (see Figure 1)
the BRE
estimated growth rate (1.7 percent) in FY17 GRR revenue. This 1.4 percentage point increase in GRR is
the good news for our legislators.
The full column by Dr. Stuart Greenfield is in the R&D
Department.
By Dr. Stuart Greenfield
|
|
Copyright July 17, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
