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September 21, 2017 6:16 PM
Harvey dropped enough water to supply Texas for eight years, Larson said. It’s time, he said, to “stop flooding and start storing this water.”
The chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee
already has one big idea ahead of next month’s interim hearing on what the
state can do to address the damage done by Hurricane Harvey with an eye toward
mitigating the destructive power of future storms.
San Antonio Republican Lyle Larson said he hoped the state would attempt a long-term
strategy to find ways to store those floodwaters underground in aquifers ahead
of future droughts.
Harvey dropped enough water to supply Texas for eight
years, Larson said.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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September 21, 2017 6:03 PM
But that doesn’t necessarily translate to improved access: “If Texas chooses to use some of the block grant from Graham-Cassidy on coverage, it would have to set up a coverage program from scratch by 2020 and there is no federal fallback…”
Texas
would see a $34 billion bump in additional federal funds for Medicaid
under the so-called Graham-Cassidy replacement for the Affordable Care Act,
according to new numbers out today from Kaiser Family Foundation.
That’s
just what Texas Republican lawmakers would like to hear.
Most,
including Gov. Greg Abbott, have expressed
support for the concept of block grant funding. Under the Kaiser
numbers, 35 states plus the District of Columbia would face losing funds.
Texas, on the other hand, would see 75 percent more funds. The only state
seeing a greater percentage increase would be Mississippi. New York, California and Pennsylvania
would lose tens of billions in funding due to the choice to expand Medicaid.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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September 21, 2017 5:47 PM
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September 21, 2017 5:32 PM
Sitton and Craddick at odds over the future of the executive director, Sitton says “If any one Railroad Commissioner can call any employee into their office at any time and give them a ‘choice’ of ‘resign or you’ll be fired,’ this deficiency must be addressed.”
After
this week’s blowup at the Texas Railroad Commission about the
agency’s executive director Kim Corley, Commissioner Ryan Sitton on Thursday asked Attorney
General Ken Paxton’s office to weigh
in with an official opinion.
Earlier
in the week, Sitton and Chair Christi Craddick had a testy exchange about whether Craddick had
demanded the resignation of Corley. During that exchange, Sitton
suggested Craddick was acting dictatorially by acting unilaterally to dismiss
the executive director.
“The
purpose of this request is not to disparage anyone or cast blame. My purpose it
to understand the appropriate process and procedure for handling employee
related matters going forward,” Sitton said in a
letter to the AG.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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September 21, 2017 3:28 PM
He's a partner at Jackson Walker; previously served as a justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals
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September 20, 2017 5:09 PM
Perhaps counterintuitive, but our resident number cruncher Dr. Stuart Greenfield argues the state’s revenue should increase thanks to the stimulus spending about to unfold after Harvey
Editor’s note: Usually, Dr. Greenfield’s columns would
appear in the R&D Department,
but we are printing this one in The Daily
Buzz – SB
First, the damage that was
done by Hurricane Harvey should exceed $100 billion and could exceed
that of Hurricane Katrina. The
state’s political leadership has estimated that damages will be at least $120
billion and may exceed $200 billion.
According to a recent
estimate from economists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch,
Hurricane Harvey will likely be the second most costly hurricane, with damages
between $70-$100 billion. Accuweather estimated property losses as high as $190
billion. Governor Greg Abbott at
a recent news conference mentioned losses of between $120-$180 billion.
So as with most questions
concerning economics, there is no immediate definitive answer.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Dr. Stuart Greenfield
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September 20, 2017 5:06 PM
Armin Mizani is a Keller City Councilman and was said to have been recruited by the Northeast Tarrant Tea Party after the group struck out in asking at least 5 others to run
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September 20, 2017 4:59 PM
"Previously, she served as the director of Regulatory Affairs and as an associate general counsel for CenterPoint Energy, serving there for 15 years."
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September 20, 2017 4:58 PM
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September 20, 2017 11:08 AM
As first reported by John Reynolds on QR, it will be held at U of H
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September 19, 2017 4:32 PM
President Trump carried SD 10 by the slimmest of margins and Dems argue their candidate has crossover appeal with Republican women and the business community
FORT WORTH ––Tarrant County Democratic leaders made clear
that Beverly Powell, a Burleson
Independent School District trustee, is their preferred candidate in Senate
District 10 at her campaign kickoff this past weekend at Fort Worth’s Texas
Wesleyan University.
The seat held by freshman Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, is likely the state’s only swing Senate
district.
Local Democratic stalwarts like Congressman Marc Veasey, Texas
House Democratic Caucus Chair Chris
Turner, D-Arlington, as well as Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks, the county’s only Democratic
commissioner, praised Powell’s leadership, including a two-year stint as BISD board
president and as a member of the Texas Wesleyan Board.
In her announcement speech, Powell said she is a product of Burleson
schools in the area where she raised her family. Her son is the popular
Burleson Mayor Ken Shetter.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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September 19, 2017 4:30 PM
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September 19, 2017 4:08 PM
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September 19, 2017 4:04 PM
“Jay brings tremendous knowledge and experience in state government as well as a deep commitment to The University of Texas,” said President Gregory L. Fenves.
The full announcement from
UT
Austin is here.
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September 18, 2017 5:43 PM
Luis Saenz is new COS, Tommy Williams joins as fiscal adviser, John Colyandro is senior adviser, Walter Fisher is legislative director, and Peggy Venable will be appointments director
Gov. Greg Abbott has named Luis Saenz his chief of staff upon the
announcement of the departure of his long-time COS Daniel Hodge, who’s leaving Abbott’s office for the private sector.
Hodge
has been the one constant since Abbott took the job of governor in 2015 after
coming with him from the Office of the Attorney General. Abbott
praised his departing team, expressing appreciation for their work, particularly
during Hurricane Harvey.
“Their
dedicated work provided swift and substantial support to the citizens of Texas
who were hit by Hurricane Harvey,” Abbott said. “They also helped me fulfill
many of the proposals that I offered in my bicentennial blueprint that I ran on
when I ran for governor. And they also helped me to pass all of my emergency
item proposals in my first two sessions.”
Gov. Abbott
promised “big ideas” he intends to tackle in the upcoming session in 2019, but
declined to say what any of those ideas are. He said his team is dedicated first
to Harvey relief efforts.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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September 18, 2017 4:40 PM
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September 15, 2017 5:01 PM
House chief budget writer says state has to reckon with question of whether state can ever fully prepare for a storm as unique as Harvey
The
House
Appropriations Committee is planning to hold its first meeting in early
October to confront the funding challenges presented by Hurricane Harvey, Chairman
John Zerwas,
R-Richmond, tells QR today.
While
an exact date has not been nailed down, Zerwas said
the hearing will be held at the University of Houston.
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus issued five interim charges to three House committees on
Thursday. House Appropriations, the chamber’s budget writing panel, was asked
to look at two main topics in the aftermath of Harvey — the use of federal and
state resources in Harvey response efforts as well as the best use of federal
and state resources to make the state better prepared for a future disaster.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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September 15, 2017 4:52 PM
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September 15, 2017 12:49 PM
Reynolds brings depth and balance to every journalistic project in which he engages
We
here at Buzz Central are pleased to announce that after a few years
away long time QR correspondent John
Reynolds will be rejoining us with occasional contributions. I reached out to
him after Hurricane Harvey because no one has covered the controversies
around TWIA, the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, as intensively as
Reynolds during his time at QR.
The
events of the last month mean conversation about the state’s role in dealing
with this storm and the likely future storms resulting from a warming
environment are just beginning.
Although
his contributions will be occasional, we could not be more pleased that his
byline will grace our pages again. Besides being a long-time friend, he brings
a depth and balance to every journalistic project in which he engages – HK
By Harvey Kronberg
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September 15, 2017 12:46 PM
QR’s Liberal Columnist Glenn W. Smith wonders whether tribal loyalty has replaced individual responsibility and engagement in today’s politics
I’ve
been critical of complaints about so-called “polarization” in American
politics. It can look like an easy out that allows pundits to pretend
“neutrality” using false equivalencies.
Against
this, I’ve suggested we consider two people in a room. One of them goes crazy.
The other doesn’t. We don’t say the room is polarized, do we? Where’s Donald Trump’s opposite pole? See what
I mean?
But
some recent studies and events in the political sphere have me second-guessing
my skepticism.
The full column by Glenn W. Smith is in the R&D Department.
By Glenn W. Smith
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September 14, 2017 6:13 PM
Here’s
the exclusive from The
Austin American Statesman.
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September 14, 2017 11:04 AM
Appropriations, Public Education and Natural Resources will have to wrestle with big issues
Speaker Joe Straus' new interim charges to three committees dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey can be found here.
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