September 22, 2017 7:06 PM In face of challenge, Straus throws down gauntlet of his own "Speaker Straus has faced many challengers before. He's going to stay focused on doing what's best for Texas and San Antonio while helping the Members of the House communicate their positive record of accomplishment" - Straus spokesman Jason Embry |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 22, 2017 5:41 PM SB: GOP Caucus votes to create committee to study how speaker is chosenCommittee to report back in 30 days; meantime, rumors are flying after the GOP caucus meeting that as many as 3 more speaker candidates may emerge During
what those in attendance described as a civil discussion, the Texas
House GOP Caucus on Friday voted to create a committee to study the
issue of how a speaker is chosen. The
vote came during the caucus retreat in Bastrop at the Lost Pines Resort while
some protesters outside made their opposition to Speaker Joe Straus known. Straus, of course, has said he is running for re-election. But
inside the caucus meeting, the members were respectful and steered clear of
talking about any personalities in particular, members
told Quorum
Report. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 22, 2017 4:24 PM Rep. Phil King announces run for Speaker"I have served in the House under the leadership of three different Speakers. What I have learned is that the role of the Presiding Officer is not to control the House, but rather to facilitate, assist and empower all members to represent their districts, promote their ideas, and implement their policies." Rep. Phil King's statement: "Over the past several months, many of my colleagues have encouraged me to consider running for Speaker. In order to have an open discussion concerning the future of our Texas House, I have filed the required paperwork to declare my candidacy for Speaker. I have served in the House under the leadership of three different Speakers. What I have learned is that the role of the Presiding Officer is not to control the House, but rather to facilitate, assist and empower all members to represent their districts, promote their ideas, and implement their policies. Between now and January 2019, I look forward to sitting down with my colleagues and sharing my vision for leading the Texas House as a true servant leader." By Harvey Kronberg |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 22, 2017 1:28 PM In CD21, candidates say they are not looking for the mythical Republican swing voter“When we run as Republican lite, and voters have to choose between Republican lite and the real Republican, they choose the real Republican.” A trio of progressive Democrats – part of the so-called “Race To Replace Lamar Smith” – have agreed it was time to stop chasing the mythical Republican swing voter in the attempt to take down the Republican who has held his Congressional seat for three decades. Democratic candidate forums to bump Congressman Smith in the 2018 mid-term elections began as early as June. In many ways, the crowded field of candidates seem to be interchangeable when it comes to the issues. At an Our Revolution candidate forum this week, candidates Chris Perri, Elliot McFadden and Derrick Crowe could often be seen nodding in agreement with each other on issues like “Medicare for all” and increasing the minimum wage. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 22, 2017 1:25 PM Smith: North to the Future, It All Comes Down to Alaska
QR’s Liberal Columnist Glenn W. Smith travels among the carnies otherwise known as leaders of today’s Republican Party In a better
world, Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un are not actually leaders of
nuclear-armed nations but are instead just marginal pro wrestling personalities
posing as bitter foes in a World Wrestling Entertainment undercard. Does fake
wrestling have undercards? No matter. The above
is not the real world, of course. It’s just a harmless fantasy designed to
relieve a bit of the stress caused by the Odd-Haired
Couple’s nuclear game of the Dozens,
a name for a street game involving an escalating “pattern of interactive
name-calling” (thank you, Wikipedia).
Check out the R&D Department for the entire column by Glenn W. Smith. By Glenn W. Smith |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 21, 2017 6:16 PM Harvey re-emphasizes regional, statewide flood control effortsHarvey 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 21, 2017 6:03 PM Texas could pick up more than $30 billion in new money under Graham-CassidyBut 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 21, 2017 5:47 PM Press Releases: Office closings, unclaimed property, and more Click the Press Releases button for the latest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 21, 2017 5:32 PM Sitton asks AG to weigh in on blowup at the Railroad Commission 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 21, 2017 3:28 PM Abbott names Kent Sullivan as Commissioner of InsuranceHe's a partner at Jackson Walker; previously served as a justice on the Fourteenth Court of Appeals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2017 5:09 PM Greenfield: Doom and Boom, the Fiscal Impact of HarveyPerhaps 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2017 5:06 PM After avoiding one last cycle, Rep. Capriglione draws a GOP primary challenger 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2017 4:59 PM Abbott selects policy adviser DeAnn Walker as Chair of PUC "Previously, she served as the director of Regulatory Affairs and as an associate general counsel for CenterPoint Energy, serving there for 15 years." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2017 4:58 PM Press Releases: Campaign announcements, Harvey relief, the Houston EPA lab, and moreClick the Press Releases button above for all the latest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 20, 2017 11:08 AM Texas House Appropriations first Hurricane Harvey hearing slated for Oct 2 As first reported by John Reynolds on QR, it will be held at U of H |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 19, 2017 4:32 PM Prominent names get behind Democrat in race to take on Sen. Burton 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 19, 2017 4:30 PM Press Releases: Harvey health care, appointments, insurance, and more Click the Press Releases button above for today's releases |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 19, 2017 4:08 PM Abbott names Bruce Bugg as Texas Transportation Commission Chairman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 19, 2017 4:04 PM On the move: Jay Dyer joins UT Austin as head of government relations “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. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 18, 2017 5:43 PM Updated: Abbott announces staffing shakeup 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 18, 2017 4:40 PM Press Releases: New NFRW president, campaign announcements, appointments, anniversaries and moreClick the Press Releases button above for the latest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 15, 2017 5:01 PM As state tallies costs of Harvey, importance of federal dollars emergesHouse 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 15, 2017 4:52 PM Press Releases: Appointments, Harvey losses, CodeNEXT, and moreClick the Press Releases above button for the latest |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 15, 2017 12:49 PM HK: QR Welcomes Back John ReynoldsReynolds 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
September 15, 2017 12:46 PM Smith: Is Politics Today A Content-free Shirts & Skins Sandlot Football Game?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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright September 22, 2017, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 