Ken Paxton v. Texas House of Representatives: Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement Tuesday night asking for Speaker Dade Phelan to resign based on a video of him slurring his speech last Friday. On Wednesday, the House Committee on General Investigating began a hearing on its investigation into the A.G.’s Office asking for $3.3 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit. Experts say a Paxton impeachment looks likely. Read more online.
Correlation v. Causation: In a Monday meeting evaluating the Austin Police Department/Department of Public Safety partnership, APD Chief Joseph Chacon and data officer Jonathan Kringen portrayed the partnership as a success because of reduced crime, though they did not appear to consider factors outside of DPS’s presence that could be at play. Read more online.
Money From the Feds v. Opioid Addiction: City and county leaders, along with Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, announced the first infusion of funds from a federal settlement with opioid producers coming on the one-year anniversary of the county’s overdose crisis declaration. $1.5 million will fund a full-time Austin Public Health employee to focus on funding allocation and a public overdose dashboard, and $750,000 will boost the county’s budget for harm reduction services. Advocates urge a community advisory board to oversee where the funds go.
The State of Texas v. The Cities of Texas: House Bill 2127, the abominable proposed law that would undercut Austin’s and other municipalities’ local control over everything from rest break and antidiscrimination ordinances for workers to weed decriminalization, is headed to the governor’s desk.
Private School v. Public School: Late Tuesday night, the Senate approved its last-minute committee changes to school funding bill House Bill 100, sneaking in Gov. Greg Abbott‘s voucher proposal while barely raising the basic allotment (state funding per pupil) for public schools. Read more online.
People v. Methane: After the Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule to cut methane emissions 30% by 2030 and the Interior Department made $1 billion available to states to cap orphaned oil wells that are a big source of emissions, the Texas Climate Jobs Project released a report last week that found Texas could create 35,000 jobs in methane mitigation.
Democrats v. Casitas? A GOP-introduced bill that would have loosened local regulations on building ADUs (accessory dwelling units like casitas) died in the House Wednesday due largely to Democrat opposition, including from local leaders like Reps. Gina Hinojosa, Donna Howard, and Vikki Goodwin.
Quote of the Week
“Every allegation is easily disproved, and I look forward to continuing my fight for conservative Texas values.”
– Texas Attorney General (for now) Ken Paxton, who faces allegations of abuse of office that can, in fact, be proved and whose values are questionable at best
This article appears in May 26 • 2023.