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Texas State Legislature

Legislature makes tax caps a priority, cities respond

Well-worn battle lines between the city and state were retraced Tuesday, as the Texas Legislature made it clear that it would be making property tax caps a priority this session. The response from area cities was just as clear. Sen.…

County official: Political gridlock and local preemption loom at the Capitol

The Texas Legislature is returning to Austin in just 47 days, and Travis County is bracing for impact. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court’s field team at the Capitol gave a grim forecast of political headwinds to come once the 85th…

Council OKs legislative teams, agenda for 2017

City Council on Thursday approved the city’s legislative agenda, along with the hiring of 10 consultants in Austin and two in Washington, D.C. The Austin consultants altogether will receive $708,000, and the two Congressional consultants will receive $174,000. The vote…

Lawmakers consider changes to local petitions and bond elections

It was as if they’d been studying Austin’s recent petition haps and mishaps. State lawmakers on the House Elections Committee began hearing testimony Thursday on possible legislative changes to how local petition ballots and bond elections are run. Several of…

Craft brewers sue to overturn state regulation

A group of Texas craft brewery owners is suing to overturn a state law that affects their distribution rights. Until a few years ago, beer distributors in Texas paid craft breweries for the right to sell their products. But in…

Uber and Lyft swing by the Legislature

Uber and Lyft were back in Austin on Wednesday afternoon for a rambling hearing at the State Capitol that also featured several upstart competitors, representatives from friendly and not-so-friendly cities and at least one NFL Hall of Famer. The State…

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Council looks back at 84th Legislative Session

At the conclusion of a Texas Legislative Session, Austin must inevitably sit back and lick its wounds. According to Interim Intergovernmental Relations Officer Karen Kennard, however, the city sustained far fewer direct blows to its local control this time around…

Council debates city's state legislative policies

With the 84th session of the Texas Legislature set to end June 1, the city’s Government Relations Office has kicked its lobbying efforts into overdrive. At the same time, City Council has opened a discussion about how the city determines…

Council tentatively extends large energy contracts

Austin Energy is stuck between a rock and a hard place, with the rock being the Texas Legislature and the hard place being the utility’s exhausted reserve funds. City Council is now working to wriggle the municipal energy provider out…

AISD, others ask state for $3 billion in new funding

Three members from the Austin Independent School District board stood with more than 20 other school districts at the State Capitol on Wednesday to ask legislators for $3 billion in additional statewide school funding. “For AISD, this figure is vital,”…

Austin representative takes on transportation

As the only member of the Texas House Transportation Committee hailing from Austin, freshman Democratic Rep. Celia Israel has vowed to bring the region’s gridlock woes to the Capitol. She recently told the Austin Monitor about a few of the…

Why Texas isn’t paying for what it wants from Austin’s classrooms

Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at…

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