New Member Profile: Peter "Art" Fierro (D – El Paso)
On Tuesday night, Chairman of the El Paso Community College Board of Trustees Peter “Art” Fierro was declared the winner of the Texas House District 79 special election. It was a low turnout election and Fierro avoided a runoff by 157 votes. Here's who Fierro is and an analysis of his campaign finances.
House Follows Senate with Speaker Bonnen Announcing Committee Assignments Early
(Pictured: Dennis Bonnen, Credit: Bob Daemmrich, Texas Tribune)
As Speaker of the Texas House, Dennis Bonnen (R - Angleton) has the responsibility of making committee assignments...
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick releases Senate committee assignments with few changes
As the head of the Texas Senate, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has the responsibility of making committee assignments for its 31 members. Three days after Patrick was sworn in for a new term, his office released Senate committee assignments for the 86th Regular Session with few but notable changes to committee leadership and makeup.
Cost of Living in Texas Rises as Minimum Wage is Stuck in 2009
A popular social media meme these days is the #10YearChallenge, in which users post pictures of themselves from ten years ago and today, to show how they’ve changed over the last decade. When it comes to the minimum wage in Texas, however, the #10YearChallenge would show no change at all.
State Comptroller Ups Revenue Estimate Ahead of 86th Session
Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar released his Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) today, projecting higher than expected revenue for the Legislature to work with just prior to the opening of the 86th legislative session. Hegar projects the state will have just over $119 billion available for general-purpose spending in the 2020-2021 biennium, an 8.1 percent increase from the previous 2018-2019 biennium.
A Preview into Possible Issues Tackled During the 86th Legislature
The 2018 election season was different from any midterm in recent memory. A polarizing national political climate spurred many retirements among incumbent officeholders, and...
UT Austin Concludes Sexual Misconduct Investigation of State Sen. Schwertner
The University of Texas at Austin has concluded its investigation into allegations Texas State Senator Charles Schwertner (R - Georgetown) sent sexually explicit messages,...
Veteran El Paso House Member Stepping Down
Joe Pickett (D- El Paso), a 12-term member of the Texas House of Representatives, announced today he will resign from the Legislature on January...
Who Are Todd Hunter's Real Constituents?
Reform Austin has written repeatedly about the need for ethics reform at the Capitol. As the new legislative class prepares for the 86th legislative...
Five new members joining the Texas State Senate
Five new members are joining the Texas State Senate.
