Voters across Texas passed more than $12.2 billion out of a total $13 billion in bond propositions November 5. Of the 84 entities that had bond propositions on the ballot, 66 of them had propositions that passed or a portion that were successful. Fifteen of the 20 highest-dollar measures were for educational organizations, most of […]
Texans passed nine out of 10 constitutional amendments on November 5 with several propositions that support funding for disaster recovery and mitigation. Proposition 1, which would have permitted elected judges to hold more than one office as a municipal judge, failed by a 30 percent margin. Appointed judges are allowed to hold more than one […]
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick released 116 interim charges to the Texas Senate on October 30 to study before the 2021 legislative session. The charges are an indication of the lieutenant governor’s priorities and those of the Texas Senate. Included in the charges are seven directed to the Senate Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and […]
Illinois – The state’s Capital Development Board (CDB) and Department of Veterans’ Affairs will host a vendor forum on November 4 for the design and construction of a new veterans home. The forum will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Quincy Veteran’s Home. As part of the Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the state is […]
Voters may start casting their ballots as early as Monday in the November 5 Texas constitutional amendment election. Early voting to determine 10 constitutional amendments, special elections, and local elections will be from October 21 to November 1. The amendments will appear as propositions on the ballot. In brief, they are: Proposition 1 – Permitting a […]
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced $48 million in disaster relief and resiliency grants for Texas. More than $13 million will be matched in local funds to help create 7,487 jobs, retain 225 jobs, and generate $6 billion in private investment. Among the grant recipients are: City of West Orange […]
The Texas Comptroller’s Office released a Certification Revenue Estimate (CRE) on October 10 that projects revenues available to the state for general spending to total about $121.76 billion for the 2020-21 biennium. That amount, which is up 9.6 percent from the 2018-2019 biennium, will finance the $118.86 billion in general-purpose spending appropriated by the 86th […]
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is looking to advance its mail delivery fleet using drones. The agency issued a request for information (RFI) as it seeks to gather information about the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market, which it will use to consider future requirements. Candidates would develop UAS operations and demonstrate the reliability […]
Utah – The National Governors Association (NGA) has a new mission after incoming chairman Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a call to action to upgrade the country’s aging or vulnerable infrastructure. Hogan presented his “Infrastructure: Foundation for Success” initiative to association members at the NGA Summer Meeting on July 26 in Salt Lake City. The yearlong […]
The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) has been awarded an $8.78 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for work on seven existing bridges. NCTCOG serves a 16-county region of North Central Texas, which is centered on Dallas and Fort Worth. NCTCOG will use funds from the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) […]
Gov. Greg Abbott signed several disaster relief and preparedness bills June 13 to combine with $3 billion in aid earmarked from the state’s ‘Rainy Day Fund’ for areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Abbott signed the following bills: HB5 – Requires the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to develop a catastrophic debris management plan and training […]
The Texas Legislature passed a $250.7 billion budget on May 26 and approved several key bills highlighted by property tax relief and school finance reform. Lawmakers set a 3.5 percent cap on local government property tax hikes and a 2.5 percent limit on school district property tax increases. Only by voter permission can those governments […]
Hays County is joining other counties in deciding whether to switch out its voting machines to a paper receipt system, one that seems to be growing in popularity. Before changes could be implemented, the county would need to seek approval from the state. Currently there is proposed legislation at the capitol that could dictate which […]
Maryland– The Maryland Legislature has introduced Senate Bill 175 that would establish the Maryland Technology Infrastructure Program, a funding effort that would support a range of activities, including workforce development programs, research partnerships and physical infrastructure projects. The fund would aim to bolster cybersecurity and life science initiatives. The governor has allotted $16 million in initial funding […]
New Mexico– New Mexico lawmakers from the House of Representatives have approved a bill, House Bill 286, that would allow partnerships in which private entities can bid to help finance and build government-owned facilities. More than 35 states already allow this type of public-private partnership (P3) opportunity. The bill would allow any government agency in the […]
Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast Aug. 25. We are now in December and there is still a lot of future-proofing to be done. Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp, spoke of future-proofing Texas after he was chosen to oversee Texas’ hurricane rebuilding efforts. Future-proofing is the process of anticipating the future and developing methods of minimizing […]
Texas voters made their voices heard by choosing for or against bond propositions put forth by cities, counties, school districts, special districts, a community college and hospital district. In total, 83 local government entities made the decision to call for a bond election to see if the majority of voters agreed with the propositions, such as one city that had five. […]
This is the time of year when bond proposals are voted on by residents so cities and towns can take on improvement projects. But new laws might be enacted in 2018 that could take some of the attraction away from bonds. Last week, a tax reform draft, called Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1, released by the House Ways and […]
“This is not a closed book – this is a work in progress.” That is Gov. Greg Abbott’s take regarding ongoing state efforts to secure billions of additional federal dollars to help address damages and destruction left behind when Hurricane Harvey swept over parts of Texas in August. At a press conference Wednesday, Abbott spoke […]
The presiding officers of both the House and the Senate have released interim charges to committees on which issues to examine during the interim between the 85th Legislature and the 86th Legislature in 2019. In Texas’s biennial legislature, a legislative session occurs in odd-numbered years beginning the second Tuesday in January, and running for 140 […]
When a natural disaster occurs, state, county and city leaders must assess the damage and also do a head count of residents that may have lost food, water and shelter. Operations, plans and projects are put into place and state agencies begin requesting waivers and assistance at the federal level. For Texans, that natural disaster is Hurricane Harvey. The […]
Texas lawmakers have requested an additional $18.7 billion in federal aid for recovery efforts from the damage left behind by Hurricane Harvey. On Thursday, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with other members of Congress and Gov. Greg Abbott, delivered the request in a letter to House and Senate appropriators. The bipartisan request comes […]
Hurricane Harvey is gone, but unfortunately, not forgotten as cities and counties move forward and find the funding to rebuild. Property owners will also recover, but will it be in a home that they might build much higher off the ground or one they are searching for in a part of town that didn’t flood? […]
There are many different kinds, or classes, of government units with an annual budget, including counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, fire districts, hospital districts and other special districts. All of them have deadlines for their balanced, fiscal year budget that will outline revenue and spending categories and totals for the various funds. A budget contains several important parts, and […]
The last day of the 85th Legislative Session was May 29. Several bills immediately went into effect while others were delayed until Sept. 1, or even further into the future. Over 670 bills become new Texas laws today. Get the full analysis of bills that became law on Sept. 1 here, bills signed by the governor here and bills […]
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