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CNN
7 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Texas officials begin state investigation into July 4 flood disaster
The critical minutes and hours when deadly flash floods hurtled down the Guadalupe River washing away children's camps and RVs will be scrutinized starting Wednesday at a special hearing in Texas. There's already a split emerging about exactly what should be prioritized: the efficiency of those who tried to save lives once the water arrived or whether more should have been done before the storm. 'We need to find out what happened. We need to know for us to go forward and make sure that we prevent the loss of life on the scale,' said José Menéndez, a Democrat state senator, who will be on the joint select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding. His Republican colleague on the committee, Wes Virdell, who is the state representative for Kerr county, the area hardest hit, urged more caution in a separate interview with CNN. 'Government's natural inclination is to overreact, and so I want to make sure that we don't have that happening,' Virdell said. At least 135 people were killed in Texas during the historic July 4 flooding, more than 100 of them in Kerr County where children's camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe. The area lies in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley,' but Kerr County has no network of sirens along the river to alert both residents and visitors when they should get to higher ground. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation for a special legislative session that began Monday to address flood warning systems, emergency communications, and relief funding for victims — as well as other issues that are more political in nature including redistricting. Wednesday's hearing will include testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers throughout Flash Flood Alley, as well as Chief Nim Kidd, head of the state's Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and members of the Department of Public Safety, the state's police force. The agenda indicates lawmakers will seek information on disaster preparedness and response, flood planning and first responder communications. Members of the joint select committee have not received any briefing materials or confidential information in advance of the meeting in Austin, CNN has learned. A rare confluence of events contributed to the disaster — a summer's worth of rain landing on drought-dried soil, the area's geography gathering the water in the river until it could break its banks near the town of Hunt, a community that is often saturated with weather alerts and the worst happening in the middle of the night before the July 4 holiday and many people in the affected zones not having access to phones or cell service. 'You talk to the locals, and they don't feel like there was anything more that could have been done at that point,' said Virdell, who arrived in Kerr County the morning of the floods and stayed for 10 days. 'That's not saying every local, but (it) seems to be the general consensus.' Prev Next Virdell first went to check on the coordination of emergency operations. 'TDEM and all the agencies that came in — Texas Parks and Wildlife, DPS, National Guard — all of those guys worked very well together. It was impressive to watch, and the local officials with them.' He said his constituents recognized the unparalleled nature of the event. 'Outside of Kerr you see several people trying to point fingers and what not. You go talk to the people that live there, and they're not blaming people.' But Menéndez is concerned that more could have been done, especially with the children's camps on the river where youngsters slept in cabins with counselors. 'We cannot just say it was a freak of nature. Yes, it was. But can we do a better job? I believe we can,' he said. 'I think they needed to have better preparation, especially when you have children who are being supervised by just a little bit older children, maybe young adults. That's a dangerous situation. You need to have ultimate preparation,' he said, adding he wanted more clarity on the emergency operations process in Kerr and neighboring counties. 'If you have nothing to fear, you should have nothing to hide. If you really did the best you can, then come out and say it. People deserve to have honest answers, no matter how painful they may be.' Controversially, Texas Republicans have signaled they will first use this special legislative session to force a vote on aggressive redistricting maps pushed by the White House that could give the GOP five more seats in the US House of Representatives. The move will likely hamper state Democrats' efforts to block the new maps, because they won't want to disrupt the session before there is a vote to approve the flood relief. Still, there was no talk of making Wednesday's first hearing purely political theater. '(There's) a lot to learn, a lot to study, not a witch hunt,' Menéndez said. 'But I do want, ultimately — if there was someone that could have done a better job — them to answer why they didn't.' 'The truth of what happened in that 24 hours that led up to this destruction and this death and tragic occurrence will come out,' the state senator continued. 'So why not come out and let's talk about it as adults so we can find a solution?' Virdell said he would also be ready to learn. 'Weathermen have been getting the weather wrong for a long time, and I think that's going to continue on,' he said. 'The purpose of the committee is to figure out is there something different we can be doing?' The committee will reconvene the following week in Kerrville, Texas — the epicenter of some of the worst flooding, where both members said they are looking forward to hearing directly from flood victims.
CNN
7 days ago
- Politics
- CNN
Texas officials begin state investigation into July 4 flood disaster
The critical minutes and hours when deadly flash floods hurtled down the Guadalupe River washing away children's camps and RVs will be scrutinized starting Wednesday at a special hearing in Texas. There's already a split emerging about exactly what should be prioritized: the efficiency of those who tried to save lives once the water arrived or whether more should have been done before the storm. 'We need to find out what happened. We need to know for us to go forward and make sure that we prevent the loss of life on the scale,' said José Menéndez, a Democrat state senator, who will be on the joint select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding. His Republican colleague on the committee, Wes Virdell, who is the state representative for Kerr county, the area hardest hit, urged more caution in a separate interview with CNN. 'Government's natural inclination is to overreact, and so I want to make sure that we don't have that happening,' Virdell said. At least 135 people were killed in Texas during the historic July 4 flooding, more than 100 of them in Kerr County where children's camps and RV parks sat on the banks of the Guadalupe. The area lies in the heart of 'Flash Flood Alley,' but Kerr County has no network of sirens along the river to alert both residents and visitors when they should get to higher ground. Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation for a special legislative session that began Monday to address flood warning systems, emergency communications, and relief funding for victims — as well as other issues that are more political in nature including redistricting. Wednesday's hearing will include testimony from officials in charge of managing the rivers throughout Flash Flood Alley, as well as Chief Nim Kidd, head of the state's Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), and members of the Department of Public Safety, the state's police force. The agenda indicates lawmakers will seek information on disaster preparedness and response, flood planning and first responder communications. Members of the joint select committee have not received any briefing materials or confidential information in advance of the meeting in Austin, CNN has learned. A rare confluence of events contributed to the disaster — a summer's worth of rain landing on drought-dried soil, the area's geography gathering the water in the river until it could break its banks near the town of Hunt, a community that is often saturated with weather alerts and the worst happening in the middle of the night before the July 4 holiday and many people in the affected zones not having access to phones or cell service. 'You talk to the locals, and they don't feel like there was anything more that could have been done at that point,' said Virdell, who arrived in Kerr County the morning of the floods and stayed for 10 days. 'That's not saying every local, but (it) seems to be the general consensus.' Prev Next Virdell first went to check on the coordination of emergency operations. 'TDEM and all the agencies that came in — Texas Parks and Wildlife, DPS, National Guard — all of those guys worked very well together. It was impressive to watch, and the local officials with them.' He said his constituents recognized the unparalleled nature of the event. 'Outside of Kerr you see several people trying to point fingers and what not. You go talk to the people that live there, and they're not blaming people.' But Menéndez is concerned that more could have been done, especially with the children's camps on the river where youngsters slept in cabins with counselors. 'We cannot just say it was a freak of nature. Yes, it was. But can we do a better job? I believe we can,' he said. 'I think they needed to have better preparation, especially when you have children who are being supervised by just a little bit older children, maybe young adults. That's a dangerous situation. You need to have ultimate preparation,' he said, adding he wanted more clarity on the emergency operations process in Kerr and neighboring counties. 'If you have nothing to fear, you should have nothing to hide. If you really did the best you can, then come out and say it. People deserve to have honest answers, no matter how painful they may be.' Controversially, Texas Republicans have signaled they will first use this special legislative session to force a vote on aggressive redistricting maps pushed by the White House that could give the GOP five more seats in the US House of Representatives. The move will likely hamper state Democrats' efforts to block the new maps, because they won't want to disrupt the session before there is a vote to approve the flood relief. Still, there was no talk of making Wednesday's first hearing purely political theater. '(There's) a lot to learn, a lot to study, not a witch hunt,' Menéndez said. 'But I do want, ultimately — if there was someone that could have done a better job — them to answer why they didn't.' 'The truth of what happened in that 24 hours that led up to this destruction and this death and tragic occurrence will come out,' the state senator continued. 'So why not come out and let's talk about it as adults so we can find a solution?' Virdell said he would also be ready to learn. 'Weathermen have been getting the weather wrong for a long time, and I think that's going to continue on,' he said. 'The purpose of the committee is to figure out is there something different we can be doing?' The committee will reconvene the following week in Kerrville, Texas — the epicenter of some of the worst flooding, where both members said they are looking forward to hearing directly from flood victims.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Long-awaited raise for Texas judges in limbo over legislative pension clash
Long-awaited pay raises for Texas judges are stuck in a legislative limbo as the clock winds down and lawmakers battle over the future of their own retirement plans. Senate Bill 293 would give judges their first raise in over a decade, increasing base pay 25% to $175,000 a year from $140,000, addressing what both chambers and parties have deemed an emergency in the state. But now they are at odds over a change the House made to the bill that would keep lawmakers' retirement plans flat, while the Senate wants to see their pensions increase alongside judicial pay. Despite several hurried meetings Saturday among representatives and senators involved in this issue, they did not put forward a report harmonizing the disagreement by the midnight deadline, narrowing the chances that raises are approved before the session ends Monday. While lawmakers earn just $7,200 a year for their part-time legislative service, those who serve more than eight years are eligible for a pension when they turn 60 (or when they turn 50 if they've served 12 years.) Rather than basing that payout on their meager legislative salary, it's tied to the base salary for a district judge, a benefit that allows some of the longest-standing lawmakers to earn annual retirement payments of $140,000 a year. The House amendment said these pensions would remain tied to the current judicial salary of $140,000, rather than increasing their retirement benefits alongside judicial pay. 'I do not believe, speaking for me, that this is the right way to consider increases to our legislative retirement,' said bill sponsor Rep. Jeff Leach, a Plano Republican. The Senate disagreed. On Friday night, less than 72 hours before the end of an unusually smooth legislative session, Sen. José Menéndez, a San Antonio Democrat, called a point of order, saying the legislative pension amendment was not germane to the bill and should be removed. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick upheld Menéndez's challenge, a shocking procedural development for the upper chamber. While bills sometimes fall victim to a point of order in the House, senators rarely bring these procedural challenges. When the House gaveled in on Saturday afternoon, it became clear members had no intention of backing down on their amendment as the Senate had requested. House Speaker Dustin Burrows said under House rules they were 'not authorized' to remove just one amendment, and there is 'certainly no rule or precedent' that allows the Senate to amend House amendments. 'To your knowledge has anything like this ever been done before?,' Rep. Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat asked. 'Not to my knowledge, no,' Burrows responded, noting that the traditional way these sorts of disputes are resolved is in conference committee, where a group of members from both chambers negotiate the final disagreements over a bill. Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a Democrat from Austin, told The Texas Tribune on Saturday that the senators felt Leach and bill author Sen. Joan Huffman had agreed to the decoupling without the full support and knowledge of the chambers. She said they 'have to get to a yes' on this, but she is 'pro-public servant' and wants public officials to be appropriately compensated. Lawmakers often try to plan their legislative tenure based on these pension timelines — eight years of service gets you vested in the retirement system, and they earn more each additional year they serve. Some are worried that removing the judicial pay connection will make it harder to argue for an increase to the pension program going forward. Meanwhile, judges are panicking about their pay raises. Judges earn less in Texas than almost any other state, and this 25% raise will still leave them far behind where they would be in the private sector. 'Most law students … going into the first year at a law firm are making more than the starting salary of our judges,' Leach said Saturday. There are still paths to pay raises for judges, but it would likely require the Senate adopting the House version, or both chambers suspending the rules, which takes a three-fifths vote in the Senate and a two-thirds vote in the House Lawmakers said they've been deluged with calls from judges urging them to resolve this snag, with some judges telling them they'd only stayed on the bench because of the promise of raises on the horizon. On Saturday, Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock sent a letter to all lawmakers, proposing amended language that kicks the can to next session. 'At this critical juncture, if either legislative chamber insists on its favored solution to the legislator-pension question, I fear we will end the session without any increase in judicial pay,' Blacklock wrote. 'If that happens, it is not the judges themselves but our Texas justice system — which should be the envy of the world — that will suffer most, along with the thousands of Texans who seek justice in our courts every day.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Texas will require state documents to reflect sex assigned at birth
In the middle of the night, the Texas Senate approved a bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs on a 20-11 party line vote. The bill has already passed the House and will go now to the governor's desk. House Bill 229 says a woman is an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova, while a man is someone whose reproductive system is developed to fertilize the ova. The bill would require that this definition be used across state statute, with potentially wide-ranging consequences for trans and intersex people who would see their gender identity reverted back to the sex they were assigned at birth in state records. The bill, called the 'Women's Bill of Rights' was authored by Rep. Ellen Troxclair and carried by Sen. Mayes Middleton. Supporters of the bill say it's about preserving single-sex spaces, like bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons, and opportunities, like athletic competitions, which they feel have been threatened by men masquerading as trans women. Middleton said on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday that this was common sense legislation that aligned with state and federal executive orders declaring there are only two sexes: male and female. 'Your birth sex is your birth sex, period,' Middleton said. Democrats argued against this claim, echoing concerns from trans people and their allies who say it's an oversimplification of sex, gender and the spectrum of human experiences. San Antonio Sen. José Menéndez said it was a 'form of state-sponsored discrimination.' 'If a law forces non-binary Texans, who are real people, into categories that don't reflect their lived experiences or identities … that would actually become discrimination in practice,' he said. Many trans people have gotten court orders allowing them to change the sex listed on their birth certificate, driver's licenses, school records and more, and fear that those would be invalidated or reversed by this law. Heather Clark, an Austin woman whose wife is transgender, testified to a Senate committee earlier this month about the impact of her wife's documents being reverted to a male gender marker. 'Anytime that she is required to show her driver's license, she could be compelled to explain why her appearance doesn't align with her documentation,' Clark said, adding that could happen anytime she flew, took money from the bank, applied for a job or voted. 'That creates ample daily opportunities for discrimination, and that would make living in Texas untenable.' The bill does not create a criminal or civil penalty, but rather defines the terms wherever they are used in state law. The ripple effects may take time to sort out as state officials reverse engineer where and how these definitions must be applied. As Menéndez and Houston Sen. Molly Cook pressed Middleton on why this bill was necessary and what its implications would be, Middleton dismissed the legislation as merely a 'definitions bill,' noting that it has no criminal or civil penalties attached. But he also acknowledged the bill's potentially wide-ranging reach 'We have male and female, woman and man throughout our state code. It's in there hundreds of times,' he said. 'We never thought we needed to define that until recently.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Record spending increase for public schools passes in the Texas Senate, heads to the House
The Texas Senate unanimously passed House Bill 2 on Friday, allocating billions more for the state's public schools. Lawmakers in the upper chamber voted 31-0 just before 7 p.m., with Republicans and Democrats united in approving the $8.5 billion increase over the next two years — $500 million more than initially agreed upon last week. Texas Capitol at sunset on a cloudy day Getty Images/iStockphoto The measure includes $4.2 billion for pay raises for teachers with more than three years of experience and for non-administrative staff. There is also additional funding for special education, full-day pre-K, and school safety. Republicans say this new funding is four times the usual increase in school spending. Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, said on the chamber floor: "I believe this will be the most transformative education package in Texas history. It surpasses every major school finance effort before it and reflects months of collaboration, tough conversations, and a shared commitment to our students and teachers. I want to be clear: this is historic funding, but it's not a blank check." Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio, said: "I believe we can be proud of a lot of things in this budget. I want to thank you for the commitments you've made—first and foremost, the investment that's going to make a difference in our communities and our schools." While there was widespread bipartisan support in the Texas Senate on Friday evening, some Democrats in the Texas House, including Rep. James Talarico, D-Austin, have been critical of school spending, arguing this new funding is still not enough. Talarico told CBS News Texas on Thursday that he is not impressed by the $8.5 billion increase. "People see a big number and think it sounds pretty good, and it is better than nothing. But Texas is a big state, so the numbers are going to sound big." The legislation now returns to the Texas House, where it is expected to pass. In a statement, Gov. Greg Abbott said the bill will put "Texas on the pathway to be the best state in the nation for education." The legislative session wraps up on June 2. Watch Eye On Politics at 7:30 a.m. Sunday on CBS News Texas, on-air and streaming. Follow Jack on X: @cbs11jack
