Latest news with #legislativesession
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Editorial: Texas is talking tax cuts. Illinois? More hikes
The phrase 'there are two Americas' has many meanings. It can mean that there are two justice systems: one for the rich and one for the poor. It can mean right and left. Rural and urban. Ketchup and … the right way to eat a hot dog. When it comes to taxes and spending, state leaders often split into two camps, too — one that talks about priorities and restraint, and one that talks about hiking and expanding. Call them Texas and Illinois. Exhibit A: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced on the social platform X that state lawmakers this week will be tackling property taxes in a special session. First on the agenda: legislation to cut property taxes. Second on the agenda: legislation to limit spending by government entities that impose property taxes. You don't have to like everything they do in Texas, and we sure don't, but you can't summarily dismiss this kind of thinking, which rarely even enters the discussion in Illinois. While Texas is getting ready to talk about ways to cut taxes and limit spending, our most recent legislative session ended with a handful of new tax hikes and a 'to be continued' on transit that promises to include conversations about other potential tax increases. Importantly, Abbott's message isn't just about people-pleasing tax cuts — it's a call to make relief happen without breaking the bank. Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole. And to that end, we know it's not all sunshine and roses in Texas. They have fiscal problems, too, namely that local property taxes have grown dramatically in many parts of the state. In Austin, for example, the city's property tax levy increased from $675 million to over $1 billion from 2018 to 2022, representing a 51.4% increase, according to research from the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott and over 80% of Texas voters approved an $18 billion plan aimed at easing the burden on homeowners and businesses. But local governments' overspending has continued to drive up bills, blunting the relief. That's why Abbott is now pushing to rein in local spending as part of the broader fix Texas needs. Still, acknowledging those problems and working to address them is precisely what stands out to us. We like it when leaders are honest about financial problems and willing to tackle them head-on, even when it isn't easy. This isn't a pro-Texas, anti-Illinois commentary. This is an endorsement of good ideas, common sense and getting to work addressing big fiscal problems. We're not saying move to Texas — though Austin and Dallas have their appeal. We like it just fine plunked here in the Midwest next to plenty of fresh water and a climate less prone to life-altering natural disasters. And in the case of the recent loss of young life due to flooding, we're well aware that adequate local government spending on emergency procedures remains vital. We hope Abbott is aware of that, too. But we're seeing Texas leaders bring a refreshingly different mindset to the debate over government and taxpayer dollars. Where Illinois politicians are more likely to stick their heads in the sand, Texas at least appears willing to confront money issues, or at least speak their name out loud. Here in Illinois, the best we've managed to do is form working groups to study our state's property tax problem — which is among the worst in the country — and then move on without real action. That pattern reflects a broader political culture of denial, as if ordinary families aren't struggling to cover mortgages and grocery bills. Not only is tax relief not on the table, but tax hikes are a constant threat here. Illinois is far from alone in this pattern, of course. But as Texas works to tackle taxes and government spending problems, Illinois should at least start talking about them more honestly. _____ Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Texas Lawmakers Will Debate Flood Response, Redistricting and Other Issues
A special legislative session in Texas, set to begin on Monday in the wake of the flood in Texas Hill Country, is shaping up to be an emotionally raw diversion into what Democrats say is the gerrymandering the state's House districts. Lawmakers will also take up questions about the handling of the devastating July 4 floods, which killed more than 130 people, including at least 37 children. Nearly 100 Texans remain missing. But that bipartisan imperative will be complicated by a hard-edge partisan agenda for the session, dominated by President Trump's push for the Legislature to redraw the state's congressional district maps to be more favorable for Republicans. He wants his party to gain five seats in Texas in the 2026 midterm elections to help retain control of the U.S. House. Gov. Greg Abbott has asked lawmakers to also consider a dozen other items during the 30-day special session, including new hard-line conservative proposals to ban mail-order abortion pills, lower property taxes and regulate intoxicating hemp. And he wants lawmakers to consider a state constitutional amendment that would empower the state attorney general to prosecute election crimes. 'It's a wild situation,' said State Representative Jon Rosenthal, a Houston-area Democrat. 'The past sessions I've been a part of have been of a very limited scope.' Most Texans' attention will probably lie with the July 4 flood and what can be done to improve warning systems, such as placing outdoor sirens along flood-prone waterways like the Guadalupe River, where most of the deaths occurred. Image The special session of the Texas State Legislature that is scheduled to convene on July 21 will be 'a wild situation,' said State Representative Jon Rosenthal, Democrat of Houston. Credit... Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle, via Getty Images 'That's the most obvious thing that can be done,' said Sid Miller, the state's Republican agriculture commissioner. The redistricting fight, though, will have national implications and headline-grabbing potential. Democrats in the Legislature are considering walking out to try to thwart the effort by denying Republicans a quorum. Redistricting is 'an inside-baseball thing,' Mr. Miller said, noting that while he supported Republican efforts to win more seats, 'most Texans are not too concerned about that.' That dismissive shrug is probably not how it will play out more widely. 'Democrats must keep all options on the table,' said State Representative John Bucy III, an Austin-area Democrat gearing up for a fight on the issue. As recently as a few weeks ago, many people in Austin felt that a special session this year was unlikely. During the regular legislative session, the governor had finally accomplished his signature agenda item, a publicly funded private-school voucher program — an achievement that had eluded his Republican predecessors, George W. Bush and Rick Perry. But Mr. Abbott had unfinished business driving him toward an extra session. Then came orders from Washington: The president wanted Texas lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional map, because of worries about the slim Republican House majority surviving the midterm elections, which almost always favor the party out of power. And then the floods hit the Hill Country. Last week, just before Mr. Trump visited the flood-damaged area, Mr. Abbott added flood response legislation to the special session agenda, along with redistricting. Image President Trump spoke alongside Governor Abbott at a meeting with emergency response personnel and local officials in Kerrville, Texas. Credit... Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times It remained unclear in what order the State Legislature would take up the two high-profile issues. Some lobbyists and legislative aides suggested that redistricting appeared likely to be handled first, because Democrats might be less likely to stage a walkout to stop the map-drawing effort if it meant blocking action on flooding as well. But going forward with a partisan redistricting plan before taking any steps to address one of the state's worst natural disasters in generations could present political problems for Republicans, who control all levels of state government. 'The one thing that is mandatory is the flood — that's essential,' said Bill Miller, a veteran Austin lobbyist and longtime Texas political observer. 'If they don't do that, it will hurt them politically. And you'd better do it first.' Flood Response Mr. Abbott listed four matters related to flooding that he called on lawmakers to consider in the session: improvements to warning systems, relief funding for counties hit by the July floods, better emergency communications and cutting regulations surrounding disaster preparation and recovery. 'We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future,' Mr. Abbott said. Lawmakers are expected to hold at least two public hearings on the flooding, on July 23 at the Capitol in Austin and then on July 31 in Kerrville, Texas, the epicenter of the flooding in the Hill Country. 'With only 30 days to act, we must make every moment count,' the speaker of the Texas House, Dustin Burrows, said in a statement announcing the creation of a select committee on disaster preparedness and flooding. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the State Senate, has called for the construction of sirens along the Guadalupe River. Image More than 130 people were killed in flash flooding in Central Texas earlier this month. Credit... Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times But he also suggested that some of the issues raised by the flooding, like previous government inaction on warning systems, may not be addressed in the special session. He promised that officials would gather the facts and answer the many questions raised after the flooding 'in the coming year, and into the next regular legislative session' in 2027. U.S. House Redistricting Few Republican lawmakers, in Austin and in Washington, have expressed enthusiasm for Mr. Trump's aggressive redistricting demand. 'I think we'll get five,' Mr. Trump said on Tuesday when asked how many seats he hoped Republicans would gain from the effort. Texas has 38 congressional districts, with 25 currently held by Republicans and 12 held by Democrats. One seat, representing a heavily Democratic district in Houston, is vacant; it will be filled in a special election in November. Maps are supposed to be redrawn around the beginning of each decade, using data from the latest census, which reapportions House seats among the states based on population changes. Mid-decade redistricting is rare, and almost always contentious. The Trump administration has argued that several districts in Houston and Dallas that are held by Black and Hispanic Democrats are 'unconstitutional racial gerrymanders' and need to be redrawn. That is a charge that Texas Republicans have long rejected when their maps have been challenged by Democrats and minority groups. In addition, Republicans have been looking at their recent growth in support among Hispanic voters, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley, as an avenue for drawing new district maps that would favor their candidates. Image A long list of agenda items awaits the Texas Legislature when it convenes for the special session. Credit... Jordan Vonderhaar for The New York Times Democrats have been strategizing about how to respond, including the question of whether to walk out of the special session to prevent a quorum. To do that in the 150-member Texas House, 51 of the 62 Democrats would have to join in. A walkout could come at a heavy cost for the participants. After the tactic was used in 2021, Texas Republicans have tried to deter future walkouts by adopting rules in the State House that include $500-a-day fines for each lawmaker who stays away. Beyond Texas, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, a Democrat, is threatening to have his state's House district lines redrawn to favor his party if Texas Republicans succeed in redrawing theirs. (For now, that might be bluster, since California's laws and state constitution make such a move a much taller order than it is in Texas.) The clock is working against Republicans. The Dec. 8 deadline for filing to get on the March 2026 primary ballot is fast approaching, and any new maps adopted during the special session would probably be challenged in court. That could complicate whether they would take effect in time for the midterm elections in 2026. The Governor's Other Desires Mr. Abbott put a long list of other items in his call for the special session, most of them measures that failed to become law during the regular session. The most contentious of them is a bill to regulate the industry that produces intoxicating hemp products like gummies, drinks and other consumable items that deliver a high similar to that from marijuana. Mr. Patrick, the state's powerful lieutenant governor, muscled a total ban on such products through the Legislature late in the regular session, only to see Mr. Abbott veto the measure. The governor said that lawmakers should consider regulating the products instead of banning them, and should make it a crime to sell hemp intoxicants to people under the age of 21. Currently there are no age restrictions on the products in Texas. Image Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick defending the THC ban at news conference in May. Credit... Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times Mr. Abbott also wants the Legislature to take up measures favored by activist Republicans, including a proposed ban on local governments hiring lobbyists to advocate for their interests at the State Capitol; a bill to give the state attorney general new powers to prosecute violations of election law; and new legislation restricting abortion, in a state that already has a near-total ban. Anti-abortion activists urged lawmakers to pass a bill that would try to stop mail-order abortion pills from being used in Texas. 'They only have 30 days to do it,' said John Seago, the president of Texas Right to Life.
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Texas Republicans Look to Jam Democrats With Vote on Redistricting
Republicans in the Texas Legislature are planning to hold off on voting on measures to address the state's deadly July 4 flooding until after they approve a partisan redistricting of Texas' U.S. House boundaries, hoping to thwart Democrats' efforts to block new House maps, according to two people briefed on the discussions. Republican leaders gaveled in the special legislative session on Monday, called by Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican with an ambitious list of demands for the session. The biggest by far are flood response, driven by a disaster that killed at least 135 people, and redistricting, driven by President Trump. Public hearings on the floods start on Wednesday, in Austin, and in hard-hit Kerrville next week. Hearings on redistricting will span the next two weeks in Austin, Houston and the Dallas area. Texas Republicans had been working quietly for several months to take up Mr. Trump's call for an aggressive redrawing of the state's congressional maps, aiming to gain five additional Republican seats in the U.S. House and help the party keep control of the chamber after the 2026 midterms. Then the floods hit on July 4 and prompted calls for state leaders to improve warning systems and provide disaster relief. Now those two imperatives — one a natural disaster, the other overtly political — could create an incendiary atmosphere as the legislative session builds steam, with just 30 days to accomplish both. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Amid Flood Response, Texas Republicans Pivot to Political Maps
A special legislative session in Texas, set to begin on Monday in the wake of the devastating July 4 floods in Texas Hill Country, is shaping up to be a politically dangerous and emotionally raw diversion into gerrymandering the state's House districts. Lawmakers will take up questions about the handling of the floods, which killed more than 130 people, including at least 37 children. Nearly 100 Texans remain missing. But that bipartisan imperative will be complicated by a hard-edge partisan agenda, dominated by President Trump's push for the Legislature to redraw the state's congressional district maps to be more favorable for Republicans. He wants his party to gain five seats in Texas in the 2026 midterm elections to help retain control of the U.S. House. Gov. Greg Abbott has asked lawmakers to also consider a dozen other items during the 30-day special session, including new hard-line conservative proposals to ban mail-order abortion pills, lower property taxes and regulate intoxicating hemp. And he wants lawmakers to consider a state constitutional amendment that would empower the state attorney general to prosecute election crimes. 'It's a wild situation,' said State Representative Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat. 'The past sessions I've been a part of have been of a very limited scope.' Most Texans' attention will probably lie with the July 4 flood and what can be done to improve warning systems, such as placing outdoor sirens along flood-prone waterways like the Guadalupe River, where most of the deaths occurred. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Bloomberg
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Paxton Threatens to Arrest Democrats If They Flee Texas
By Updated on Save Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton threatened to arrest state Democrats who obstruct plans to draw new congressional maps, raising the stakes for a controversial effort backed by President Donald Trump as a way of protecting the slim Republican majority in the US House of Representatives. Paxton, a firebrand Republican running for the US Senate, warned lawmakers not to leave Texas ahead of a special legislative session next week after national Democratic leaders encouraged state representatives to resist the plan. If enough Democrats flee, the legislature would be short of the minimum number of lawmakers required for a vote — a move that Democrats have unsuccessfully tried in recent years to block legislation.
