Monday, May 20, 2013
A resolution to allow Texas voters the ability to limit statewide elected officials to two consecutive terms died Wednesday evening.Senate Joint Resolution 13, authored by state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, would have placed a constitutional amendment regarding term limits for all statewide elected officials before Texas voters in November. It would limit officials to two consecutive four-year terms. Officials would have been allowed to run for other offices and would not have been prohibited from running for the same office after sitting out one term.... Read More
Monday, May 20, 2013
TYLER, TX (KLTV) – The National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations today that could result in lower blood alcohol content limits allowed before being considered to be driving drunk.Their proposal calls on states to lower their BAC limits from the current .08% to .05%.The board said the changes will help cut down on the number of alcohol related driving deaths, which currently stands at nearly 10,000 per year.... Read More
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Though they probably didn’t realize it, Texans started paying more last week for title insurance, already one of the biggest costs associated with buying or refinancing a home.The price hike, quietly approved in March by the state insurance commissioner, is the first in 22 years. Aaron Day, a lobbyist for the Texas Land Title Association, said the 3.8 percent increase was justified by data submitted by the industry and the loss of business it suffered during the housing downturn, when premium income dropped by more than one-third.... Read More
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Local control has its place, but the proliferation of invasive government surveillance technology isn’t necessarily one of them. Senate Bill 188 by state Sen. Joan Huffman, sponsored in the Texas House by state Rep. Allen Fletcher, would allow local police departments to perform wiretaps without oversight for the first time in the state’s history.... Read More
Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Local House members have high hopes for bills that made the cut before Monday’s midnight deadline as another deadline looms.As of midnight Monday, House bills that had not passed out of committee and did not make the final daily calendar effectively died as the 83rd legislative session draws near the end. The final deadline that will dash hopes for thousands of stagnant bills is Thursday. The 140-day session ends May 27.... Read More
Friday, May 03, 2013
TYLER, TX (KLTV) – Two new bills could make some Texas teachers have to work a little bit longer.State House bill 1884 and State Senate bill 1458 are looking to bring some changes to the Texas Teacher Retirement System starting in September, including raising the minimum retirement age.State Representative Matt Schaefer says it all comes down to math.... Read More
Friday, May 03, 2013
Saturday is going to be a big day in Austin for gun owners. A big batch of bills related to firearms are up for a vote.100 bills were filed relating to guns in the current 83rd session of the Texas Legislature. Some will never see the light of day, some will become law. Some are more political statements than legislation, and some may even be unconstitutional. Representative Matt Schaefer will vote on them all. But 16 of them will be debated and voted on Saturday in the House. They’re calling it gun day.... Read More
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The struggle over the Texas budget is about priorities. As a conservative, I believe the Lone Star State should do a very few things, and do them right. Education is a high priority, and that includes our active and retired teachers. My mother will become a retired teacher in just a couple of months, and I understand what retirement funds mean to her, as well as the new teacher who expects a secure retirement in the future.... Read More
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
In a brief — very brief — victory for opponents of the lottery, the Texas House voted against renewing the Texas Lottery Commission, a move that could have killed the lottery. After an afternoon break, however, the Commission was renewed by a later vote.... Read More
Monday, April 22, 2013
A bill filed to make Smith County Emergency Services District board positions elected seats would create single-member districts similar to city councils and TISD trustees.Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, said he proposed an amendment to create districts rather than “at-large” elections before Senate Bill 1856 passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Relations.... Read More
