BG Reads | News You Need to Know (December 4, 2019)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW -> Episode 64: United States-Mexico policy and investment talk with Sergio Chavez, Intermestic Partners (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Affordability committee moves forward as Realtor group sounds home price alarm (Austin Monitor)
Members of the Regional Affordability Committee are continuing their work updating the group’s strategic plan for improving housing options, while another group tied to the Austin housing market has called for decisive action to keep housing prices from growing at an unsustainable rate.
Last month the affordability committee, which is made up of three City Council members and a selection of regional politicians and other leaders, opted to return to work at its first meeting in 2020 updating the plan that is focused around six areas, including affordable housing and transportation, access to health care and child care, and government efficiency and job training programs. Members discussed ways to improve job training and expand the kinds of programs offered throughout the region and identified the barriers such as transportation challenges and criminal histories that can prevent people from seeking training for better-paying jobs… (LINK TO STORY)
New program expands access to HIV prevention drug, including in Travis County (Austin American-Statesman)
The federal government on Tuesday launched a new program that will expand access to a medication that prevents HIV, making it available to people without prescription drug coverage at no cost, including in Travis County, which sees some of the highest rates of new infections annually. The program, called Ready, Set, PrEP, is one of the key components of the Trump Administration’s new effort, announced earlier this year, to curb HIV infections by 75% in five years and 90% in ten years.
To achieve this, health officials have said they aim to get all Americans living with HIV on a medication cocktail that lowers their viral load so they cannot transmit the disease and to place those at high risk of infection on the medication PrEP, which prevents disease infection when taken daily. Though PrEP is highly effective at preventing new HIV cases and could benefit more than 1 million people who are at risk, many people don’t have have access to it, federal health officials said. “Ready, Set, PrEP will increase access to this effective and preventive drug for people at risk,” U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Brett P. Giroir said in a statement Tuesday. ”“It is a critical tool for ending the HIV epidemic, but to make an impact it has to be available for people who need it most.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Federal inaction could hike taxes for Texas' many craft distillers (Austin Business Journal)
The Austin area's burgeoning alcohol production industry is on the verge of taking a major tax hit unless Congress intervenes before the end of the year.
On Dec. 31, the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act is set to expire. It has lowered the federal excise tax on alcohol production for the past couple of years, spurring a proliferation of companies across the country and deep in the heart of Texas. Now, distillers are facing the prospect of a 400% tax increase.
The measure, passed as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, applies to all forms of alcohol but is perhaps most impactful for distilleries, where taxes have been reduced by as much as 80% as a result of CBMTRA. Excise taxes are paid at the point of production instead of the point of sale… (LINK TO STORY)
Report: Austin is the No. 1 Tech Town in the U.S. for IT Pros (AustinInno)
Make room on the shelf. Austin has a new trophy to show off — and this one is directly related to its booming tech scene.
Austin was named the No. 1 city in the U.S. for IT professionals in a new report by tech trade association CompTIA. That’s a bump up from last year’s report, which placed Austin at No. 3.
The study examined data on tech job postings, projected job growth, wages, cost of living and other factors. And it placed Austin at No. 1 for both 1-year job growth and 5-year job growth. And it noted that the cost of living here is 3.5% lower than the national average — and IT pros get paid $452 more per year on average with a median salary of $88,729… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick files Donald Trump’s re-election papers, predicts Trump will romp in Texas (Dallas Morning News)
A month after ending his presidential campaign, Democrat Beto O’Rourke has turned his attention to state politics — namely, an effort to help flip the Texas House of Representatives from Republican control to the Democrats.
With Texas Democrats nine seats away from retaking the majority of seats in the Texas House, O’Rourke is trying to convince his donor base to send money to an organization called Flip The Texas House, which has targeted 17 House Districts in which Republican candidates won by fewer than 10 percentage points last year. More than half are districts in which O’Rourke won the majority of votes as he ran for U.S. Senate. “In 2018, I carried nine of the 17 districts now represented by Republicans. So we know that we can do this,” O’Rourke said in the email. “We just need your help to make sure that we make the most of this opportunity.”… (LINK TO STORY)
State Rep. Rick Miller drops reelection bid after saying opponents were challenging him because they’re Asian (Texas Tribune)
State Rep. Rick Miller, R-Sugar Land, is no longer running for reelection after he sparked a firestorm for saying he was facing primary challengers because they are “Asian.”
“During a recent interview with the Houston Chronicle I made some statements that were insensitive and inexcusable,” Miller said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “In trying to make a point about the campaign I used a poor choice of words that are not indicative of my character or heart.”
“I do not want to be a distraction for my party or my constituents, and therefore I have decided not to seek re-election,” he continued… (LINK TO STORY)
Union Pacific sues Texas town over 1870s-era jobs promise (Freight Waves)
Union Pacific is suing the city of Palestine, Texas, to nullify a 150-year-old contract to keep a certain number of jobs in the town indefinitely. The agreement between Union Pacific and Palestine — which was signed in 1872 — dates back to the days when the city was at the crossroads of several railroad companies that promised to keep jobs there indefinitely, according to the Palestine Herald-Press.
Union Pacific’s lawsuit, filed Nov. 27 with the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Texas, alleges the railroad’s contract with Palestine should have been invalidated when the federal Surface Transportation Board became the nation’s regulating authority for freight rail in 1996; and again in 1997, when Union Pacific merged with the Missouri-Pacific Railroad. The agreement requires the Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad to keep 0.52% of its total jobs in Palestine, local officials said. Union Pacific operates around 32,000 miles of track in 23 Western states. The company had around 37,000 employees as of its last earnings report… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
House Intelligence Committee advances impeachment report (The Hill)
The House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday evening voted to advance its impeachment report and send it to the House Judiciary Committee.
The vote to advance the report took place along party lines and passed by a 13-9 margin. While expected, the decision marks the next step for the Judiciary panel to formally consider articles of impeachment against President Trump.
The report, which was released earlier Tuesday, said the president “sought to undermine the integrity of the U.S. presidential election process, and endangered U.S. national security.”… (LINK TO STORY)
The Bingham Group, LLC is an Austin-based full service lobbying firm representing and advising clients on municipal, legislative, and regulatory matters throughout Texas.
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