BG Reads | News You Need to Know (January 9, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
NEW -> Episode 69: Judge Aurora Martinez Jones, Travis County Civil Courts (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Officials Say Austin Is No Longer At Risk Of A Measles Outbreak After Case Last Month (KUT)
Austin public health officials say there's no longer any risk of a measles outbreak associated with a Travis County case reported in December.
Late last month, Travis County recorded its first measles case in two decades. It stemmed from an individual who had traveled abroad. Austin Public Health says the incubation period, which lasts from 10 to 14 days, is now over and there have been no new cases.
The infected individual was at a handful of locations in the Austin area during the incubation period. Austin Public Health epidemiologists working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health officials were monitoring for additional cases through Jan. 7, specifically potential cases among those who had contact with the infected individual… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin-area universities see boom in online enrollment (Austin American-Statesman)
While it’s unclear what proportion of all Texas students are enrolled in an online class, data from individual institutions show that number is growing. At some Texas universities, more than half of all students are enrolled in an online class.
Austin-area universities also have seen a significant boom in online enrollment in the past several years. Along with UT, Texas State University, Concordia University Texas and Huston-Tillotson University have seen more than a 50% increase in online enrollment since 2015.
“I think more and more institutions are becoming aware of the need for online instruction to meet the work and family-life balance,” said Vedaraman Sriraman, associate vice president for academic affairs at Texas State. Since 2015, the school’s online enrollment has increased nearly 86%.
Sriraman attributes the boost, in part, to the fact that the school has worked to match its degree programs to the demands of the Texas workforce. Current online offerings include a Master of Science degree in data, analytics and information technology.
“A great majority of students will want a face-to-face interaction,” Sriraman said. “However, you always run into students who either their family life or their work life will not allow them to partake in face-to-face.”… (LINK TO STORY)
St. Elmo area of south Austin predicted to be next big development zone (KXAN)
f you’re wondering what part of Austin is next for a development boom, you’ll want to look at south Austin.
Specifically, the St. Elmo area, which is south of State Highway 71, between South Congress Avenue and Interstate 35.
Commercial real estate agency Aquila released a report saying the St. Elmo area is a hub for new developments. The growth sparked three years ago when a mixed-use development called the Yard opened.
“It’s pretty crazy here on weekends,” said Taylor Canetti who works at the Austin Winery. “A lot of people that show up here, they’re familiar with Austin. They’re like, ‘I’ve lived here for 10 years, and didn’t know it was a thing.”
“I think it’s great. I think it’s probably part of town that was overlooked and not very populated,” said Karina Tribble who lives in south Austin.
Aquila said in St. Elmo, over 1,000 multi-family units and 200,000 square feet of commercial space have been delivered since 2016.
The reported added, “Additional multi-family units are also in the pipeline, with roughly 1,100 units currently under construction and an additional 385 proposed.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Paid sick leave court battle continues — without MOVE Texas (San Antonio Express-News)
Last Thursday, the city filed a notice of appeal with the 4th Court of Appeals, the first step in an effort to overturn a Nov. 22 temporary injunction from District Judge Peter Sakai, which blocked the planned Dec.1 implementation of paid sick leave.
As the appeals process begins, the District Court case continues, with a pending hearing on whether the coalition of business groups — including Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas and the Texas Retailers Association — will be able to get the permanent injunction they seek against the paid sick leave ordinance.
One of the most vocal courthouse advocates for paid sick leave, however, will not be a part of the legal process going forward.
MOVE Texas withdrew from the case the same day the city filed its notice of appeal. The nonprofit civic engagement organization had, along with the Texas Organizing Project (TOP), stood with the city as defendants in the lawsuit.
The two-page Jan. 2 filing in the 408th District Court stated the following: “Because MOVE brings no affirmative claims for relief and is not a mandatory party to this case, MOVE should be automatically dismissed as a party.”
H. Drew Galloway, the executive director of MOVE Texas, said the group dropped out because it wants to focus its energies on 2020 voter engagement.
“We are 100 percent supportive of the appeal for paid sick time to the 4th Court,” Galloway said. “We will stand beside the city and Texas Organizing Project in that move. We made a strategic decision to focus on a grassroots response to paid sick time and prioritize our 2020 field work.”
Galloway said the city and TOP “are great messengers in the case” and added that MOVE Texas plans to file an amicus brief in the 4th Court of Appeals, expressing support for the ordinance requiring San Antonio employers to provide paid sick time to their workers… (LINK TO STORY)
As claims of retaliation fly, some question whether Bonnen hurts Republican unity in 2020 (Dallas Morning News)
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen was on his way to quietly serving out his term, but new allegations of retaliation have raised more questions about whether his continued presence is good or bad for Republicans in competitive elections. Yes, Bonnen had been forced into an early retirement after being caught on tape targeting 10 fellow Republicans in this year’s primaries and badmouthing Democratic colleagues. But he had also avoided prosecution for potential election law violations and had weathered calls for his immediate resignation, managing to extend his 23-year career in the Texas House by one more year before giving up his office.
Then, two days before Christmas, Bonnen passed over Rep. Chris Paddie, a Marshall Republican, for chairman of an important state board that reviews the effectiveness of state agencies and recommends ways to cut government costs. To political observers, the move looked like retaliation against Paddie, who was one of the most prominent voices to call for Bonnen’s resignation in October. “Speaker Bonnen is striking back at House Republicans from the grave,” Rep. Steve Toth, R- The Woodlands said on Twitter. “What he did to Chris Paddie was not only wrong, it was also destructive to the Texas House. Enough damage has been done by Speaker Bonnen. No more lists. No more retribution. Respectfully, it’s time for him to go.” Bonnen denied claims of retaliation and defended his choices in a written statement to The Dallas Morning News… (LINK TO STORY)
Houston gentrifying faster than other Texas cities, Fed analysis finds (Houston Chronicle)
Neighborhoods near downtown have gentrified faster in Houston than in any other major Texas metropolitan area, according to a recent analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Between 2000 and 2015, the median income of the neighborhoods less than three miles to downtown Houston increased by 67 percent, a faster pace of income growth than equivalent neighborhoods in Dallas, which increased by 49 percent; San Antonio, which increased by 39 percent; or Austin, which increased by 65 percent.
But neighborhoods further away from the urban core did not see incomes rise so drastically. In Houston neighborhoods between 5 and 10 miles from the downtown, median incomes grew about 33 percent over the 15-year interval. As the area gets wealthier, the number of residents considered low-income (making less than $30,000 annually) declines. The decline of the low-income population, however, is much greater in areas near the city’s core than outer neighborhoods or in the suburbs, the analysis found. Much of the increase in median incomes near the city’s core can be explained not by a rising tide in income for those living near downtown, but by the movement of people. As close-in neigbhorhoods get more expensive to live in, low-income families both leave and stop choosing to move there… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Cuomo pledges to legalize marijuana in New York in 2020 (The Hill)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) during his Wednesday night State of the State address pledged to legalize marijuana in New York by the end of this year.
Cuomo had said legalization was a priority in his agenda in 2019, but a push for legalization failed to pass in the state legislature before the end of the legislative session.
“For decades, communities of color were disproportionately affected by the unequal enforcement of marijuana laws,” Cuomo said in his address, according to The New York Times. “Let’s legalize adult use of marijuana.”.
Cuomo’s pledge for legalization comes as the state faces a $6 billion budget gap, the Times notes.
The governor reportedly said that legalized marijuana could bring in $300 million annually in tax revenue, and billions more in economic activity once a program is fully implemented. However, that could take years to come to fruition.
Eleven states have legalized marijuana use, including the east coast states of Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts… (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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