BG Reads | News You Need to Know (April 16, 2020)
[BINGHAM PODCAST]
SPECIAL EPISODE - ATX COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATES (4.10.2020): Housing & Human Rights (LINK TO SHOW)
SPECIAL EPISODE - ATX COVID-19 COMMUNITY UPDATES (4.8.2020): Public Health & Safety (LINK TO SHOW)
BG PODCAST EPISODE 82: Metro Discussion with Mayor Larry Wallace, City of Manor (LINK TO SHOW)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Austin school district postpones graduation ceremonies, cancels proms (Austin American-Statesman)
“Austin school district proms have been canceled and graduation ceremonies have been postponed, this district announced Wednesday.
Austin school district graduation ceremonies, which were scheduled to run May 26-28, will be postponed to Aug. 10-13. Graduation ceremonies will take place in the Erwin Center.
The district administrators plan to have virtual graduations on or around June 15, officials said.
In a letter the school district sent to families, officials said they “are hopeful that we can come together virtually in June and in-person in August to celebrate the successes of our seniors.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
City, chamber, downtown alliance working to assist small businesses amid Covid-19 restrictions (Austin Monitor)
With many businesses either closed or operating with restrictions caused by the Covid-19 health crisis, the Downtown Austin Alliance and Austin Chamber are gathering data from local business owners about the types of assistance they’ll need to stay open for the next several months.
By the end of the week, the alliance expects to complete a survey of many of the 875 retail storefronts in the downtown area. The survey asks about lost revenue, layoffs of employees, anticipated reopening needs, and what forms of loans or other assistance business owners have sought to stay open.
The data will be compiled next week and paired with previously gathered information from the consulting firm Live XYZ that shows foot traffic along Congress Avenue has dropped by 88 percent since mid-March, when the city implemented a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Minneapolis' largest real estate developer to open Austin office (Austin Business Journal)
United Properties LLC, Minneapolis-St. Paul’s largest real estate development company, is entering the Austin market.
The privately held, 104-year-old company hired Josh Delk as senior vice president to lead the Austin office effective April 13, United Properties said in an April 15 announcement. Delk previously worked for 13 years at Transwestern Development Co. in Austin, most recently as vice president.
“This was an opportunity to come in and take the lead in Austin,” Delk said. “The timing was perfect. I think it is going to be a really good transition and a fantastic opportunity.”
The Austin office will be the third companywide for United Properties, in addition to a Denver outpost it opened in 2005.
United Properties has yet to select a location for its Austin office in the greater downtown area, but Delk said he will temporarily be based out of Aquila Commercial’s headquarters.
Delk said he is looking to start hiring immediately for two to three positions in 2020, likely in construction and project management… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
County freezes hiring for remainder of the fiscal year (Austin Monitor)
In search of steadier financial footing amid the economic turmoil triggered by Covid-19, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to authorize staff to pursue an immediate hiring freeze for nonessential personnel. Commissioners will permit county staff to return on April 28 with a list of exceptions to the hiring freeze for approval.
The hiring freeze will remain in effect until Sept. 29 and will apply to county staff, with some exceptions. While elected and appointed officials are not required to implement the hiring freeze among their personnel, they are “highly encouraged” to enact a similar prohibition in their offices.
While staffers do not yet have a complete list, Tracey Calloway with the county’s human resources department said employees who are required to meet statutory or contractual obligations will be exempt. This can include election workers, public defense attorneys, law enforcement personnel and corrections facilities staff. Jessica Rio with the Planning and Budget Office elaborated, saying that recipients of job offers extended prior to the posting of this item on the Commissioners Court’s agenda will also be considered for exemption.
The hiring freeze will affect current county employees by eliminating interdepartmental changes, promotions, job reclassifications, temporary assignment pay, ad hoc salary increases and increases in hours. However, anniversary step increases, automatic job progressions and merit promotions will continue for the remainder of the fiscal year… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Texas judge will issue order that could greatly expand mail-in voting (Texas Tribune)
A state district judge said Wednesday that he will move forward with an order easing restrictions for voting by mail in Texas in light of the new coronavirus pandemic.
After conducting a video conference hearing in a lawsuit filed by state Democrats and civic organizations, Judge Tim Sulak told the attorneys he will issue a temporary injunction allowing all voters who risk exposure to the coronavirus if they vote in person to ask for a mail-in ballot under a portion of the Texas election code allowing absentee ballots for voters who cite a disability. His ruling, which is almost certain to be appealed by the state, could greatly expand the number of voters casting ballots by mail in the upcoming July primary runoff elections.
Until now, voting by mail has been limited in the state. Texans seeking an absentee ballot that they can fill out at home and mail in had to be 65 years or older, have a disability or illness, be out of the county during the election period, or be confined in jail.
The Texas election code defines disability as a “sickness or physical condition” that prevents a voter from appearing in person without the risk of “injuring the voter’s health.” Citing ambiguity in state law regarding what qualifies as a disability, Sulak agreed that qualification can currently apply to any voter in Texas. His official order has not yet been issued… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Dallas megadonor leads secret team charged with carrying out Dan Patrick’s plan to restart economy (Houston Chronicle)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s suggestion last month that he and other senior citizens would be willing to risk exposure to the coronavirus to get the economy back on its feet sparked headlines — and outrage — around the globe. But the details of just how Patrick wants to jump start commerce in Texas, and who all is advising him on it, remains a state secret — with one notable exception, that is. Patrick announced last week that G. Brint Ryan, a multimillionaire Dallas businessman and Donald Trump ally, would lead his “Task Force To Re-Start the Economy.” Who else is on it? What’s the focus? Why all the secrecy? Patrick’s office didn’t respond to numerous requests for more detail about his task force.
In the meantime, government watchdogs say Ryan, a Republican megadonor whose company specializes in reducing tax bills and getting economic development grants for big corporations, could benefit from his elevation to the head of Patrick’s quietly assembled task force. Ryan denies that and insists his goal is to stabilize and revive the economy, particularly for small businesses. The tension about who stands to gain from government recovery efforts mirrors a debate in Washington, where the lack of oversight and transparency of coronavirus-related spending is leading to concerns that the money could end up helping people that don’t need it. “A major question here is whether Brint Ryan would be serving in this capacity in the interest of all Texans or if he is going to be serving in this capacity as sort of the Dan Patrick-sanctioned chief lobbyist for Ryan LLC,” said Dave Levinthal, editor at large at the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit research group that tracks the influence of money in politics. “Maybe the answer is both, but that’s a question that Texans would probably need to ask.” Likewise, Anthony Gutierrez, executive director of Common Cause Texas, a nonpartisan watchdog organization, said “with this much money flowing around the last thing you want is for it to all go to people who just happen to be politically well connected as opposed to people who are out of a job without health care or have their business shutting down.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Golf, CBD, pet grooming: State weighs whether 3,000 Texas businesses are ‘essential’ (Houston Chronicle)
The Texas Department of Emergency Management has received more than 3,000 requests from businesses requesting a determination of whether they are considered essential under the state's stay-at-home order. The vast majority have failed to earn a designation that would allow them to keep their doors open. Among the most common requests: Retailers of cannabidiol, or CBD, products, which have clashed with cities over the issue. Not essential, says emergency department spokesman Seth Christensen.
Under the guidelines laid out in Gov. Greg Abbott's March 31 order, a business must meet federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency guidelines to qualify as essential. The list includes food stores and their suppliers, pharmacies, airports and other transportation services, construction and related services, health care, the communications industry, hygiene and cleaning services, and more. Abbott said cities and counties could enact stricter orders, but cannot be more lenient than the state. Once the order was put in place, state emergency managers posted a form on the agency website where businesses that are not deemed essential — but want to make the argument that they should be — could request an answer. But Christensen said many applicants misunderstood the purpose and were asking questions rather than stating their case for staying open. The CISA guidelines lay out which types of workers are essential under a broad list of categories but does not name business types, which has left room for creative interpretation… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Reopening economy emerges as new political battleground (The Hill)
As Washington policymakers scramble to contain the fallout from the coronavirus crisis, the question of how quickly to reopen the economy has emerged as the latest political battleground dividing the two parties.
Behind President Trump, Republicans are increasingly eager to get businesses reopened and customers into their doors, warning that a prolonged economic shutdown — even in the name of protecting public health — will do more harm to the nation’s long-term viability than the coronavirus itself.
“It is time for Texans to go back to work,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told a local news station on Wednesday. “Because the consequences of this economic shutdown are serious and dire.”… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
What Trump will tell governors about the coronavirus economic reopening (AXIOS)
Based on what President Trump has said publicly, he is expected to make clear to governors when they talk during an afternoon video teleconference Thursday that he won’t hold them back if they want to reopen their states for business.
Why it matters: Trump has signaled that he will provide guidelines, but that he is anxious to get the country reopened and is unwilling to wait until May 1… (LINK TO FULL 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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