BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 13, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
*NEW* [BG PODCAST] Episode 86: COVID19 Update with Selena Xie, President, Austin EMS Association (LINK TO SHOW)
*NEW* [BG BLOG] Analysis: Texas AG Paxton Rebukes Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio Leaders on COVID19 Orders (LINK TO BLOG)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Latinx Austinites With COVID-19 Are Twice As Likely To Be Hospitalized (KUT)
The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations is nearly double among the Latinx population in Austin and Travis County, health officials say.
Dr. Mark Escott, the interim Medical Director and Health Authority for Austin Public Health, told the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday that APH is struggling to contain the disproportionate impact of the disease caused by the new coronavirus among Latinx communities, suggesting more public outreach is necessary… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
11,000 Austinites applied for rent assistance from the city. 1,000 will get it. (KUT)
The City of Austin and the local public housing authority received 10,738 applications for a slice of $1.2 million the city put aside to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic pay their rent. But only about 1,000 families will get help. “The demonstrated need, as expected, far outweighs the amount of support that we have to offer right now,” Rosie Truelove, director of the City of Austin’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department, told council members at a meeting Tuesday.
Renters who get the help will be chosen by lottery and the city said landlords will be paid directly by Friday. Applications for the rental assistance program opened last week. To be eligible, applicants had to have been unable to pay rent for May and making less than 80% of the median family income which, for a family of four in Austin, is about $78,000 a year.
On the first day of the application period, 5,692 people applied for help, according to city data. Kimberly Hill was one of those people. The 47-year-old runs a small pet sitting business, but when people stopped traveling because of the COVID-19 pandemic her business dried up. She was able to pay April and May rent with savings, but she’s unsure where the $825 she owes for June rent will come from… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Eckhardt makes resignation official; interim Travis judge sworn in (Austin American-Statesman)
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who represented more than a million Austin-area residents, officially stepped down from her position Tuesday to run for the Texas Senate.
Travis County officials confirmed the news after Eckhardt said during a public meeting Tuesday that it would be the last time she would preside over the commissioners court meeting.
Former County Judge Sam Biscoe, who served more than 15 years in the position before retiring in 2015, was sworn in as the interim county judge Tuesday evening.
Biscoe will continue in the role until a special election is held in November to fill Eckhardt’s term, which expires in 2022.
“I am honored by the responsibility to represent the people of Travis County,” Biscoe said in a statement after swearing into office. “I look forward to my return to public service and want Travis County residents to know I do not take this responsibility lightly in these challenging times.”
Eckhardt’s announcement Tuesday came at no surprise to county staff… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Complaint filed over Texas AG Ken Paxton's tactics to limit mail-in voting (Texas Tribune)
Two Dallas men have accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of felony election fraud and formally asked the Dallas County district attorney's office Monday to investigate a tweet and a letter Paxton sent regarding which Texans are eligible to cast mail-in ballots in upcoming elections.
The Dallas County district attorney's office confirmed Tuesday that it received the complaint.
Kendall Scudder, a businessman who ran as a Democrat for a Texas Senate seat in 2018, and Dallas lawyer Woot Lervisit contend that Paxton knowingly misled county election officials and the public. In a May 1 letter, Paxton told local election officials that eligibility for absentee voting has not been expanded and that voters can't legally ask for absentee ballots because they fear contracting the new coronavirus if they vote in person… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Abbott ranks 11 out of 12 large-state governors for COVID-19 response, poll finds (Houston Chronicle)
A new Washington Post-Ipsos poll shows that Gov. Greg Abbott ranks 11 out of 12 in approval ratings for large-state governors based on their COVID-19 response, with 57 percent approval. The only governor with a worse rating in the survey of more than 8,000 adults was Republican governor of Georgia Brian Kemp, who has taken heat recently from President Donald Trump for reopening the state’s economy too quickly. The average approval rating for governors was 71 percent. About 59 percent of Texans who responded said they thought Abbott was lifting restrictions too quickly and just 8 percent said he was not lifting them quick enough.
The majority of Texans, or 75 percent, said they agreed that “the U.S. should keep trying to slow spread of the coronavirus, even if that means keeping many businesses closed.” The rest said the economy should return to normal even if it means more people get sick. The survey was conducted between April 27 and May 4; findings have an overall margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent, with a margin of error of 3.5 to 7.5 percentage points for findings by state due to smaller sample sizes. Results from Georgia had the highest margin of error. The differences in ratings of governors appeared to correlate less with political partisanship, but rather with how measured the governor’s approach was to returning their states to normalcy. For example, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, who was quick to shut down activity and has since taken a careful approach to reopening, had the highest approval rating at 86 percent. Partisanship still had some role — numbers in Texas and Florida were skewed lower as a result of Democrats’ disapproval of their Republican governors. At least 8 in 10 Republicans in each of those states said they approved of their governor’s coronavirus response compared to fewer than 4 in 10 Democrats… (LINK TO STORY)
Turner plans to furlough about 3,000 workers, use entire rainy day fund to offset $169M budget gap (Houston Chronicle)
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, facing an economy hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, on Tuesday proposed to close the city’s massive budget gap by furloughing about 3,000 municipal workers, deferring all police cadet classes and exhausting the entire $20 million rainy day fund. To make up for a $169 million revenue shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1, Turner proposed emptying the city’s budget stabilization fund, which “leaves the City in a precarious state for the upcoming hurricane season,” the mayor acknowledged in a message to city council members. The city had just recently replenished the fund after using all $20 million in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. It will not have that option if a storm hits Houston this year.
“The dollars from the economic stabilization fund are gone,” Turner said. “There is no rainy day fund.” The fund reserves money for emergency situations, such as temporary cash flow shortages or major disasters. The city’s tax- and fee-supported general fund, which covers most basic city operations, would spend $2.53 billion under Turner’s plan, a decrease of about 1 percent from the current budget. Despite the narrow spending cut, the city would be left with a general fund balance that dips below the amount typically required by city ordinance. Turner said the rule makes an exception “in the event of economic instability beyond the City’s control.” Houston is expected to lose nearly $100 million in sales tax revenue between the current fiscal year and the one beginning in July, due in part to a precipitous drop in oil prices, along with the closure of bars, restaurants and other businesses during the pandemic. In his proposed budget, which is subject to approval by city council, Turner said only that the city would furlough “thousands of municipal employees.” He said at a press conference Tuesday that the number would be around 3,000. The workers would forego 10 days of work, saving the city roughly $7 million… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Texas prisons to begin widespread coronavirus testing for inmates with self-administered tests (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice announced Tuesday it will begin widespread testing of state prisoners for the new coronavirus.
In a statement, the agency said it is receiving tens of thousands of new tests that inmates will administer themselves, crediting Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Department of Emergency Management. The new testing is already underway; more than 1,500 inmates and employees had been tested by Tuesday morning, prison spokesperson Jeremy Desel said. Inmates at all 104 prison units are being shown an agency video on how to administer the tests, he said.
The announcement came one day after the governor directed mass testing of all residents and staff at Texas nursing homes. Abbott said in a tweet Monday that the state was "working to rapidly expand our testing capacity — especially among vulnerable populations."… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
Facebook is quietly helping to set up a new pro-tech advocacy group to battle Washington (Washington Post)
Facebook is working behind the scenes to help launch a new political advocacy group that would combat U.S. lawmakers and regulators trying to rein in the tech industry, escalating Silicon Valley’s war with Washington at a moment when government officials are threatening to break up large companies. The organization is called American Edge, and it aims through a barrage of advertising and other political spending to convince policymakers that Silicon Valley is essential to the U.S. economy and the future of free speech, according to three people familiar with the matter as well as documents reviewed by The Washington Post. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the group because it hasn’t officially been announced.
In December, American Edge formed as a nonprofit organization, and last month, it registered an accompanying foundation, according to incorporation documents filed in Virginia. The setup essentially allows it to navigate a thicket of tax laws in such a way that it can raise money, and blitz the airwaves with ads, without the obligation of disclosing all of its donors. Many powerful political actors — including the National Rifle Association — similarly operate with the aid of “social welfare” groups. Facebook is viewed as a critical, primary driver in helping to launch American Edge, the sources said, though some cautioned it is not the only one. On the group’s board are a former Republican governor, federal regulator and Democratic congressman, according to people familiar with the effort, and it’s being advised by a stable of veteran Democratic and Republican consultants… (LINK TO FULL STORY)
Food delivery companies turn to K Street as industry scrutinized (The Hill)
Food delivery companies that have seen revenues soar during the lockdowns caused by the coronavirus are turning to K Street as their business models and treatment of employees come under deeper scrutiny and attack from some quarters.
Companies like DoorDash and Instacart in recent weeks have hired lobbying firms to handle labor, food and consumer policy issues. Postmates, another major player in the growing sector, is on track to boost its already robust spending on lobbying.
The industry has faced some criticism from Democrats, unions and the public at large for the pay and treatment of its workers during the pandemic, when many have put themselves on the front lines by coming into contact with dozens of people each day at grocery stores and while making deliveries… (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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