BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 10, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
***NEW*** BG Podcast Episode 113: A Post-Election Discussion with Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 Councilwoman-Elect
The pre-filing of bills for the 87th Texas Legislature began yesterday. You can review what’s been filed so far here:
Link to Filed House Bills (447)
LInk to Filed Senate Bills (125)
[AUSTIN METRO]
Officials say Austin will see a second Covid-19 surge, unless people recommit to social distancing (Austin Monitor)
Health officials are pleading with Austinites to avoid gatherings and get tested for Covid-19 as cases and hospitalizations approach the same levels seen in June, right before the first surge.
Over the past month, the Austin area doubled its moving average of new cases, hospital admissions and ICU admissions. Austin Public Health said the five-county area’s positivity rate is also on the rise, which could lead to a surge during the holiday season.
Dr. Mark Escott, APH interim medical director, said Monday the increase in positivity rate is particularly concerning. It’s above 5 percent across a swath of ages – from 10 to 59.
More than half of the overall Covid-19 cases are among patients between 20 and 40, Escott said.
“Right now, we could certainly be at a time where what we’re seeing is the beginning of a second surge,” he said, adding that the area is seeing the same level of active cases, hospitalizations and ICU admissions it did June 17 – about two weeks before the first surge… (LINK TO STORY)
City studies changes in Austin’s industrial land use (Austin Monitor)
Mark Walters with the Housing and Planning Department gave a presentation to Zoning and Platting commissioners last week on a city study that evaluated trends of industrial land use in Austin.
Walters said city staffers have noticed the “continuing erosion of industrially zoned land” over the last several years, particularly in Southeast Austin.
“There’s been a lot of zoning cases where we take industrially zoned land and then zone it to commercial mixed-use in order to put large garden-style apartment complexes on one-way frontage roads,” he said.
About 11,657 acres of land in Austin are zoned industrial, or about 6 percent of the city, according to the most recent data from 2018.
Walters noted that under 40 percent of industrial zoned land was used for industrial uses, which are typically located off of major infrastructure.
“By and large, the industrial land in Austin is grouped in a series of larger and smaller clusters throughout the city, mostly located on major freeways,” Walters said. “It makes perfect sense that freeways and airports are really the transportation drivers.”
But between 2001 and 2018, about 1,846 acres of land were rezoned from industrial to non-industrial zones – and that’s not including industrial zoned land lost through neighborhood plan rezonings.
Austin’s industrial land is worth about $9.5 billion, or about 6 percent of Austin’s total value.
Most industrial land in Austin historically has been gained through annexations. On the flip side, one of the bigger losses of industrial land was more than 1,000 acres through the North Burnet/Gateway Regulating Plan.
The city also identified eight clusters of industrial land in Austin and whether they can accommodate more industrial uses or are starting to transition away from industrial uses.
Walters said the most dramatic transition would likely be the North Burnet/Gateway area, through the development of the Domain as well as the Austin FC soccer stadium… (LINK TO STORY)
Locals shaken by growing rock mining industry in Williamson County, push for reform (Community Impact)
Williamson County is home to the most rock mining operations in Texas, which has led community members to seek stronger regulations as the negative impacts of the industry move closer to home.
The county currently has 34 such operations, according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality data, and these operations are continuing to grow at a rapid rate across the state.
From 2015 to 2020 the estimated number of registered quarries and other aggregate production facilities operating in Texas jumped from about 50 to more than 1,000, many of which are located in Central Texas—home to some of the fastest-growing counties in the country, according to Texas for Responsible Aggregate Mining data.
“This has all just exploded in the last couple of years. It’s unbelievable how fast this [industry] is running,” TRAM spokesperson Fermin Ortiz said. “But we’ve got to figure out a way to make it better and more responsible because we’re not going to stop it.”
As Williamson County continues to be one of the highest-growth counties in Texas and home to a few of the most rapidly growing cities in the state according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the aggregate production operations, or APOs, supply needed construction materials as well as jobs, Ortiz said… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Bill filing for 2021 Texas session begins with legislation on abortion, police stops and redistricting (Texas Tribune)
The 87th Texas Legislature won’t gavel in until January, but state lawmakers on Monday got their first chance to file legislation for what’s expected to be a particularly tough 140-day stretch at the Capitol next year.
By mid-afternoon Monday, the first day to pre-file legislation, more than 530 bills had already been filed in the House and Senate. Thousands of bills are expected to be filed throughout the legislative session, though only a fraction of them will make it through both chambers and end up on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
State leaders have already said they expect the upcoming session to be the toughest state lawmakers have seen in years. The state is forecasting billions of dollars in shortfalls to the state budget, which the coronavirus pandemic has fueled. On top of that, lawmakers are set to undergo the once-in-a-decade process of redrawing the state’s political maps…(LINK TO STORY)
Texas GOP Chair says party will not "support or accept" Republican Rep. Dade Phelan as next House speaker (Texas Tribune)
Texas GOP Chair Allen West said Monday that the state party "will not support, nor accept" state Rep. Dade Phelan as the next speaker of the Texas House, after the Beaumont Republican said last week he has the votes to win the gavel.
In an email to supporters, West took issue with the fact that Democrats had backed Phelan even though Republicans retained a majority in the 150-member lower chamber after Election Day.
Phelan said last week he had support from a "supermajority of the Republican caucus" and a "broad coalition of support" from Democrats. That support, should it hold until January when the Legislature convenes, would mean Phelan has more than enough votes needed to become the next speaker when House members elect a leader as one of the chamber's first orders of business.
"Texas will not allow the undermining of our 'Texas Republic.' This is why the Republican Party of Texas is perplexed, and will not support, a potential Texas Speaker of the House who would seek affirmation from progressive socialist Democrats to attain that position," West wrote, calling it "utterly absurd and demonstrably idiotic" that a Republican would join with Democrats to lead the GOP-controlled House… (LINK TO STORY)
As Other States Loosen Drug Laws, An 'Incremental Approach' To Cannabis Likely In Texas (KUT)
One outcome of the 2020 election was a loosening of some drug laws in several states. Arizona, New Jersey and South Dakota approved the use of recreational marijuana, and Oregon passed a law decriminalizing possession of small amounts of drugs like cocaine, heroine and methamphetamine.
While Texas is far behind when it comes to legalization of any currently illicit drug, Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, tells Texas Standard that that could change in the upcoming legislative session as Texas learns from the growing number of states where pot is legal.
Neill Harris expects Texas to take an "incremental approach," starting with reducing penalties for possession rather than moving straight toward legalizing recreational marijuana.
"That would be one way that the state could start to see some benefits without taking that larger leap [toward legalization]," she said.
Neill Harris says there are public health benefits for looser marijuana regulations. Medical cannabis is known to help people with certain health conditions. She expects Texas might expand its compassionate use law to give greater access to medical cannabis to those in need.
"I'm optimistic about the prospects this session for expansion of that bill to include more conditions, and perhaps a higher cap on the amount of THC that's allowed," Neill Harris said. "I think we are moving in that direction."
There could also be economic benefits from loosening laws. Neill Harris said states like Colorado and California, where recreational marijuana has been legal for several years, have gained "a considerable amount of tax revenue."
While Texas isn't likely to move toward full decriminalization this legislative session, it is inching toward it. She says one bill introduced during the 2019 session "got further along than it ever has before." Plus, she says public opinion leans toward legalization… (LINK TO STORY)
Harris County poised to approve affirmative action program for contractors, vendors (Houston Chronicle)
Harris County is poised to approve an affirmative action program aimed at ensuring women- and minority-owned firms are selected as vendors and subcontractors for county projects on Tuesday. The proposal comes after a study ordered by Commissioners Court found that firms owned by white men secured $90 of every $100 doled out by the county for a range of services, including road construction, flood control infrastructure and lawn mowing. Companies owned by African-American men and women, in contrast, received $0.50 of every $100.
The program, which would be run by a newly formed Office of Equity and Economic Opportunity, requires county departments to make a good faith effort to select a minority- or woman-owned business enterprise, of MWBE, as a prime or subcontractor on every project. It encourages departments and prime contractors to split projects into smaller pieces so women- and minority-owned firms, which may have fewer resources, can compete. Harris County spends hundreds of millions of dollars annually on vendor contracts, with the largest chunk going to infrastructure. Over the next decade, the county plans to spend about $5 billion in local and matching funds on the flood bond program voters approved in 2018. Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis proposed the program. His Commissioners Court colleagues approved his idea to conduct a disparity study in 2018, but on the condition that Ellis pay the $650,000 cost out of his own precinct’s budget… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
Pfizer Vaccine’s Funding Came From Berlin, Not Washington (Bloomberg)
It’s said that success has many authors, and the encouraging data from Pfizer Inc.’s experimental Covid-19 vaccine had plenty of people in Washington lining up to take credit.
Vice President Mike Pence was among Trump administration officials saying support from the government’s Operation Warp Speed program helped accelerate the development of the vaccine, which was found to be more than 90% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19 infections in an interim analysis.
The truth is that Pfizer didn’t receive any funding from Operation Warp Speed for the development, clinical trial and manufacturing of the vaccine. Rather, its partner, BioNTech SE, has received money -- from the German government.
BioNTech is credited for contributing the messenger RNA technology, which prompts the body to make a key protein from the virus, creating an immune response. The biotechnology company already had a history of working with Pfizer on influenza vaccines, and in March they clinched a deal to co-develop a shot to prevent against Covid-19 at research sites both in the U.S. and Germany. The two companies began human testing of the vaccine in April, before the existence of Operation Warp Speed was revealed publicly… (LINK TO STORY)
President-elect Biden announces coronavirus task force made up of physicians and health experts (Politico)
President-elect Joe Biden on Monday announced the members of his coronavirus task force, a group made up entirely of doctors and health experts, signaling his intent to seek a science-based approach to bring the raging pandemic under control.
Biden’s task force will have three co-chairs: Vivek H. Murthy, surgeon general during the Obama administration; David Kessler, Food and Drug Administration commissioner under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton; and Marcella Nunez-Smith, associate dean for health equity research at the Yale School of Medicine. Murthy and Kessler have briefed Biden for months on the pandemic.
Biden will inherit the worst crisis since the Great Depression, made more difficult by President Trump’s refusal to concede the election and commit to a peaceful transition of power. The Trump administration has not put forward national plans for testing, contact tracing and resolving shortages in personal protective equipment that hospitals and health-care facilities are experiencing again as the nation enters its third surge of the virus.
“Dealing with the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most important battles our administration will face, and I will be informed by science and by experts,” Biden said in a statement. “The advisory board will help shape my approach to managing the surge in reported infections; ensuring vaccines are safe, effective, and distributed efficiently, equitably, and free; and protecting at-risk populations.”
The United States is recording more than 100,000 new coronavirus cases a day and, on many days, more than 1,000 deaths, a toll expected to worsen during the crucial 10-week stretch of the transition. It remains unclear whether Trump or his top aides will oversee and lead a robust response to the pandemic during the transition, which could further exacerbate the crisis Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris inherit.
The 13-member task force also includes former Trump administration officials, including Rick Bright, former head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, who, after being demoted, spoke out against the administration’s approach to the pandemic. Luciana Borio, director for medical and biodefense preparedness on Trump’s National Security Council until 2019, is also on the panel… (LINK TO STORY)
Trump fires Defense chief Mark Esper (The Hill)
President Trump on Monday announced he had fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, a stunning move that comes days after Joe Biden was projected to have won the presidential race.
"I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting Secretary of Defense, effective immediately," Trump said in a series of tweets. "Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service."
Esper had long been seen as out the door, regardless of who won the election. But firing him now gives Trump a chance to flex his executive powers at a time he is trying to project strength amid his electoral defeat.
It also raises questions about the military chain of command during a fraught time in the United States.
The Pentagon declined a request for comment, referring questions to the White House. The White House did not offer comment.
White House chief of staff Mark Meadows informed Esper of his firing shortly before the tweet was sent, a defense official said.
Trump and Esper have had a rocky relationship since the summer’s nationwide racial justice protests. During the height of the protests, Trump threatened to deploy active-duty troops to quell the demonstrations. Esper responded by holding a press conference at the Pentagon announcing his opposition to deploying troops.
Esper’s public split reportedly angered Trump so much that he had to be talked out of firing the Defense secretary then… (LINK TO STORY)