BG Reads | News You Need to Know (November 11, 2020)
[BINGHAM GROUP]
***NEW*** BG Podcast Episode 113: A Post-Election Discussion with Vanessa Fuentes, District 2 Councilwoman-Elect
Pre-filed bills for the 87th Texas Legislature:
Link to Filed House Bills (528)
LInk to Filed Senate Bills (151)
[AUSTIN METRO]
TxDOT opens I-35 scoping phase (Austin Monitor)
Mobility advocates are calling on the Texas Department of Transportation to reimagine its plans for the Interstate 35 corridor through Central Austin as the agency prepares to open the public scoping phase of the project this week.
The Capital Express Central virtual open house will begin Thursday afternoon and continue through Dec. 12, offering residents an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed $6.6 billion interstate expansion that would add two non-tolled managed lanes in each direction, from U.S. Highway 290 East to Ben White Boulevard. However, TxDOT says the open house is also an opportunity for the community to comment on the purpose and need of the project as well as a range of alternative designs.
Local transportation advocates are urging the state to reshape its outlook for the project as part of the upcoming scoping phase. A group of undisclosed community organizations have drafted a forthcoming document articulating the various concepts that should be part of the scoping process. These include human and environmental health impacts; economic sustainability and socioeconomic disparities; per capita vehicle miles traveled and mobility access; compatibility with the goals of the city and its adopted plans; and thorough study of all meaningful design alternatives and how each of these issues is addressed.
“The community has a very full range of needs and so the design alternatives that TxDOT puts forth should reflect that breadth of need,” Adam Greenfield of Walk Austin, a nonprofit focused on improving mobility options and access, told the Austin Monitor. “We want to see a number of alternatives that are very different from each other, that give the public an idea of the full range of what we can consider.”
Susan Fraser, project manager for the Capital Express Central concept, told the city’s Pedestrian Advisory Council in July that TxDOT anticipates considering a diversity of alternative scenarios as part of the scoping process. Board members said the alternatives should include a more sustainable design with stronger consideration for all transportation modes, an option to reroute the interstate along State Highway 130 and a “no-build” scenario.
Despite the state’s plans to improve facilities for bicycles and pedestrians as part of the redesign, Greenfield said the current proposal is worse than what exists today. He added, “It’s a highway expansion; if they’re interested in managing lanes, then they should do that with the existing ones. You’re going to have all the traffic that you have today, plus whoever’s in the managed lanes.”… (LINK TO STORY)
Despite pandemic, jobs created through corporate relocations and expansions reach new high in Austin (Austin Business Journal)
A record-breaking number of new jobs attributable to corporate relocations and expansions have been announced in Austin this year, even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
That's according to a tally from Opportunity Austin — the economic development initiative of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce — indicating 35 companies have announced in 2020 plans to create roughly 9,790 jobs across the metro. That tops the 2018 record of 9,424 jobs announced by 46 companies, according to Opportunity Austin, which has been tracking job creation since it launched in 2004.
The jobs are largely from companies new to the area, though a few already had a presence in Austin but are launching new operations.
Fast-growing Austin has been on the radar of many C-suite executives for several years, with its growing tech and manufacturing sectors, and it doesn't appear the pandemic has put a halt on economic development. In fact, the health crisis may have accelerated the trend, with many companies and professionals seeking lower-cost locales now that they're suddenly free to work remotely.
While the companies moving in to the area are likely to bring in employees from outside of Austin, the record-number of jobs announced this year could also help those out of work because of the pandemic. In September, the Austin area's unemployment rate rose to 6.4%, with 80,800 unemployed, up from 5.5% in August. October's unemployment rate was not announced by press time.
"Texas’ business-friendly climate paired with the Austin region’s abundant talent pool and incredible quality of life makes us a magnet for businesses," Chamber Senior Vice President of Economic Development Charisse Bodisch said in a statement. "The Austin region has proven itself to be resilient even amidst the pandemic."
Opportunity Austin's count includes deals it helped facilitate and others that staff members uncovered. Beverly Kerr, vice president of research for the chamber, said there are likely "many that happen under the radar" that aren't included in this count. In recent years of economic expansion, Austin economists have said the region has added roughly 30,000 jobs annually.
Kerr said the organization doesn't have an estimate as to how many more economic development announcements could be in the pipeline this year, but in years past, several announcements were made from November to December… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin FC stadium 75% complete; Major League Soccer 2021 season plans up in the air (Community Impact)
Construction of the Austin FC stadium in North Austin is progressing on schedule, but the date of the 2021 season opener for the city's first major league sports franchise is unclear.
Drivers passing by in the Burnet Road and Braker Lane area can see the canopy for the stadium that is mostly finished. Team President Andy Loughnane said Nov. 10 that work on the stadium seats and the canopy should be finished in the next few weeks, leaving the interior spaces as the last remaining projects to finish before the stadium opens.
"We are about 75% complete on the construction of the stadium. Importantly, we are on schedule," Loughane said.
The team will host 17 home games during its inaugural Major League Soccer season in 2021—that is certain. However other details are unclear. The MLS, along with other major professional sports leagues, suspended its season in March after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, then returned in the summer with a tournament held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Now, the MLS is preparing for postseason play to begin; the playoffs are scheduled from Nov. 20 to Dec. 12. That delay in the 2020 season could push back the 2021 start date… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS]
Gov. Greg Abbott doesn't acknowledge Joe Biden as president-elect, calls for vote-counting and recounts to continue (Texas Tribune)
In his first comments on the presidential election since election night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott avoided acknowledging former Vice President Joe Biden's victory and said the process of vote counting and recounts should play out.
“Democracy depends upon fair and open elections. We all agree that every legal vote counts and that illegal votes do not. There are processes in place in each state to determine if any vote is legal, and we must respect those processes to ensure the integrity of our elections,” Abbott said in a written statement Monday evening.
Abbott’s statement comes days after major news outlets called Biden president-elect on Saturday as results indicated that he would win the swing state of Pennsylvania and secure enough electoral votes to ascend to the presidency.
Trump has not conceded, claiming the election was stolen and making unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud. The sitting president's campaign has filed legal challenges to contest the election results in battleground states. Judges in two of those cases — in Michigan and Georgia — tossed out the lawsuits because the campaign failed to provide evidence that laws were broken. Trump's campaign has indicated that it will call for recounts in Michigan and Wisconsin, and recounts are also possible in Georgia and Pennsylvania. Still, experts say his odds of winning are practically impossible… (LINK TO STORY)
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is back in hot water. He’s escaped before. (Texas Tribune)
When news broke last month that top aides to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had accused him of bribery and abuse of office, many in the Texas political scene were shocked but not surprised.
In a mutiny without precedent, eight of Paxton’s most senior aides told law enforcement they believed Paxton broke the law by using the agency to serve the interests of a political donor, Nate Paul. Media reports and documents have now shown four times when Paxton used his office in a way that appeared to benefit the struggling Austin real estate magnate.
Paxton’s reaction was anything but cowed: He shot back at the “rogue employees,” called their allegations false and, just over a month later, has fired four of the whistleblowers. While the nature of the attorney general’s relationship with Paul remains unclear, Paul revealed last week in a deposition that he had employed a woman at Paxton’s recommendation. Paul said it was not a favor to Paxton. But the woman had been involved in an extramarital affair with Paxton, according to two sources who said they learned of it directly from the attorney general in 2018… (LINK TO STORY)
Nasdaq, other trading exchanges to meet with Texas Gov. Abbott about potential move (Dallas Morning News)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will welcome representatives from major stock exchanges, including Nasdaq, to Austin on Nov. 20 as the state makes a bid to be the top choice if the exchanges make good on threats to move their trading platforms out of New Jersey. The Dallas Morning News reported last month that the governor’s office was in talks with Nasdaq and other exchanges about moving data centers to Dallas that power billions of dollars in trades each day on Wall Street. The governor’s office confirmed the meeting, touting the state’s business-friendly environment.
“Texas continues to be the premier economic destination in the country, attracting more leading businesses than any other state," spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement to The News. “The governor looks forward to meeting with Nasdaq and showcasing Texas' business-friendly environment, skilled workforce, robust infrastructure, and low taxes, all of which foster greater economic growth in the Lone Star State.”
The group meeting with Abbott calls itself the Coalition To Prevent the Taxing of Retirement Savings, according to two sources familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak publicly. The coalition includes Nasdaq, CBOE Global Markets, Citadel Securities, data center operator Equinix, IEX, Members Exchange, New York Stock Exchange owner Intercontinental Exchange, TD Ameritrade Holding Corp., Virtu Financial and UBS. Texas and its economic development council were the first of several states to reach out to the coalition to express interest in housing the exchange data centers, according to one source. Officials in Virginia, North Carolina and Illinois have also reportedly had discussions with Nasdaq. The talks are being driven by a potential tax on financial transactions in New Jersey, where Nasdaq and other exchanges house the data systems that are behind Wall Street’s daily activity… (LINK TO STORY)
National Finals Rodeo promises economic win, chances of super-spreader COVID event (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Virus and public health experts say an event on the scale of the National Finals Rodeo — dubbed the Super Bowl of rodeos — could be one of the riskiest ventures the Fort Worth area has embarked on yet in the age of the novel coronavirus. The 2020 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is scheduled for Dec. 3-12 at Globe Life Field in Arlington after virus restrictions forced the major rodeo to relocate from Las Vegas. It promises to bring tens of thousands of rodeo fans to the Fort Worth area, setting up a potential for so-called “super-spreader” events.
But the influx of tourists may be a major economic win for Tarrant County during a time of decreased spending. The National Finals Rodeo could bring $100 million to Arlington and Fort Worth, according to projections released in September. That’s a big boost given the depressed tourism market this year.
While capacity will be limited at Globe Life Field, multiple events will draw thousands of people to Fort Worth. Auxiliary events are scheduled for the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Will Rogers complex and the Stockyards. The city is working on a plan to help businesses and event organizers mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The rodeo and related events pose one of the highest risks to spreading the coronavirus, said Diane Cervantes, director of HSC Fort Worth’s epidemiology department, who advised people to not attend unless “absolutely necessary.”… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATION]
More tech executives than tech critics on Biden's transition team (Reuters)
Far more executives from technology companies than outspoken tech critics were named to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team on Tuesday, offering clues on who will decide on filling key roles and ultimately influence his administration’s thinking in coming years.
Tech companies have been trying to strengthen their relationship with a future Biden administration to ensure they have a voice in an onslaught of federal and state investigations of their business practices.
The Biden transition team released a list of agency review teams on Tuesday.
Amazon.com Inc's AMZN.O Tom Sullivan, an executive on the public policy team, will be part of Biden's review team overseeing the Department of State. Similarly, Mark Schwartz from Amazon's cloud computing arm, who is also a former Obama administration official, will be weighing in on decisions for the Office of Management and Budget.
Microsoft-owned MSFT.O LinkedIn's senior director for North America policy, Nicole Isaac, is part of the team overseeing the Department of Treasury.
Nicole Wong, a former deputy chief technology officer under the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama and a vice president and general counsel for Alphabet-owned Google GOOGL.O found a spot in the review team for the National Security Council… (LINK TO STORY)
Officials fear Trump could reveal secrets (Washington Post)
As president, Donald Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and to impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities. As an ex-president, there's every reason to worry he will do the same, thus posing a unique national security dilemma for the Biden administration, current and former officials and analysts said. All presidents exit the office with valuable national secrets in their heads, including the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, intelligence-gathering capabilities - including assets deep inside foreign governments - and the development of new and advanced weapon systems.
But no new president has ever had to fear that his predecessor might expose the nation's secrets as President-elect Joe Biden must with Trump, current and former officials said. Not only does Trump have a history of disclosures, he checks the boxes of a classic counterintelligence risk: He is deeply in debt and angry at the U.S. government, particularly what he describes as the "deep state" conspiracy that he believes tried to stop him from winning the White House in 2016 and what he falsely claims is an illegal effort to rob him of reelection.
"Anyone who is disgruntled, dissatisfied or aggrieved is a risk of disclosing classified information, whether as a current or former officeholder. Trump certainly fits that profile," said David Priess, a former CIA officer and author of "The President's Book of Secrets," a history of the top-secret intelligence briefings that presidents and their staff receive while in office. The White House did not respond to a request for comment… (LINK TO STORY)
Pelosi floats above Democrats' civil war (Politico)
Shortly before Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her leadership team faced a gauntlet of angry Democrats disappointed by the election, they held a private call to strategize.
The message, Pelosi and others agreed, was clear: If they didn't rein in the far left, their fragile majority would be doomed in the next election.
“Do we want to win, do we want to govern, or do we want to be internet celebrities?” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), echoing a common sentiment on the call last week, according to multiple Democrats familiar with the discussions.
“I think it’s a useful conversation for us to have because the socialism message wasn’t helpful,” Jeffries added.
Notably, no one was bracing for a serious challenge to Pelosi or her longtime deputies, who have led the caucus as a trio for 14 years. Instead, concerns over flawed messaging and intra-party strife have been the dominant takeaways for most of the caucus.
It’s a departure from Democrats’ usual hand wringing over leadership after Election Day.
For the last decade, Pelosi has had the same post-election routine: swiftly quashing whispers of an insurrection as a handful of members look to end her long tenure as leader. But this year, Pelosi is poised to enter another — and possibly final term — as speaker, with her position as safe as ever despite losing at least six net seats after predicting they’d expand their majority.
Instead of pinning the blame on Pelosi, House Democrats have turned on each other in a resumption of the ideological war gripping the party. The sniping has grown pointed and personal, with centrists and liberals blasting each other by name both privately and in the press. Both sides have been privately discussing how they will exert their will even further in the upcoming Congress.
Meanwhile Pelosi’s only potential challenger, Jeffries, made clear he has no interest in the job this term. Often mentioned as a possible Pelosi heir, Jeffries took himself out of the running as he declared another bid for caucus chair on Monday. The move essentially guarantees the top tier of leadership — Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn — a glidepath to another term atop the House… (LINK TO STORY)