BG Reads | News You Need to Know (May 24, 2021) )
[MEETING/HEARINGS]
[THE 87TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE]
LINK TO FILED HOUSE BILLS (6,565)
LINK TO FILED SENATE BILLS (2,830)
With Austin's camping ban back in place, housing takes top priority (Community Impact)
Austin’s push to address its homelessness crisis continues this spring as a focus on the city’s reinstated public camping ban and its enforcement rose alongside discussion of the long-term path toward housing its unsheltered population.
More than 57% of Austin voters elected May 1 to reinstate criminal bans on camping in public, sitting or lying down on sidewalks, and panhandling downtown. While those on both sides of the election agree that housing the homeless is the ultimate goal, leaders with the Save Austin Now political action committee behind the effort to pass Proposition B said they acted in response to concerns surrounding City Council’s 2019 camping ban rollback.
“This is a sign that a majority of Austin residents decided that they wanted to take their city back. That they just want a safe and clean city for everyone, the residents and the homeless. This policy has been an epic failure,” Save Austin Now co-founder Matt Mackowiak said on election night.The measure to reinstate Austin’s homelessness ordinances generated back-and-forth discussion and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent leading up to election day. And after voters’ directive to eliminate public camping, panhandling and sitting or lying down went into effect in mid-May, a need for temporary housing emerged even as civic plans to permanently house thousands of the city’s homeless continue… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin metro's April unemployment rate dips to lowest levels in a year (Austin Business Journal)
The Austin metro continues to make big moves in economic recovery, and the recent unemployment picture is evidence of that.
In April of last year, the unemployment rate reached a seasonally-adjusted 12.7% — a stark comparison to last month's rate of a non-adjusted 4.5%, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's roughly 57,400 people out of work across the metro last month, which shows nearly 10,000 people moved into employment in April from the month prior.
The unemployment rate could continue to dip following Gov. Greg Abbott's announcement that Texas will not participate in any federal unemployment assistance programs after June 26, according to Texas Tribune reporting, which could incentivize some to re-enter the workforce. That includes the extra $300-per-week benefit that Congress passed earlier this year.
The overall employment picture in the Austin area is getting closer to recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, although that rebound has been uneven across Austin's vital economic sectors. The unemployment rate has jumped back and forth in recent months, though April was the first time the metro dropped to a level unseen since prior to the pandemic. Pre-pandemic levels hovered around 3%.
Roughly 86% of the total jobs lost during March and April 2020 had been brought back by the end of March 2021, according to TWC data and Austin chamber analysis. Though Austin ranks in the top U.S. metros for job performance, some sectors are still farther behind, with about 64% of jobs regained in leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants and hotels. Over 14,000 jobs in this sector were added in April across the state, according to a May 21 announcement from Texas Workforce Commission… (LINK TO STORY)
Q2 Stadium capacity for USWNT game, first Austin FC home match to be revealed Monday (KXAN)
City officials will reveal how many Austin FC fans will be allowed inside Q2 Stadium for the team’s first home game in a press conference Monday morning.
The 20,500-seat stadium will officially open on June 16 when the U.S. women’s team plays Nigeria in a friendly. Three days later, Austin FC will play its first match at the new stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes.
On Monday, Mayor Steve Adler, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and interim public health authority Dr. Mark Escott will join Austin FC president Andy Loughnane to announce the attendance guidelines for both matches.
In recent months, Loughnane has repeatedly insisted that he wants a “large crowd” to cheer on Austin FC at the first home game.
Speaking in the middle of April, he said, “the trajectory inside our city is strong, but let’s see what we’re like in mid to late May.
“We are targeting a large crowd providing that all of the guidelines and safety indicators allow us to have that large crowd,” he said. “But it is our intent to have a large crowd for June 19 at Q2 Stadium.”
Last week, Austin and Travis County moved into Stage 2 of Austin Public Health’s COVID-19 risk-based guidelines – the lowest level reached by the area since the guidelines were established in May 2020… (LINK TO STORY)
Austin FC losing streak grows to three with defeat at Nashville(Austin American-Statesman)
The road is currently a lonely place for Austin FC. The Oaks traveled to Nashville SC for their sixth consecutive road match to start the 2021 Major League Soccer season. A 1-0 loss, the third straight defeat for Austin FC, keeps the point total at six through six matches.
The loss to Nashville was the second consecutive match without a goal after the 2-0 loss at LA Galaxy two weekends ago. Austin FC managed only one shot on target on 12 attempts. The expansion club's expected goals was 0.5. Wolff's squad was shutout in three of the first matches. The 3-1 win over Colorado Rapids in late April was the only time Austin scored more than one time in a match.
"Getting a goal at this point is something that hopefully build some confidence within the group," Wolff said after the match. "Twelve shots with one on goal leaves more to be desired."… (LINK TO STORY)
[TEXAS NEWS]
Bill that would make it a felony for Texas protester (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Senate voted 25-5 to pass a bill that would raise criminal penalties and require jail time for people who knowingly obstruct emergency vehicles from passing through a roadway or who block a hospital entrance. It now heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill is in response to last year’s nationwide protests against police brutality, which were sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Massive protests erupted in major cities across the country, including in Texas, where demonstrators were arrested for allegedly damaging property or blocking roadways.
House Bill 9, which now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott, would make it a state jail felony for people who knowingly obstruct an emergency vehicle that has its lights flashing and sirens turned on. People could also face felony charges for obstructing the entrance of a licensed hospital. The Texas House passed the bill, 90-55, a few weeks ago… (LINK TO STORY)
GOP-led Texas Legislature wants to deny state work to firms that spurn gun industry (Dallas Morning News)
Major banks and tech firms could be barred from future contracts in Texas, under a Republican-led effort to punch back at companies that cut ties with the firearms industry. A bill nearing Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk would stop the state from inking contracts with businesses that refuse to work with gun sellers, manufacturers or trade associations, such as the National Rifle Association. Local governments would face the same limitations, which apply to deals worth $100,000 or more. The legislation was filed after several companies began restricting business with the gun industry following deadly mass shootings in recent years.
Backers of the bill, including a trade association for firearm manufacturers, say taxpayer dollars shouldn’t fund businesses that undermine Texans’ right to bear arms. But critics warn the move is an unconstitutional limit on free speech that will almost surely draw court challenges. “We don’t need a thought police,” Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, said when opposing the bill on the House floor. While Texas lawmakers have tried to steer corporate policy with the state’s pocketbook before — by blacklisting companies that boycott Israel or do business with Iran — this year’s efforts are more expansive and could carry significant financial impact. In addition to the proposal targeting companies that “discriminate” against the firearms industry, another nearing Abbott’s desk would bar the state from contracting with firms that “boycott” fossil fuels. The bill also calls for pension funds, such as the state employees and teacher retirement systems, to divest from companies that cut ties with oil and gas.
“This bill sends a strong message to those that, whether they be from Wall Street or some other actor, if you boycott Texas energy, Texas will not deal with you,” said Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, when laying out his legislation in the Senate. The two bills have passed both chambers, but lawmakers must agree on final versions before sending them to Abbott. Both are priorities of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick… (LINK TO STORY)
Could Beto be back? O'Rourke mulling bid for Texas governor (Associated Press)
There’s no road trip, no soul searching. No beard or blogging. But Beto O’Rourke is making a political life decision again. Three years after becoming Democrats’ breakout star out of Texas, and a year removed from crashing back to Earth in a short-lived presidential run, O’Roukre is again weighing another campaign — this time for governor. But now O’Rourke, who announced his run for the White House on the cover of Vanity Fair, is being quiet about it. He says he hasn’t ruled out anything, but isn't saying much else. And Texas Democrats are itching for an answer. “Impatience is not the word for it," Texas Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said. “But anxious is.”
For months, O'Rourke has kept his options open. A top aide to the former Texas congressman and presidential candidate said O'Rouke, 48, has not ruled out challenging Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022 but has taken no formal steps toward a campaign, like calling donors or recruiting staff. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss private deliberations more freely. If O'Rourke jumped in, it would be his third straight election cycle as a candidate, following his narrow loss for U.S. Senate in 2018 and failed White House run last year. A comeback in Texas could be complicated by liberal positions he took while seeking the presidency, but likely no other Democrat would enter the governor's race with the same ability to quickly raise the massive campaign funds needed to compete in the state. There is no timeline on a decision, according to the aide, who said O'Rourke only recently has been able to think more about running now that he's finished teaching virtual classes at two Texas universities. For one he led a seminar on the struggle for voting rights — O'Rourke's most visible cause lately, as state lawmakers are set to approve a sweeping bill that would restrict polling hours and reduce options to cast a ballot... (LINK TO STORY)
Texas 2021 special session taking shape: Redistricting, spending $16B in stimulus funding. What else? (San Antonio Express News)
As the legislative session winds down in Austin and hundreds of bills fizzle out, lawmakers are already setting the table for a special session in the fall. That’s when the Legislature is expected to redraw state legislative and congressional districts, after the federal census data used for that process was delayed by months. Now, Gov. Greg Abbott is adding spending negotiations to the agenda, charging legislators with allocating $16 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds when they return to Austin. The special session could also include a slate of additional GOP priorities ahead of primary elections next spring, as well as bills that don’t make it in the regular session. Abbott is up for reelection next year, as are Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and all other statewide officeholders, and they could be in search of legislative wins to present to voters.
On Thursday evening, Abbott promised to allow the House and Senate to “participate” in decisions about spending the federal dollars this fall — something he declined to do with the first two rounds of stimulus funding, when he had near-unilateral control over how federal coronavirus funds were spent. The Texas Legislature is one of only a handful of state governments that meet biennially, and only Abbott has the power to call a special session. Despite pressure to do so last year, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he refused.
In budget discussions this year, House members on both sides of the aisle cried foul, inserting an amendment into their version of the spending plan that would require Abbott to call a special session before any more federal funds are disbursed. That language won’t make it into the final budget document, and Abbott will still have control over billions of dollars in additional federal aid in the meantime. But the promise to involve legislators at least in some capacity will likely quell the harshest of criticism from Republicans — though Democrats are already raising objections… (LINK TO STORY)
[NATIONAL NEWS]
New COVID-19 cases haven't been this low in the U.S. since last June (NPR)
New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama's port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. However, health experts also cautioned that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus, leaving the potential for new variants that could extend the pandemic.
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 — a rate not seen since July last year. It's a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.
"As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope," Walensky said Friday at a news conference… (LINK TO STORY)