Tag Archives: lobbyists
The Cost of Carve-Outs
Lawmakers passed an omnibus school finance and property tax reform bill this session, but didn’t include a way to pay for it past 2021. One place to look: corporate tax breaks.
Just before Memorial Day weekend, lawmakers inked an $11.6 billion school finance and property tax reform package. The passage of House Bill 3, which includes a...Read More
‘Democracy at its Best’: Texas Regulators Approve Gig Economy Rule Written by Unregistered Lobbyists
With more questions than answers about the gig economy giant Handy’s role in lobbying for a labor rule, state commissioners ignored concerns and voted to approve the rule instead.
A couple dozen workers and activists stood outside the Texas Workforce Commission’s office at the Capitol complex Tuesday morning holding signs, including...Read More
Handy Wanted to Disrupt Texas Labor Laws. It May Have Also Disrupted Texas Lobbying Laws.
After reporting from the Observer, two Texas lobbyists updated years of disclosures that show they had worked for Handy, “the Uber for Home Services,” to change state labor regulations.
by Justin Miller April 3, 2019 Silicon Valley startups fancy themselves bold disruptors of the status quo. As the mantra goes: Move fast and break things. But f...Read More
Oil and Gas Lobbyist Claims Texas Drone Law Meant to Deter ‘Bad Journalists’
A recording of a prominent Texas energy lobbyist’s recent speech to insiders provides an unvarnished look at what Big Oil considers its biggest accomplishments from the 2017 legislative session.
When Texas lawmakers passed a bill last year banning drones from flying near animal feedlots and oil and gas facilities, proponents said it was needed to protec...Read More
House Committee Takes on the Enemy: Public Lobbyists
Lobbyists who represent governmental entities have become villains at the Capitol—on Thursday, a committee heard testimony on an attempt to contain them....Read More
