TribCast: Can Texas make its housing more affordable?
In this week's episode, Matthew and Eleanor are joined by Urban Affairs Reporter Joshua Fechter and Texas 2036 Policy Analyst Emily Brizzolara-Dove to discuss Texas' rising home prices and the steps the Legislature is taking to reduce them. They also explore what lawmakers can learn from the Netflix show Emily in Paris, and research the concept of human composting.
This week's episode is sponsored by The Texas Tribune membership program, the Austin Board of Realtors and UnlockMLS.
First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
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2 hours ago
- Yahoo
House Republicans draft competing budget as Senate nears deal with Hobbs
Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror Arizona lawmakers are at odds again, but this time it's the Republicans in the House of Representatives and Senate who can't agree on how to forge the state budget. Creating the state budget — deciding how much to allocate to departments, projects and initiatives or whether to fund them at all — is the most important job that legislators do each year, and the only thing they are constitutionally required to complete. Before the group of bills that will become the state budget becomes law, it must be approved by a majority in both the Arizona Senate and House — which are both controlled by Republicans — and garner a signature from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. In recent history, budget negotiations in Arizona have occurred behind closed doors among the governor and legislative leaders in the House and Senate. But this year is different, with Hobbs and Republican leaders in the Senate nearing a deal after weeks of negotiations. GOP leaders in the House, who haven't been involved in those talks, have responded by drafting their own budget, which was introduced late Wednesday afternoon. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'This is a sound, disciplined budget that delivers safe communities, strong families, and a government that lives within its means,' House Speaker Steve Montenegro said in a Wednesday evening statement. 'We're raising pay for our state law enforcement officers, reducing tuition at public universities, fully funding school choice, fixing critical infrastructure and roads, and protecting taxpayers. Our budget reins in government and puts it back to work for the people it serves.' But the spending package, which is chock-full of proposals that are unlikely to pass muster with Hobbs, will never become law. Instead, it is better viewed as a way for House Republicans to lay down a marker in order to force Hobbs and the Senate to move closer to the House's proposal. Republican political consultant Barrett Marson said House GOP leaders are hoping to demonstrate that the chamber can pass a spending plan in order to get leverage in the negotiations. 'Sometimes there's just gotta be movement to unstick a sticky situation,' he said. 'The House has an equal voice. And unlike previous years when one or both chambers had a go-it-alone ethos, the House isn't looking to be draconian or anything. They want something more responsible.' Marson said a major point of contention between the House and Senate is what to do with the budget surplus. While the Senate and Hobbs have settled on copying the novel process from 2023, in which each lawmaker was given a pot of money from the surplus that was used to fund whatever initiatives they wanted, the House wants to negotiate all of those details and not surrender control of that money to individual legislators. During a House Rules Committee meeting earlier Wednesday afternoon, House Minority Leader Oscar De Los Santos, of Laveen, said he was disappointed in the way the budgeting process was happening this year. 'We should not be moving forward with a House Republican-only budget that is destined to fail,' he said. 'This will not get signed by the governor. I don't even think it's going to pass out of the Senate.' De Los Santos even questioned whether the proposal would get enough votes to pass through the House, where Republicans hold 33 of the chamber's 60 seats. 'What we do know is that this is not a negotiated, bipartisan deal in good faith,' he said. 'House Democrats are at the table negotiating in a bipartisan way with the executive, with our (Senate) counterparts across the courtyard. That is the way to get things done in shared government.' But Republican Rep. Neal Carter, of San Tan Valley, replied that the work of governing should be done transparently, instead of in private — and that it should allow for input from the public. 'As a Republican, I stand for full transparency and not for back-room deals or negotiated budgets with parties that are somehow outside of this public process,' Carter said. The House Republican budget, introduced by House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Livingston, proposes significant changes in how federal money allocated to the state, but not restricted to specific uses, is controlled. The billions in unrestricted federal funds, currently controlled by the governor, would shift to legislative control and could only be spent on essential government services. The House GOP's budget proposal would also place new restrictions and monitoring requirements on entitlement programs, like the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System — the state's Medicaid program — and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called food stamps. Both programs would be monitored on at least a quarterly basis for participants who don't qualify, to be kicked off. And any participants who win $3,000 or more through gambling or playing the state lottery and don't report those winnings would become ineligible. It would also give the Arizona Department of Economic Security the authority to screen recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for illegal drug use and would ban anyone who tests positive for drugs not prescribed to them from the cash assistance program for a year. House Republicans also intend to increase the percentage of money spent in K-12 classrooms, as opposed to on administration; to decrease tuition for students attending the state's three public universities; and to ban those universities from using public or private money to give scholarships to students without legal immigration status. Hobbs introduced her budget proposal, which includes a much different list of priorities, back in January. Shortly after that, Livingston and Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, panned her proposal for leaving out projected cost increases for programs like AHCCCS. Hobbs spokesman Christian Slater told the Arizona Mirror on Wednesday that Livingston and Gress were to blame for the House's lack of collaboration on the budget. 'This is DDD all over again,' Slater said via email, referring to a fight earlier this year over funding for the Department of Developmental Disabilities. 'It's another circus led by the Speaker, David Livingston, and Matt Gress where they have refused to participate with any caucuses, including their Republican counterparts in the Senate, in a meaningful manner and are once again just trying to score some political points even though they know their plan is going absolutely nowhere.' Livingston and Gress, a former budget director for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, were both key players in the fight over an extra $122 million in emergency funding for DDD that put vital services for the developmentally disabled in jeopardy. 'Rather than being productive, the House Republican leadership continues to show they are in over their head and unserious about governing,' Slater said. The House Appropriations Committee is set to discuss the proposal Thursday morning. The Senate Republicans have not introduced their budget proposal. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
2025 State of Economy event held in Longview discuss new laws to help East Texans
LONGVIEW, Texas (KETK)– LEDCO addresses tariffs to KETK News at the 2025 State of Economy. The event was held by the Longview Chamber of Commerce to hear about how new laws will help the local economy. The nonprofit organization, Texas 2036 spoke about how additional funds to public education, water infrastructure, and healthcare will boost the economy and set the state up for success. Future of NASA Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine in question due to proposed budget cuts Texas 2036 is a non partisan organization that uses long term data to secure Texas' future. Another push to help rural East Texans is expanding the reach for career readiness out of high school. 'To ensure and support more students becoming college and career ready. How do we ensure that they are ready for the workforce even when they're coming out of high school?' senior vice president of strategy and operations of Texas 2036, Justin Coppedge said. Coppedge said the state's economy boomed over the past few years and LEDCO president, Wayne Mansfield sees the growth in Longview. 'A lot of new construction and redevelopment occurring,' Mansfield said. Several businesses are currently expanding, still able to find employees, so I think the overall the economy is doing quite well coupled with the fact that the four school districts in our city have bond issues.' Mansfield does not believe tariffs will have a negative impact on businesses but may bring more companies. 'One positive aspect of it is that we've had a lot more inquiries from international companies looking for locations or potential locations to move out of the countries like Canada and Mexico in particular, or even Europe wanting to move their company here into Texas to get relief from the tariffs,' Mansfield said. Some people fear that foreign companies have ill intentions, but Mansfield said it gives East Texans more job opportunities. 'Generally, when companies from other countries, particularly Europe, locate in a community, they're there for the duration,' Mansfield said. 'They do not intend to leave any time. They want to come locate, become profitable, become parts of the community and stay for a long, long periods of time, ' Mansfield said.' Even though the legislative session is over, seeds have been planted at the state level, so years down the line Texans will reap the benefits. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
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LA stars react to Trump's migrant crackdown
As President Donald Trump's military-backed crackdown on immigrants continues in Los Angeles and across the US, celebrities are speaking out against the tactics and what they say are the intolerant views driving them. Some pointed to the gulf between Trump's apocalyptic descriptions of a city in flames and the reality of a vast and diverse metropolis where largely peaceful protests are limited to a small part of downtown. Here's what the glitterati had to say: - 'We have to speak up' - Many celebrities touched on the disconnect between Trump's claims about arresting dangerous criminals and raids that appear to be targeting day laborers and factory workers. "When we're told that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals -- great," LA native and reality star Kim Kardashian wrote on social media. "But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up." The billionaire behind Skims underwear added: "Growing up in LA, I've seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers and family. "No matter where you fall politically, it's clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants." Singer Doechii echoed that sentiment in her acceptance speech for best female hip hop artist at the BET Awards on Sunday. "There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest," the "Anxiety" singer said. "We all deserve to live in hope and not fear" - 'Not an apocalypse' - Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel gave a blistering 12-minute monologue from his studio in the heart of Hollywood, opening with footage of tourists enjoying the nearby attractions and a movie premiere. "Not only is it not an apocalypse, they're having a Disney/Pixar movie premiere right now for 'Elio', a movie about aliens -- don't tell Trump, he'll send the Green Berets in, too," the comedian said. There is something wrong, he said, with innocent people "being abducted -- which is the correct word to use -- by agents in masks, hiding their identities, grabbing people off the streets." - 'Un-American' - Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician and producer Finneas, famous for collaborations with sister Billie Eilish and for work on the "Barbie" movie soundtrack, reported being caught up in a heavy-handed police response at a protest. "Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they're inciting this," the LA native wrote on Instagram. "Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria, called the raids "un-American." "It's just so inhumane, hard to watch, it's hard, it's hard to witness from afar, I can't imagine what it's like to be in Los Angeles right now," she wrote on Instagram. Longoria added that the protests were a result of "the lack of due process for law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants who have been a part of our community for a very long time." sla/hg/nl
