#NEWS // BG Reads | May 22, 2023

[AUSTIN METRO NEWS]

$1.6B Austin Convention Center expansion to start in 2025 (KXAN)

The $1.6 billion project to redevelop and expand the Austin Convention Center is moving ahead this week.

The project is expected to begin in 2025 with the center’s closure, demolition and construction. The new convention center is expected to open in 2029, according to the city.

On Monday, the city will start the process to find a design and engineering firm to provide the design, architecture and engineering services for the project.

The goal is to double the size of the center to make it more competitive, a city release said. It is currently 376,000 square feet of rentable space.

?“With an inadequate convention center, we lose out to competitors and, consequently, miss out on millions of dollars for our Austin community,” Mayor Kirk Watson said in a release. “With a bigger convention center, the economic impact to our city is estimated to jump to over $750 million annually, from the current $468 million.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Ken Paxton raises legal concerns on Austin's financial model for Project Connect (Austin American-Statesman)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the unique?financing model Austin established for Project Connect is likely illegal under state law, a?position that could greatly hamper the city’s efforts to build a transformational?light rail system that voters approved more than two years ago.?

Paxton’s?opinion, issued Saturday in connection to state legislation that seeks to undo the $7 billion transit investment, says Austin made “mistakes” in creating the fund and “misstatements to the voters” in the November 2020 election.

Voters approved two things that are at issue in Paxton's opinion: a 20% increase in the city portion of their property tax, and the establishment of a local government corporation to build the system, financed by debt backed by that tax revenue. That tax revenue transfer, according to a city resolution, is to continue indefinitely until funds are no longer required for “operations, maintenance, or state of good repair.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Brodie Oaks PUD wins second-round approval (Austin Monitor)

City Council last week gave its blessing to the Brodie Oaks Redevelopment Planned Unit Development on second reading and set third reading for July 20.

Council Member Ryan Alter, whose District 5 includes the sprawling shopping center, wrote on the?City Council Message Board?that he had been “deeply engaged with the applicant and staff” to resolve remaining issues. Developer Barshop & Oles proposes to provide 1.2 million square feet of office space, 140,000 square feet of retail, 1,700 residential units and a 200-room hotel on the property.

Specifically, the developer proposes approximately 1,233 mid-rise multifamily residential units, 467 high-rise dwelling units (up to 275 feet tall), 1.26 million square feet of office space, 200 hotel rooms, and 140,000 square feet of retail and restaurant uses located along private streets with public access easements, according to a staff report…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

[TEXAS NEWS]

With one week left, Texas’ top leaders make their final legislative push (Dallas Morning News)

With one week left in the Texas legislative session, top leaders are making their final push to get their somewhat disparate agendas approved. The outcome of the session could shape politics in 2024 and beyond, as politicians try to establish their legacies and plot their next moves. The stakes are the highest for Gov. Greg Abbott, who wants to bolster his standing with national conservatives, perhaps becoming an option as a vice presidential candidate or a Cabinet official under the next GOP president. It’s probably too late for Abbott to gain traction as a presidential contender, with former President Donald Trump topping GOP primary polls and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expected to announce his White House candidacy in the coming days.

Abbott wants a fourth term, which would give him the chance to break Republican Rick Perry’s record as the longest serving governor in Texas history. In order to improve his chances, he needs to show the hard-right conservative voters who dominate the Republican primary process that he’s delivered on the culture war issues they find important. That’s why Abbott has been pushing lawmakers to pass a plan that would use state money to allow public school students to attend private schools. The Senate, strongly on board with Abbott, passed a bill giving families taxpayer dollars to spend on private school tuition. But the issue has struggled to get enough backing in the House. A week ago, a House education committee considered a plan that gives an education savings account, or ESA, only to students with special needs or those in low-performing public schools. An estimated 800,000 children statewide would qualify. Abbott said that proposal doesn’t go far enough. But Abbott said he isn’t interested in more modest proposals and threatened to call lawmakers back for a special session on the issue. “Parents and their children deserve the time and effort this will take,” he said in a statement. Whether there are enough votes to approve a voucher-like plan in a special session is unknown. But it’s clear that Abbott would rather continue to wrangle lawmakers instead of giving up. The usually politically cautious governor went all in on the school choice plan. He made it part of his crusade for parental rights, an issue that fired up conservative activists across the country…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Texas Senate passes school safety bill that would require districts to bolster their active-shooter plans (Texas Tribune)

The Texas Senate on Sunday gave final approval to a priority school safety bill that gives the state more power to compel school districts to create active-shooter plans, requires mental health training for certain employees and puts restrictions on those who carry a gun in school.

The Senate unanimously passed its latest version of House Bill 3, authored by Rep.?Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. The bill now heads back to the House, which needs to either accept the new version or negotiate the differences with the Senate before the legislation heads to Gov.?Greg Abbott’s desk.

Similarly to Senate Bill 11, authored by Sen.?Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, HB 3 would create a safety and security department within the Texas Education Agency and give it the authority to compel school districts to establish robust active-shooter protocols. Those that fail to meet the agency’s standards could be put under the state’s supervision.

The bill would also require the TEA to develop standards for notifying parents of “violent activity” on campus and set up school safety review teams to conduct vulnerability assessments of all the school campuses once a year…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Texas Space Commission approved by Senate (Austin Business Journal)

The Texas Space Commission and the Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium, two entities intended to ensure the state will continue to serve as a center point of the industry, are on the cusp of being formed after being approved by the state Senate on May 16.

Part of a?$350 million?public investment program supported by Gov.?Greg Abbott, the two organizations will serve as keystones in the development of a coordinated strategic plan to position Texas as a global leader in space travel, research and technology. It is anticipated to keep Texas competitive with others states including Florida, California, Alabama and Colorado that are proposing similar initiatives.

The legislation now heads to Gov.?Greg Abbott’s desk.

“Over the last century Texas has played a crucial role in the United States space program,” said Sen.?Joan Huffman, R-Houston, just before the final vote of approval on the Senate floor. “Much like the space race of the 1960s, there is now fierce competition among states to define the next phase of American involvement in this significant enterprise.”…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Economic incentives clear Senate committee as negotiations continue (Texas Tribune)

An economic incentive plan to attract big-money business and development to Texas cleared a major hurdle on Sunday when a key Senate business panel sent a proposal to the full chamber for a vote this week.

House Bill 5?would allow school districts to grant full property tax breaks for certain companies to move to Texas, with the state filling in the district’s resulting gap in funding with state tax dollars. The bill is meant to replace the old Texas Economic Development Act known informally as Chapter 313, referring to the part of the state tax code that gave large businesses moving to Texas a 10-year discount on their school property taxes.

That beleaguered 20-year program was allowed to die in December after complaints it was little more than corporate welfare and that it created inequity in public school financing…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Texas Senate approves bill to invest $430M in additional funding for community colleges (Austin American-Statesman)

The Texas Senate unanimously approved a bill Friday to allocate nearly $430 million in additional funding over two years for the state's 50 community colleges, including Austin Community College. The Senate's version of House Bill 8, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would award money to colleges based on the number of students who earn "credentials of value," complete at least 15 hours of courses and transfer to a four-year university, enroll in dual credit courses, or take courses that "apply toward academic or workforce program requirements." It would also create the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer program to enroll high school students who are economically disadvantaged in dual credit courses at no cost.

"What we do for our community colleges is the future of Texas," Creighton, chair of the Senate Higher Education Subcommittee, said on the Senate floor. "The percentage of students seeking a higher education path forward and our adult learners (are) so important to recognize in this process, and what legislation like this will do for both of those subcategories will be just life-changing, generational changing for them and their families." The Senate added minor provisions from other higher education bills to HB 8, including sections on privacy and developing tools to help students assess the value of degree programs and certificates offered within the state. The House approved HB 8 last month, and the lower chamber now needs to sign off to the Senate's revisions to the bill before it can be forwarded to Gov. Greg Abbott to sign into law. The bill is one of House Speaker Dade Phelan’s priorities this legislative session. Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, initially filed the bill, which has support from all the community colleges in Texas as well as several local and statewide business leaders, higher education advocates and other community college stakeholders…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

[NATIONAL NEWS]

Civil rights groups warn tourists about traveling to Florida (NPR)

The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are "openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals."

The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state's largest job sectors.

The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP's board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida "devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

Thune, No. 2 Senate Republican, set to endorse Tim Scott’s presidential bid (Politico)

Sen. John Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, is endorsing the presidential campaign of Sen. Tim Scott, according to a person familiar with his plans.

The South Dakota senator will appear at Scott’s presidential launch on Monday in South Carolina, the person said. Scott will announce his presidential run on Monday in North Charleston and has already launched an ad blitz.

In backing Scott, the Senate minority whip becomes the highest-ranking congressional Republican to back the South Carolina senator. And?he joins?his South Dakota colleague Sen. Mike Rounds in backing Scott, who is popular among Senate Republicans. Some members of House leadership have already indicated they support former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

But Thune is making good on his hopes of turning the GOP away from Trump and presenting a more forward-looking vision for the party. Thune recoiled from Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, famously declaring that his election challenge would go down on the Senate floor like a “shot dog.” That drew a political threat from Trump, but Thune easily won reelection last year…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)

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