Bills targeting Austin start trickling at Texas Legislature. But how far will they go?

[In It to Win It]

Austin American-Statesman via Yahoo News

Bill filing is underway in the Texas Legislature ahead of the 88th session, and some lawmakers are laying the groundwork for their priorities while others take aim at Austin.

Two anti-Austin bills are in the pipeline, the most fractious coming in a long-shot proposal from state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, to abolish the capital city and fold it into a planned district under the lieutenant governor's and House speaker's authority. A similar bill came up last session and died.

The second bill, from state Rep.-elect Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, who once represented Southwest Austin on the City Council, would prohibit cities from giving out taxpayer money to struggling residents under a program, already underway as a pilot in Austin, known as guaranteed income. In Austin, 85 families are getting $1,000 a month for a year to spend as they please. The program, which has not yet been reviewed for long-term viability, costs taxpayers $1 million.

By bringing forward the legislation, Troxclair, elected in House District 19 this month, is making good on a campaign promise to end Austin's money handout.

"Getting a job is what lifts people out of poverty, and I think the misuse of taxpayer money is causing insult to injury to Austinites struggling to make ends meet," Troxclair said.

[Lovie777]

1. GQP are trying to starve Austin which is generally "Blue" monies......

it's a political move, nothing else.

[AndyS]

2. "Getting a job is what lifts people out of poverty,"

I would remind Dear Ellen that unemployment is at a 60+ year low. THERE ARE ALMOST NO JOBS. Thank Ya' Biden!

She might want to read her bible too, the one I assume she thumps instead of reading.

[judesedit]

3. Excuse me. Hope you're kidding

[AndyS]

4. Kinda, but with unemployment where it is the jobs left

are either very low level income or the applicants not qualified.

Hard to get a public interaction job when you don't have a place to bathe . . .

[judesedit]

5. From my understanding, Biden's created approx 500,000 jobs a month.

All kinds of jobs. Help wanted signs are everywhere. People without degrees need jobs, too. I think unemployment is around what it was pre-covid. And, thankfully, many businesses are raising the minimum wage for their employees by choice.

[AndyS]

6. Absolutely!

My own personal experience is that a degree can be and often is a roadblock to employment.

So many of the help wanted signs are for food service and other customer related positions. I had a MS and couldn't get a job as a McDonald's manager because I was 'Overqualified'.

It's a matter of applicant to position match. If you can't get transportation or have wardrobe, you're not a match. If you're laid off from NASA (or Twitter) you're not a match for stocker at the Megamart.

That's why the minimum income makes sense. In either case body and soul are kept together until a match can be made.

[judesedit]

7. We have to get rid of these middleman hiring companies, too

We can't apply directly with the company in a lot of cases. Have to go through some third party app and answer a bunch of unrelated questions to the position and never hear back from them. That's one problem. But I am personally seeing more work being done simutaneously on infrastructure than at any other time in my life. I am very happy about that.

[judesedit]

8. Also, when the lower and lower middle class are given a helping hand,

they don't buy stocks, etc. They put it back in the economy. If they're living paycheck to paycheck, they're just making their bills. Definitely not living high on the hog. God forbid they have a medical emergency or car problems or roof leak. Promotes less crime, too, if you think about it. Less suicides, less alcoholism, less domestic violence, etc. Imho

[intheflow]

9. $1 million for 85 families is an outrage!

Whereas, spending $12 million to ship migrants 3/4 of the way across the country to own the libs is a good investment of Texas tax-dollars. Damn, it must be really draining to be so stupid. No wonder they're so angry all the time.