June 1, 2021

New Mexico congressional election tests Democrats' dominance

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A special congressional election in New Mexico is testing political enthusiasm among Democrats in an increasingly progressive district last won by a Republican in 2006, as voters prepared Tuesday for a final day of balloting.

The winner of the four-way race for the 1st Congressional District will fill a seat left vacant by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland as she joined the Biden Cabinet.

Republican state Sen. Mark Moores' campaign to flip a seat held by Democrats since 2009 has highlighted concerns about crime in Albuquerque and has painted his Democratic opponent as a progressive with a radical agenda to defund traditional police agencies.

Democratic state Rep. Melanie Stansbury has aligned her campaign closely with initiatives from the White House on pandemic relief, infrastructure spending and interventions to slow climate change.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/article/New-Mexico-congressional-election-tests-16215730.php

June 1, 2021

'Past the point of no return'? Iowa Democrats feel hopes fading

KEOKUK, Iowa (AP) — Democrats lost last year's election for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District by the narrowest margin in a House race in almost 40 years. After the six-vote heartbreaker, some expected Democrat Rita Hart to immediately declare a rematch in the southeast district long held by her party.

So far, no Democrat has stepped up to run.

The hesitancy to jump into a district now as competitive as they come is one measure of Democrats' fatigue in a state viewed for decades as a true battleground. Even as the coronavirus pandemic gradually wanes and President Joe Biden's job approval remains strong, Iowa Democrats say they can feel their party receding, particularly from the industrial river towns they once claimed as bastions.

“I kind of think we're past the point of no return,” said Rich Taylor, a former Democratic state senator who lost last year after eight years representing economically struggling Lee County, which hugs the Mississippi River in the state's southeast corner. “I believe that the people of southeast Iowa will wake up. But I don’t think it’s going to make a difference for the next 20 years.”

It took years to reach this point. For more than a decade, Democrats have watched their ranks in farm communities dwindle. At the same time, their once-dominant strength in the state’s factory towns was undermined by shrinking union power and population loss. Republican Donald Trump's popularity among the white working class in those areas to some feels like a final blow.

Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/article/Past-the-point-of-no-return-Iowa-Dems-feel-16215641.php

June 1, 2021

Texas House Dems: 'this session was defined by extremism'

Members of the Texas House Democratic Caucus held a press conference on Monday to reflect on the legislative session and missed opportunities from Republican leaders in Austin.

“We should have been dealing with the effects of a global pandemic that left 50,000 Texans dead, or we should have been dealing with the aftermath of the devastating winter storm,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Chris Turner.

“This session was defined by extremism, by needless legislation that panders to the far right of the Republican party,” Turner said, citing legislation on permitless carry, abortion, and voter suppression.

On Sunday night, Democrats staged a walkout and broke quorum to prevent a vote on Senate Bill 7, a monstrous 67-page bill that would have restricted polling places and allowed elections to be overturned.

Read more: https://texassignal.com/texas-house-dems-this-session-was-defined-by-extremism/

June 1, 2021

Progressive local leaders announce creation of 'Our Future Texas'

Local progressive leaders met virtually on Friday to tout the launch of Our Future Texas, a new nonprofit political action group that will work to elect and support grassroots activists and community leaders.

Lawmakers and officials backing the new organization include Austin City Council Member Greg Casar, Travis County District Attorney José Garza, Houston City Council Member Tarsha Jackson, Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee, El Paso City Council Member Alexsandra Annello, Dallas City Council Member Adam Bazaldua, and San Antonio City Council Member Roberto Treviño.

They say the creation of Our Future Texas is a response to the 2021 legislative session, more specifically, the lack of real issues being tackled at the state level, and the legislature’s attack on policies and decisions taken by local governments.

Austin City Council Member Greg Casar said that during the winter snowstorm, local leaders were getting direct financial relief and aid to residents while Gov. Greg Abbot was busy blaming the grid failure on the Green New Deal and Sen. Ted Cruz was fleeing to Cancún.

Read more: https://texassignal.com/progressive-local-leaders-announce-creation-of-our-future-texas/

June 1, 2021

Overhaul to Texas state government employees' retirement accounts advanced out of Legislature

by Shawn Mulcahy, Texas Tribune


A major overhaul to Texas’ pension system for state employees is nearly law after it advanced out of the Texas Legislature on Sunday.

Senate Bill 321, authored by state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, would enroll new state workers hired after Sept. 1, 2022, in a cash-balance plan — similar to a common 401(k) retirement account — rather than the defined-benefit pension plan that current employees have.

Traditional pensions are calculated based on a set formula that considers factors such as length of employment and salary history. The change would mean employees’ accounts would instead be credited with a set percentage of their annual compensation, plus interest. Opponents argue it could lead to diminished benefits.

The bill would also make significant headway in shoring up the Employees Retirement System of Texas’ $14.7 billion budget shortfall. It authorizes annual payments of $510 million through 2054.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/05/26/texas-government-employee-retirement-system/

The state already has difficulty retaining employees due to low pay. One of the few perks that the employees have is the defined benefit in retirement. Without a corresponding salary increase of about 20% the turnover rate for state employees will increase significantly.