Press Releases
The bill now goes to the GOP-controlled House, where approval is expected.
Sen. Kel Seliger, an Amarillo Republican who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting, said the plan is fair to all Texans and will pass court muster. But critics said the subdivision ofTravisCounty highlights how the map is unfair to minority voters.
Point Austin: Coming Home to Austin
Latest gerrymander reflects Capitol contempt for capital
By Michael King
"I think this map is so far from reality and in so muchviolation of the law, it's premature to say," Doggett said in a phone interview."It's the only district in the area that has enough of my district, enoughDemocrats at this point, but again, I haven't made any finaldecision."
Instead, Doggett and his fellow Democrats are planningto take the map to court. Texas' new Congressional lines must be cleared by theJustice Department for appropriate minority voting power, and the Congressmanwas quick to declare that the proposed map is in clear violation of the VotingRights Act.
The ironic thing is Central/West Austin got craved upagain in pieces just like South Austin thistime with this proposed congressional map. The proposed lines for District 25are a perfect text book example of political gerrymandering and an insult to thecitizens of TravisCounty. The lateCongressman Jake Pickle's thirty one years of effective service is conclusiveevidence of the value and clout produced by Travis County being represented by oneUS Congressman.
EPA efforts that were applauded included attentionto polluted runoff from coal tar sealed lots and their 2010 report on theRelative Potency Factors of PAH mixtures. The problem is that an independentscientific advisory board found some incompleteness with work and recommendedadditional study be undertaken. What action and on what timetable this will bedone has not been made public.
Background on the temporary tax holiday:
In general, income earned byU.S. companies in theUnited States is taxed currently while income earned abroad is only subject toU.S. taxes when it is "repatriated" back to theUnited States. This system provides obvious incentives to avoid paying current taxes by investing offshore and creating jobs overseas instead of inAmerica. After shifting this money offshore, multinational corporations continually seek ways to bring their foreign profits home without paying their fair share ofU.S. taxes.
May 23, 2011
This weekend, Rep. Doggett was pleased to join AmeriCorps volunteers and alumni to help celebrate the good work AmeriCorps does in the Austin community every day. From teach some of our youngest students how to read to helping train Austinites for "green jobs" in the future, in Austin, the impact AmeriCorps has had on the community speaks volumes about the integrity of this program and those who participate in it. "In Austin, every week is AmeriCorps week," said Rep. Doggett.