As the the 86th Texas Legislature churns forward, the pressure to address meaningful public school finance reform was on the clock last week. Ultimately, the Texas Senate unanimously passed a bill that would give teachers and librarians a $5,000 raise. The bill proposes $3.7 billion for mandated tea...

Protecting dark skies and enabling more freedoms in how cities spend money are two topics Dripping Springs city leaders support during the 86 th Legislative session. Those priorities were outlined via a resolution approved by Dripping Springs city leaders March 3. High on Dripping Springs’ priority ...

Questions over the process of companies building infrastructure on privately-owned land is leading a local lawmaker to propose possible changes at the state level. Earlier this week, State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) authored House Bill (HB) 2277, which could require an environmental assessment ...

Photo courtesy Buda Elementary Earlier this week, students from Buda Elementary traveled to Austin to receive a resolution honoring the legacy of the historic campus, which will officially move to a new location starting August 2019. Students met and talked with State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood)...

Confidence of Buda officials is high six weeks into a new legislative session as the city’s efforts to have an Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) bill pass the Texas House and Senate moves forward. Two identical bills filed by both Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) and Senator Donna Campbell (R-New Br...

A new bill in the Texas House could allow more than 600,000 Texas public university students to vote with their student identification cards, adding to the list of acceptable forms under Texas Law.  House Bill (HB) 1950, filed by Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood), would affect nearly 39,000 college st...

Kyle-area residents packed Wallace Middle School to press Kinder Morgan on the company’s proposed 430-mile underground natural gas pipeline.  But the open house, hosted by Kinder Morgan officials, left some residents with more questions than answers.   Kinder Morgan representatives met with resident...

Tasked with trying to fund public education and relieve pressure on local property tax payers, top state officials are moving forward with legislation meant to limit tax rate growth. Senate Bill and House Bill 2 would require cities, counties and school districts to hold an election if they seek to ...

Efforts to end employment discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Queer (LGBTQ) community is now heading to the legislative floor. Earlier this month, State Rep. Erin Zwiener’s (D-Driftwood) was appointed to the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus, marking her first effort to represen...

A new bill filed by State Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) would bar new billboards on a number of scenic Hill Country roads. HB 1303, or the Hill Country Scenic Highway Bill, prohibits the placement of billboards along RM 1826, RM 150 and RM 967, located in the Northern and Western portion of the co...