Good bye, South by!
To the relief of many Austinites, SXSW wrapped up on Sunday, and downtown Austin is back to normal. Well, not too normal, we are still in session.
- The good news is we’ve made it halfway through the legislative session with 68 days remaining. The not so good news is that much mischief can happen between now and June 1st!
- It is tax day in the Senate. Debate on several tax-related bills backed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, including a $4.6 billion tax cut in property and business taxes. The business community, appears to be split in its support of this tax proposal.
- U.S. Senator Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for President on Monday, confirming rumors that have been swirling about a potential Presidential bid. In his campaign kick-off speech at Liberty University, Cruz outlined a few major points of his campaign platform, such as securing the border and abolishing the IRS. In a sign of the times, the initial announcement came the night before, on Cruz’s Twitter account.
- After a month of hearings, the House Appropriations Committee has endorsed a $209.8 billion dollar budget. That’s $7.7 billion more than the current budget, but still leaves $8.4 billion on the table (not including the state’s savings account—the Rainy Day Fund). The bill will be debated on the house floor next Tuesday.
- The House of Representatives will take a crack at School Finance this session, ahead of a possible court ruling, and has included an additional $3 billion to the state’s public education budget. The major public school finance lawsuit, involving two-thirds of the state’s school districts, is still pending before the Texas Supreme Court.
Only in Austin…
If you’ve ever driven down 5th street, you may have passed by one of these sassy signs.
The self proclaimed “Cultural Center of the Universe”, El Arroyo has been serving Austinites for over 25 years. This laid back Tex-Mex hideaway is a favorite of college students and natives alike (including country singer Pat Green) and is ideal for a quick queso fix. El Arroyo also boasts an unbeatable deal on one dollar margaritas every Thursday night. Stop by and you might spot a new entry sign. Here are a few favorites:
