The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - November 19, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, November 19th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, former Harris County Public Health Executive Director Barbie Robinson has been charged with felony misuse of official information in what may have been another bid-rigging scheme coordinated with county contractors. contract to craft a social services program called Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self-Sufficiency, or ACCESS, that the company would later bid to provide. Last week, Robinson was charged with misuse of official information, a third-degree felony which carries a possible sentence of two to ten years in jail and fines of up to $10,000. Before working for Harris County, Robinson had previously served as the director of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, where she also worked with IBM to create a nearly identical access program to coordinate county services for low-income

Starting point is 00:01:17 residents. According to emails obtained by the Texas Rangers, Robinson appears to have exchanged emails with IBM officials shortly after she was hired by Harris County in the spring of 2021. Communications included discussion of sole source contracts that might have been exempted from competitive bids. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Are you tired of missing critical updates in legislative hearings? Frustrated by the overwhelming flood of new bills and the challenge of staying informed as they change? Introducing USLedge, the revolutionary artificial intelligence solution designed to transform how you track and analyze government meetings and legislation. USLedge allows you to search, pause, rewind,

Starting point is 00:02:00 and review transcripts of public meetings live. That's right, live. Anytime, anywhere. USLedge uses cutting-edge AI technology to monitor and analyze thousands of bills in real time, providing you with personalized summaries and instant notifications. Check us out at USLedge.ai. That's U-S-L-E-G-E dot A-I. Now returning to your daily Texas news. In other news, four Dallas City Council members, along with city staff, traveled to Japan from November 6th through 12th to meet with Japanese rail central executives and gain, quote, understanding about how a high-speed rail system can be tailored to meet Dallas's unique needs and contribute to the city's long-term economic growth and vibrancy, end quote, a memo from interim city manager Kimberly Tolbert said. Originally proposed as a private sector effort, the Dallas to Houston high-speed rail route has been in the works for about a decade but has not yet come to fruition. Now, Amtrak has expressed an interest in partnering with Texas Central in

Starting point is 00:03:02 developing the route. When Amtrak executive vice President for High-Speed Rail Andy Byford met with Dallas City Council members and business leaders recently, he said that Amtrak will apply for the Federal Railroad Administration's Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant. The application is due in December 2024. In August, Amtrak was awarded a $64 million grant by the FRA as part of the Corridor Identification and Development Program to, quote, help guide intercity passenger rail development throughout the country. Last but not least, State Representative Drew Darby sat down with the Texans' senior reporter Brad Johnson to discuss the future of school choice, property taxes, and the Texas House speakers race. Visit thetexan.news or wherever you get podcasts to hear the full conversation. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan,

Starting point is 00:03:58 please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - November 19, 2024

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