If all of Harris County’s 16 Justices of the Peace agree to the proposal, itthrough July 24, but that only applies to rental properties with federally-backed mortgages. Then landlords must provide an additional 30-day warning only about 28% of rental properties nationwide are covered by the federal moratorium.Though some Texas cities have taken additional steps to delay evictions, Houston has not implemented any further policies, .Evictions come as unemployment numbers are through the roof. Since mid-March, more than 2.4 million Texans have , according to the Texas Workforce...…If all of Harris County’s 16 Justices of the Peace agree to the proposal, itthrough July 24, but that only applies to rental properties with federally-backed mortgages. Then landlords must provide an additional 30-day warning only about 28% of rental properties nationwide are covered by the federal moratorium.Though some Texas cities have taken additional steps to delay evictions, Houston has not implemented any further policies, .Evictions come as unemployment numbers are through the roof. Since mid-March, more than 2.4 million Texans have , according to the Texas Workforce...WW…

Mayor Sylvester Turner has publicly criticized such a proposal.“This is supported by all parties,” Houston fire union president Marty Lancton said. “This is not about your political affiliation. This is not about whether you lean left, you lean right. This is about transparent good government.”A similar recommendation was made in 2015, after a committee reviewed Houston's city charter and voted unanimously to give council members more influence over the agenda. Mayor Annise Parker at the time said . That measure ultimately failed.“One of the most sacred things of government is its ability...…Mayor Sylvester Turner has publicly criticized such a proposal.“This is supported by all parties,” Houston fire union president Marty Lancton said. “This is not about your political affiliation. This is not about whether you lean left, you lean right. This is about transparent good government.”A similar recommendation was made in 2015, after a committee reviewed Houston's city charter and voted unanimously to give council members more influence over the agenda. Mayor Annise Parker at the time said . That measure ultimately failed.“One of the most sacred things of government is its ability...WW…

With the , the Texas Supreme Court is lifting provisions that applied the federal moratorium to Texas courts. That impacts not only newly filed eviction cases, but also cases that were already on hold over the months that the CDC moratorium has been in effect.The — the agency responsible for training the judges who preside over eviction courts — is now advising judges to set new hearings for old cases that are already paused by the CDC order, to determine if landlords want to move forward with those evictions.According to a press advisory from the Federal Trade Commission, both the FTC and...…With the , the Texas Supreme Court is lifting provisions that applied the federal moratorium to Texas courts. That impacts not only newly filed eviction cases, but also cases that were already on hold over the months that the CDC moratorium has been in effect.The — the agency responsible for training the judges who preside over eviction courts — is now advising judges to set new hearings for old cases that are already paused by the CDC order, to determine if landlords want to move forward with those evictions.According to a press advisory from the Federal Trade Commission, both the FTC and...WW…

Another resident, Richard Konsor, also didn't pay rent on March 1the straw that broke the camel's back.""There's so many other issues with the apartments,” she said. “There are so many people who are living with holes in their walls."Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.· Among respondents, 53% believe and 47% do not believe laws passed during the 2021 legislative session improved grid reliability in the wake of last year's deadly winter storm.· Have you taken additional side jobs? Started freelancing? Or turned a passion into a small...…Another resident, Richard Konsor, also didn't pay rent on March 1the straw that broke the camel's back.""There's so many other issues with the apartments,” she said. “There are so many people who are living with holes in their walls."Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.· Among respondents, 53% believe and 47% do not believe laws passed during the 2021 legislative session improved grid reliability in the wake of last year's deadly winter storm.· Have you taken additional side jobs? Started freelancing? Or turned a passion into a small...WW…

At last week’s City Council Quality Of Life Committee hearing laying out the plan, Erik Dunn of the city’s Department of Public Works said it was aimed at quickly getting money to those who need it."We typically don’t do the adjustments until after there’s evidence of repairs done,” Dunn said. “In this case, understanding the severity and impact of the storm, it’s going to be an immediate adjustment that’s done on customers’ bill.”February’s winter storm — which brought snow, sleet and freezing temperatures to Greater Houston — led to widespread power outages, and freezing pipes that burst...…At last week’s City Council Quality Of Life Committee hearing laying out the plan, Erik Dunn of the city’s Department of Public Works said it was aimed at quickly getting money to those who need it."We typically don’t do the adjustments until after there’s evidence of repairs done,” Dunn said. “In this case, understanding the severity and impact of the storm, it’s going to be an immediate adjustment that’s done on customers’ bill.”February’s winter storm — which brought snow, sleet and freezing temperatures to Greater Houston — led to widespread power outages, and freezing pipes that burst...WW…

This week marks a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Greater Houston, sending the region into lockdown and turning millions of people's lives upside down.The pandemic's hardships haven't been felt evenly, with some frontline workers and vulnerable communities feeling the effects of COVID-19's economic and health crises more deeply than others.With the anniversary of the coronavirus’ arrival in the region, Houston Public Media checked in with Houstonians who have spoken with us during the pandemic to see how they're doing now.An oil and gas engineer trying to ride the wave of layoffs. A...…This week marks a year since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Greater Houston, sending the region into lockdown and turning millions of people's lives upside down.The pandemic's hardships haven't been felt evenly, with some frontline workers and vulnerable communities feeling the effects of COVID-19's economic and health crises more deeply than others.With the anniversary of the coronavirus’ arrival in the region, Houston Public Media checked in with Houstonians who have spoken with us during the pandemic to see how they're doing now.An oil and gas engineer trying to ride the wave of layoffs. A...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XLike many Houstonians still experiencing unemployment related to the pandemic, Ben Abell is having a difficult year.Abell's not alone. In November, just the first renter in New York City since the start of the pandemic. By that time, thousands of Houstonians — many of them impacted by COVID-19 — had already lost their homes in the six months since the Texas Supreme Court allowed evictions to resume back in May.And while Congress weighs extending the CDC national eviction moratorium, it’s unclear what limited impact that...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XLike many Houstonians still experiencing unemployment related to the pandemic, Ben Abell is having a difficult year.Abell's not alone. In November, just the first renter in New York City since the start of the pandemic. By that time, thousands of Houstonians — many of them impacted by COVID-19 — had already lost their homes in the six months since the Texas Supreme Court allowed evictions to resume back in May.And while Congress weighs extending the CDC national eviction moratorium, it’s unclear what limited impact that...WW…

Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.· After Jackson, Mississippi experienced severe flooding and its water system failed, the city of Houston hosted a water bottled donation drive on Friday for Jackson. · On Friday's show: We make sense of a summer filled with both drought and flooding. Then we learn about a voter fraud movement with deep ties to Houston. And we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.· On Thursday’s show: We continue our discussions of lessons learned five years after Harvey. Former Harris County...…Fill out the form below to subscribe our new daily editorial newsletter from the HPM Newsroom.· After Jackson, Mississippi experienced severe flooding and its water system failed, the city of Houston hosted a water bottled donation drive on Friday for Jackson. · On Friday's show: We make sense of a summer filled with both drought and flooding. Then we learn about a voter fraud movement with deep ties to Houston. And we break down The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.· On Thursday’s show: We continue our discussions of lessons learned five years after Harvey. Former Harris County...WW…

To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XUniversity of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said, given Turner’s history, it's unclear why Turner is opposing the unanimous recommendation of the task force."He's historically been favorable to the development community and the business community in the city," Rottinghaus said. "In this case, seems like they tend to agree that there should be some kind of rent moratorium. So I guess that's the real question – who is he specifically listening to?"Given Houston's “strong mayor” system — the mayor has...…To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:XUniversity of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said, given Turner’s history, it's unclear why Turner is opposing the unanimous recommendation of the task force."He's historically been favorable to the development community and the business community in the city," Rottinghaus said. "In this case, seems like they tend to agree that there should be some kind of rent moratorium. So I guess that's the real question – who is he specifically listening to?"Given Houston's “strong mayor” system — the mayor has...WW…

..The Texas Supreme Court has not renewed the eviction moratorium that was lifted in May, though last week, State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, and another 51 state representatives sent a letter to the Supreme Court asking them to halt evictions again.As we stare down a second shutdown, my greatest concern is for those who already live paycheck to paycheck.Because of this, we are renewing our call to the Supreme Court of Texas and Chief Justice to suspend all eviction proceedings due to .— Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas)Dana Karni, the attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid, said while the number of...…..The Texas Supreme Court has not renewed the eviction moratorium that was lifted in May, though last week, State Rep. Gene Wu, a Houston Democrat, and another 51 state representatives sent a letter to the Supreme Court asking them to halt evictions again.As we stare down a second shutdown, my greatest concern is for those who already live paycheck to paycheck.Because of this, we are renewing our call to the Supreme Court of Texas and Chief Justice to suspend all eviction proceedings due to .— Gene Wu (@GeneforTexas)Dana Karni, the attorney with Lone Star Legal Aid, said while the number of...WW…