STEVE ALLISON

Leading up to Wednesday's announcement it was unclear whether the city would have any seats at the table doling out a massive budget surplus.

Inflation, high energy prices and sales taxes boosting the budget for the State the Texas, now lawmakers are tasked to figure out how to best allocate those extra funds.

Find election results from San Antonio-area state House races, including Districts 31, 44, 53, 73, 74, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125

In some battleground races, Republicans have voiced confidence that the Legislature will weigh rape and incest exceptions when it reconvenes.

Republicans say Rep. Steve Allison's race against Becca Moyer DeFelice could be a test case for how politics are shifting in suburban areas.

While the governor's race is being fought elsewhere, Republicans and Democrats still have reason to be excited about their opportunities here.

The former Alamo Heights ISD board member will take local superintendents' ideas back to the House select committee assembled after Uvalde.

Both state lawmakers who represent Uvalde want Gov. Abbott to call a special session, as well as two more Republicans

Bexar County Democrats and Republicans had worked together to draw a bipartisan map. Then a Fort Bend County House member intervened.

Democrat Reps. Garnet Coleman, Armando Walle and Ana Hernandez were the latest to rejoin the House on Thursday, narrowly clinching a quorum.

For the second time in less than a month, Vice President Kamala Harris met Tuesday with many of the Texas House Democrats who had already broken quorum once before over proposed voting restrictions.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday he would release $11 billion in federal relief funds for schools, a month after the money became available.

State Rep. Steve Allison represents District 121, which includes parts of north central and northeast San Antonio, as well as the cities of Alamo Heights, Terrell Hills, and Olmos Park. SAN ANTONIO – A state lawmaker from San Antonio plans to file two bills in the Texas Legislature regarding the power crisis that has left residents of Bexar County and millions of other Texans without electricity and water. “But I was surprised to learn that they, too, were without power and not afforded any emergency priority treatment.”Allison plans to file the bills in the Texas House soon. “I recognize that the cow is already out of the barn and the current crisis requires far more attention and resolution so we never suffer through something like this again,” Rep. Allison said. Greg Abbott declared the reform of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) an emergency item this legislative session.

Greg Abbott said the state legislature must pass laws that make it “fiscally impossible” for cities to reduce their police budgets. Abbott made the comments Thursday in a roundtable on public safety that was held with several law enforcement officials from across the state. “We must make it fiscally impossible for cities to defund police,” Abbott said. Another bill, filed by San Antonio Rep. Steve Allison, would institute a referendum if public safety funds are cut by more than 5%. “Texas is a law and order state and we are going to ensure that we keep it that way,” Abbott said.

click to enlarge Flickr / Ed SchipulDemocrats spent big and dreamed even bigger in Texas this election cycle. The San Antonio seat of incumbent State Rep. Steve Allison — one Dems had targeted to flip — remains in Republican control with challenger Celina Montoya falling seven points short. "At the end of the day, they were trying to run against incumbents," said veteran Democratic political consultant Laura Barberena. "I think Democrats' success in 2018 in the Texas House was picking the low hanging fruit," he said. "Trinity University Political Science Professor Juan Sepulveda said Democrats had reason to be excited about 2020, especially new Latinx voters joining the rolls.

While the top of the ballot has received the most attention, the balance of the Texas House of Representatives is also at stake. For the first time in years, Democrats have a chance to flip the 150-member Texas House, which has been controlled by Republicans for more than a decade. The stakes couldn’t be higher, since next legislative session will include redistricting, the once-in-a-decade process by which the Texas Legislature draws district maps for Congress and state legislative seats. To gain control of the House, Democrats would need to pick up nine seats. There are 18 to 22 state House races that Democrats are targeting.

click to enlarge Wikimedia Commons / Daniel MayerBased on voter turnout, the Cook Political Report, a trusted bipartisan barometer of elections outcomes, has shifted its call on the odds of Democrats flipping the Texas House from "lean Republican" to "toss up." "All year, we had considered the Texas House to be in play, but with an edge to the GOP," Cook's Louis Jacobson wrote in a last-minute analysis posted Monday. "Now, with enormous turnout banked in large-population counties — the types of places where Democrats have been gaining ground in the Lone Star State — we’ve decided to make a last-minute reconsideration. "Republicans currently control all branches of Texas' state government and have commanded a House majority since 2002.However, as Jacobson notes, a Democratic takeover of the house would go beyond loosening the GOP's grip on the legislative process. The shift would give Dems a seat at the redistricting table after the 2020 Census, offering a counterbalance to Republican gerrymandering.Assuming Democrats can keep all their seats, including 12 they scooped in the 2018 midterm, they will need to flip nine to cement a majority in the chamber.The party has focused on six Republican seats as particularly vulnerable this cycle and also targeted another eight, including Republican State Rep. Steve Allison's District 121 seat in Bexar County, which faces a robust challenge from Democrat Celina Montoya.

Incumbent Steve Allison up early in House District 121 race11:20 p.m. — As he did in 2018, Steve Allison has beat Celina Montoya to remain the representative in House District 121. Democrats were hoping to flip the seat in an effort to win the Texas House, but Allison held the edge as the incumbent. 7:44 p.m. — Incumbent Republican Steve Allison holds the early lead against Democrat Celina Montoya. BackgroundIn a crucial rematch of the 2018 midterm elections that Democrats are counting on in November in hopes of flipping the Texas House, incumbent Republican Steve Allison is facing Democrat Celina Montoya in House District 121. Texas House District 121 (KSAT/Brittney Daniels)The Republican defeated Montoya in the 2018 Midterm Election by 8% of the vote.

click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / Celina Montoya CampaignCelina Montoya speaks at a Tuesday presser while officials from teachers unions look on. "Celina Montoya claims she’s endorsed by this teacher group," a narrator says as an image of the AFT logo flashes onscreen with a red slash through it. The state's Republican leadership has also turned its back on teachers and school staff during the pandemic, she added. It's probably time for [Allison] to take a look at that curriculum again. "In 2018, Allison beat Montoya by eight points for the District 121 seat, and Democrats have made this year's race a high-priority target as they look to flip the Texas House.

The Texas Democratic Party and Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee on Monday released a fundraising memo revealing the 22 Texas House seats they've made a priority of flipping in November.The one held by Rep. Steve Allison, who represents a large swath of Northeast San Antonio, is among them.In 2018, Allison won the District 121 seat previously held by departing House Speaker Joe Straus with just 53% of the vote. Two other Democrats gun-control activist Becca Moyer DeFelice and former city planner Jack Guerra have also filed to run. From local politics and culture to national news that hits close to home, San Antonio Current has been keeping San Antonio informed for years. If quality journalism is important to you, please consider a donation to San Antonio Current. Every reader contribution is valuable and so appreciated, and goes directly to support our coverage of critical issues and neighborhood culture.

State Rep. Steve Allison, one of 10 moderate Republicans on a target list discussed during a meeting between House Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Empower Texans CEO Michael Quinn Sullivan, released a statement Monday blasting Bonnen, saying he will no longer support him as House Speaker. Speaker Bonnen and Representative Burrows have lost the confidence and trust required of a member in such a position, Allison wrote. Not that you need our permission.Last Friday, the House Republican Caucus met and issued a statement condemning the actions of Bonnen and Burrows. After several hours of discussion this past Friday, the House Republican Caucus finally issued a statement condemning the actions and comments of Speaker Bonnen and Representative Burrows, Allison wrote. Democrat Celina Montoya will again challenge Allison for the House District 121 seat.