Jeff Reichman

map of low level fentanyl cases in harris county

The impact of low level fentanyl cases on Harris County Criminal Courts

By Jeff Reichman / June 6, 2023 / Comments Off on The impact of low level fentanyl cases on Harris County Criminal Courts

Beginning April 21, 2023, the Harris County District Attorney’s office now requires mandatory lab testing for low level fentanyl cases of less than four grams. This policy is in place to speed up evidence processing and move cases through the system faster. Harris County is notorious for its backlog of criminal cases since Hurricane Harvey.…

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map of prohibited areas for AHF development in houston

Houston still doesn’t have enough reentry housing for people on parole

By Jeff Reichman / July 11, 2023 / Comments Off on Houston still doesn’t have enough reentry housing for people on parole

In 2018, Houston City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to regulate reentry housing for people on parole, despite significant opposition. Five years later, the ordinance not only regulates existing facilities, but it also effectively prevents new housing. Just like activists said it would. The ordinance addresses alternate housing facilities (AHFs), which are for-profit entities that…

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harris county property tax protest success rates

Property tax protests aren’t as successful as they used to be

By Jeff Reichman / May 2, 2023 / Comments Off on Property tax protests aren’t as successful as they used to be

April brings many things to Houston. Beautiful migratory birds on their journey northwards. The sweet smell of star jasmine wafting among budding oak tree canopies. And a renewed sense of frustration at a fat property tax assessment. As a homeowner in Houston, I keep my eyes out for that letter in the mail. I’ve got…

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The ultimate eviction data dictionary for Harris County

By Jeff Reichman / March 30, 2023 / Comments Off on The ultimate eviction data dictionary for Harris County

For several years, we have collected Harris County eviction data from the courts every day, made it available on a real-time dashboard, and published several analyses of the data. Harris County has some of the best eviction court data available in the country, and as a result, we have been cleaning and sharing the data…

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I’m rooting for an obscure line item in the Texas budget

By Jeff Reichman / January 12, 2023 / Comments Off on I’m rooting for an obscure line item in the Texas budget

The Texas legislative session kicked off this week, and lawmakers have a $32.7 billion surplus to work with. What are they going to do with it? I’ve got an idea. It’s just an IT line item in a budget request, and it would only cost 0.018% of that surplus. But it’s meaningful, and it could…

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Map of bills filed by the 88th Texas Legislature (2023)

By Jeff Reichman / November 22, 2022 / Comments Off on Map of bills filed by the 88th Texas Legislature (2023)

The next meeting of the Texas legislature starts in January, and House and Senate members just started the process of filing new bills. Over the next few months, these bills will be refined in committees, emerge for a vote, and potentially signed into law. But right now, they are the raw materials for the next…

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image of map showing property tax protest success rates for homeowners in houston

Homeowners in Houston do better when they protest property taxes on their own

By Jeff Reichman / April 27, 2022 / Comments Off on Homeowners in Houston do better when they protest property taxes on their own

The Houston housing market is hot. Inventory is low and demand is high. From March 2021 to March 2022, the average price of a single family home went up an astonishing 19.3%. With rising market prices comes an increase in tax assessed values. Property tax protest season is here, and you have until May 15…

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seal your record harris county

New website helps people seal their criminal record in Harris County

By Jeff Reichman / August 19, 2021 / Comments Off on New website helps people seal their criminal record in Harris County

In Texas, every criminal conviction has collateral consequences. For example, if you’re convicted of a felony, you lose your right to vote during incarceration, probation, or parole. Texas has over 1,400 collateral consequences. You can explore them for yourself at the National Inventory of Collateral Consequences of Conviction database. But these consequences aren’t just for…

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chart of weekly cdc declarations in harris county eviction cases

Only 13% of defendants invoked the CDC eviction moratorium in Harris County

By Jeff Reichman / August 2, 2021 / Comments Off on Only 13% of defendants invoked the CDC eviction moratorium in Harris County

The CDC eviction moratorium was supposed to prevent evictions. When the CDC first announced the moratorium in September 2020, a CNN headline shouted Evictions Are Halted, noting that it “covered most renters across the US.” The moratorium lasted almost eleven months. During that time, we found 3,289 cases where the policy delayed or prevented an…

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plume of smoke from the deer park fire - credit: AP

The story of Kuukibot and air quality in Houston

By Jeff Reichman / August 6, 2021 / Comments Off on The story of Kuukibot and air quality in Houston

Poor air quality is a problem for Houston, and it’s been that way for decades. The region accounts for 42% of the country’s base petrochemical capacity. Refining oil is a dirty business. It involves processing chemicals and generating toxic byproducts. A lot of this work takes place around the Houston Ship Channel, which is the…

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