Session Talk

Texas Monthly names the best and worst Texas legislators for 2013

The special session may still be in full swing, but that hasn't stopped Texas Monthly from releasing its 2013 list of the best and worst Texas legislators. The winners (and losers) were announced via Twitter on Wednesday starting at noon.

"If there is a single idea that informs our choices of the Best and Worst legislators, it is that the business of governing Texas is a personal business, and that the influence of personality has more to do with success or failure in politics than party or ideology," says Paul Burka in the announcement post on his blog.

"Readers will no doubt find things to criticize in this list — after all, that's what lists are for," Burka continues, "but it is the result of that work and of the opinions and input of key voices in and around the Capitol."

Here are Texas Monthly's choices for the best and worst legislators of 2013 (in no particular order):

Best

Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands)
Rep. Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie)
Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)
Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock (R-Killeen)
Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth)
Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock)
Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D-McAllen)
Rep. Charlie Geren, (R-Fort Worth)
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio)
Speaker Joe Straus (R-San Antonio)

Worst

Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano)
Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas)
Rep. Naomi Gonzalez (D-El Paso)
Sen. Dan Patrick (R-Houston)
Rep. Ron Reynolds (D-Houston)
Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston)
Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville)
Sen. Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills)
And a very special worst award for Comptroller Susan Combs

Bull of the Brazos

Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston)

No Austin legislators were included on the best list. However, our very own Aaron Franklin (Ind.-Austin) did manage a shout out for Best BBQ — and with that we cannot disagree. The list, along with the full story, appears in the July issue of Texas Monthly, which will be on newsstands next week.

unspecified

Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

traffic self-driving cars innovation