Week 15: 89th Texas Legislature

ARE THEY JUST WINDOW DRESSING?

I’m starting to wonder who is actually representing us at the Capitol.  Are these people we elected to represent us at least trying to do what we hired them to do, or have they just become window dressing for leadership?  It feels like everything is being carefully orchestrated by leadership, (Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker, and House Committee Chairs) and our elected representatives and senators are just pretty mannequins they arrange in pleasing scenes in the window to cast the appearance of accomplishing things, when nothing significant is being accomplished.  They appear to be doing things we want, without really doing them.

·         The House banned Democrat Chairs with HR4, but there are still Democrat chairs

·         The Senate has banned taxpayer funded lobbying with SB19, but the most egregious of the TP funded lobbyists still get to lobby.

·         The House passed a budget, SB1, that claims $51 Billion in tax relief, which will bring no tax relief

·         The Senate passed SB618, an election integrity bill, but not before removing the “integrity” parts of the bill with an amendment

·         Both chambers passed SB2, the School Choice bill that will leave over 5 million students with no choice

·         The House raised the basic school allotment in HB2 with a total $8 billion to public ed, which will leave the public ed crowd still crying that education is not fully funded.

·         A bill that would actually end abortions in Texas, HB2197, was promised a hearing and then 12 hours prior, the bill was pulled from the schedule because Republicans were afraid to have to take a vote on it.

·         We have a Lottery Commission that is full of abuse, fraud and outright lawlessness, and while everyone is talking about it, nothing is being done about it

·         One of the RPT priority bills to protect kids, HB1549, is stalled 100 days in the Committee chaired by Rep Angie Chen Button, while her Chief of Staff is posting liberal woke agenda posts on social media

·         Citizen engagement is discouraged by bills that weaken our first amendment protections, and strengthen the out of control TEC

·         Both chambers have passed SB5, creating the Dementia Research Institute to the tune of $300 Million per year (can you say grow government?)  This bill was a top priority for Lt. Dan.

·         The Senate passed SB22 giving subsidies to the film industry to the tune of $500 Million per year (can you say grow government again?)  Also, a top priority of Lt Dan

See what I mean?  Leadership is pulling all the strings, and only a handful of representatives and senators pushing back.  Leadership is completely disregarding the RPT priorities, (or anyone else’s) in favor of their own.  In recent weeks I’ve testified at a lot of hearings where part of my testimony was “HB/SB whatever is included in the Republican Party of Texas platform, and we expect Republican representatives to uphold it.”  I fear it falls on the deaf ears of the mannequins in the window.

But - take heart!  The news is not all bad!  There’s a handful of people trying to do the right thing. 

·         Two recent examples are House Reps proposing amendments to bills being heard on 2^nd reading, for issues that didn’t make it as stand-alone bills.  This is smart legislating!

o   Steve Toth passed an amendment to HB18 that would disallow funding to health care providers if they do social trans gendering of children

o   Shelley Luther passed an amendment to HB3700 that will provide additional transparency in finding waste fraud & abuse in the Texas Workforce Commission

o   Rep Luther also passed an amendment to HB121 that would require that school employees report abuse directly to local law enforcement and Family Protective Services. 

·         A small group of conservative warriors put a stop to the resolution to honor Cecille Richards, head of planned parenthood

·         Rep Brian Harrison had the audacity to file a motion to vacate the Speaker of the House!

·         One Senator, Kelly Hancock, voted against the Dementia Bill, in spite of it being a pet project of the Lt Governor.

I’m so grateful for the brave folks who keep pushing back, and trying to do the right thing.  We need to remember that next primary season, even if they sometimes vote for something we don’t particularly like or want.  We also need to remember which ones are the cooperative window dressing, taking up whatever position pleases leadership. 

I’m pretty sure that when this session is over, we’re going to see mailers, and social media posts claiming it was THE MOST CONSERVATIVE SESSION EVER!  But we will know the truth and they will know we know the truth. We just have to prove it next primary season.

In other good news this week:

• SJR68/SB2051, bills that would reform and clarify impeachment proceedings and require that the person being impeached is paid during the process, passed unanimously out of the Senate and has been received in the House.
• SB324 – the E Verify bill that I testified on this week was passed favorably out of committee on a vote of 6/4 – mostly along party lines.
• SB12 – a bill that would strengthen parental rights, eliminate DEI in schools, standardize and clarify district to district transfers, and provide greater transparency for parents, passed out of the Senate with 23 yeas and 8 nays.
• SB760, a bill that would protect residents of long-term care facilities from vote harvesters, passed the Senate on 4/10 and now has been referred to House Committee on Elections.
• This week our Capitol team of activists delivered position papers on 2 bills, wrote post cards on 8 bills to move them out of committee, wrote and delivered green cards to Calendars on 5 bills, and registered at kiosks for 19 bills. I  testified at 3 hearings Tuesday and Wednesday.  It was a pretty busy week!

With only 38 days left in session, there are now deadlines looming.  We’ll need to see some action (real action) very quickly if we’re to pull out any significant priority progress this session.

NEXT WEEK AT THE CAPITOL:

We will meet up on Tuesday April 29 at 10 am in the Seal Court, Level 2 of the Extension.  There are a number of bills in committee that just need to get moved out, and a number of bills that need a committee hearing.  We’ll take action to address that, and probably distribute some position papers.  We will also be looking at what’s bottled up in Calendars Committee and if needed, drop some green or red cards to them. It will be a rewarding and productive day (promise!) and I hope you can join us.

**If you would like to carpool from DFW area, please email me.  [email protected]

THINGS YOU CAN DO FROM HOME:  (Everyone should be doing this!)

1) HB5510 - Use this on line form to register support.  This is aggressive legislation to stop illegal abortion pill trafficking.  (NOTE:  The Senate companion SB2880 has passed out of committee and will be on Senate floor Tuesday)  **THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE EARLY FRIDAY MORNING**

https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c450

2) HB2197 – The Equal Protection for the Unborn bill was pulled from the hearing schedule 12 hours before the hearing was to start.  It feels like games are being played here because no one wanted to go on record about this bill.  We support having a hearing to get the message out there, and start the debate.  If you agree, please contact Rep. John Smithee’s office to let them know you support HB2197, and request a hearing be rescheduled soon.

Rep Smithee’s office:

Phone 512-463-0702

Email:  [email protected]

Snail Mail:  PO box 2910, Austin, TX 78768

If you’re at the Capitol:  Office # 1W.10

3) Bills stuck in Committee – Because of looming deadlines, there’s probably little chance for Committee hearings this week, but there are a number of good bills in Committee that are still pending because the Committee has not taken a vote.  You can contact Chairs of the Committees and urge them to vote on the bill before time runs out.

House Sub Committee on Transportation Funding

HB 2323 – Remove tolls when road is paid for VOTE YES

Rep Terry Canales, Chair, phone # 512-463-0426, Email:  [email protected]

House Homeland Security Committee

HB 4201 Prohibit gun free zones VOTE YES

Rep Cole Hefner, Chair, phone #512-463-0271, Email: [email protected]

House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

HB3441 – Make vaccine manufacturers liable if they advertise VOTE YES

Rep Jeff Leach, Chair, phone #512-463-0544, [email protected]

House Public Health

HB3219 – Allow Ivermectin to be sold over the counter – VOTE YES

Rep Gary Van Deaver, Chair, phone #512-463-0692, Email [email protected]

House Trade, Workforce & Econ Development

HB1549 – Restrict retail display of obscene materials away from children

Rep Angie Chen Button, Chair, phone #512-463-0486, email [email protected]

Senate Business & Commerce

SB1460 – TX Ethics Commission – creates violation registry* VOTE NO

Senator Charles Schwertner, Chair, phone #512-463-0105, Email [email protected]

Click here to see Attorney Tony McDonald’s take on this bill.  He says it’s a bad, bad bill. We can’t trust the TEC now with the authority they have.  We can’t afford to give them more.

Contact your OWN Senator about the following: 

SB2119 – Lizzy’s Bill has been reported favorably out of committee.  It now needs a vote on the floor of the Senate.  Ask them to put it on the Intent Calendar and then vote YES

SB407 – Lizzy’s Other Bill has been placed on the Senate Intent Calendar for 4/28.  Ask them to Vote YES when it comes to 2^nd reading. 

What’s an Intent Calendar?

INTENT CALENDAR, SENATE—A legislative calendar established in the senate rules that lists bills and resolutions for which senators have filed with the secretary of the senate written notice to bring them up for consideration out of their regular order. Normally, a bill may not be brought up for consideration by the full senate unless it is listed on the Intent Calendar.

SB2880 – Stop abortion pill trafficking.  It’s on the Senate floor calendar for Tuesday.  Ask them to VOTE YES.

Contact Chairman of the Calendars Committee and ask him to move the following bills to a floor vote

Rep Todd Hunter, Chair, phone #512-463-0672, email [email protected]

HB933 – Restores AG’s ability to prosecute

HB170 – Kyles Law – prohibits civil action if criminal charges are cleared or dropped (self defense should not come with a big price tag)

Thanks to our Capitol teams, and all the folks doing the work from home.  Even though we're being gaslighted a lot here, we are still letting people know that we're watching.  And we're Republican Elephants - we have long memories!

Be safe and stay engaged!

Fran Rhodes, President.

[email protected]

SAVE THE DATES!

Tuesday Apr 29 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol

Tuesday May 6 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol - PLUS Bus from Cypress/Brenham  (final bus for this session)

Bus Registrations can be found on the TTP Website

Tuesday May 13 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol

Tuesday May 20 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol

Tuesday May 27 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol

Our weekly visits to the Capitol focus on legislation, but the primary work is training up people to continuously be engaged in government.  Every week, we have new people who have never done it before and are happy to learn.  We are training up an army of grassroots activists, but we need your help to do it.  Can you chip in?