#TXLEGE: The most toxic house in Texas

"That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun."
Ecclesiastes 1:9

Well, property tax "reform" is out of the house...but this is quite the poison pill:

Stickland fueled the boiling over of the evening, though, bringing forward the final amendment for consideration. The contentious measure he offered would strike the newly added contingency clause in the bill. Amendment 48 would essentially decouple SB 2 from House Bill 3, which is currently in the Texas Senate committee process.

The clause Stickland was after is the language added by Burrows into the property tax reform legislation last week that will only afford taxpayers reform and relief if lawmakers pass the school spending spree contained in HB 3. As substituted by Senate Education Chairman State Sen. Larry Taylor (R–Friendswood), that legislation added a contingency clause of its own that makes half of the appropriated monies for property tax relief, as well as a homestead exemption increase, entirely dependent on the passage of sales tax increases by voters on the November ballot.

Burrows, obviously frustrated by the amendment, then was questioned further by Democrat State Rep. Yvonne Davis of Dallas, who cornered Burrows and forced him to articulate the codependency of the bills—with relief being the furthest issue down the line.

“I think you have a very fine amendment here, Mr. Stickland,” Gutierrez said from the back microphone, foreshadowing what appeared to perhaps be an interesting alliance forming for taxpayers before the vote with both sides.

Bonnen indicated that Stickland had requested a record vote and that he, himself, would be voting ‘no,’ a Texas House rarity. Most members followed suit and the amendment failed, garnering a meager 5 ayes and a resounding 143 nays. The vote was a clear indication that the body politic of the Texas House is squarely with Bonnen and his leadership team at the end of the day. Three Democrats and two Republicans supported separating the two bills: Democrat State Reps. Michelle Beckley (Carrollton), Yvonne Davis (Dallas), and Harold Dutton Jr. (Houston), and Republicans Briscoe Cain and Jonathan Stickland.

In other words, they've made even the tiniest, most incremental, improvement in the property tax system contingent upon their orgy of spending masquerading as "school finance reform."

Obviously, this is a terrible deal that any self-respecting legislator should reject.

But this is the Texas Legislature, and...well...they ain't exactly known for self-respect.

So here we are.

As we said yesterday:



Just for good measure:

One amendment, from state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, seems to bar anyone but licensed attorneys from representing taxpayers in the property tax appeal process on a contingency fee basis. The change would likely affect the author of SB 2, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and a property tax consultant.

“It affects a lot of people. We'll talk about it in conference,” Geren said. He added, “I don't believe in contingency fees, but if we have to have contingency fees to do this, then I want the lawyers to do that."

In other words, Charlie Geren is literally attacking Paul Bettencourt's business...and the house members are fine with it.

Like we said: Toxic.

Bottom Line: New boss, something something; old boss, something something....

#TXLEGE: Freedom Caucus takes lead to repeal Latest act of Licensing Larceny....

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

A couple weeks ago, we discussed Texas' absurd 'enforcement mechanism' that permits the state to suspend occupation licenses for those who are behind on student loan payments.  This means people in debt can't work to pay off the debt.  Well, it looks like the Freedom Caucus is stepping up to address the issue:

State lawmakers, including some of the most conservative members of the Texas House, say changes should be made to a state statute that bars workers from renewing their professional licenses if they are in default on their student loans.

“Next session the Legislature needs to address this issue head on and ensure that Texans who can’t pay student loans aren’t further crippled by government actions,” the conservative House Freedom Caucus, chaired by state Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, said in a statement Tuesday. “Students should be responsible for repaying their debts, but taking away one’s ability to earn money in a licensed profession only exacerbates the problem.”

State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Baytown, a member of the caucus, called the provision "harmful to our economy and the lives of Texans."

"If Texas is going to live up to its reputation as a business-friendly state, we must remove barriers like this and others that prevent Texans from working," he said.

....

The reaction follows a report published in The Texas Tribune that found thousands of nurses, teachers and other professional license-holders in the state are at risk of losing their license each year because they’re in default on their student loans.

Bottom Line: Honestly, Governor Abbott should call a special session to repeal this monstrosity.  And the bill to repeal it should pass 181-0.  That being said, it's good to see the Freedom Caucus take the lead on this issue.

Fox News suddenly interested in chaos at Texas' public universities....

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

Briscoe Cain on Fox Business this morning:



During the appearance, Briscoe discusses last week's incident at Texas Southern.  Readers are welcome to watch it themselves.  But we're primarily interested in the fact this happened in the first place.

As we explained in June:

But, for as awful as this fall portends to be, it also makes us weirdly optimistic over the longer term. The reason why is that, as these events unfold, we suspect Fox News will cover them. And we all understand the degree to which a certain Governor cares what Fox News thinks.

And, all of a sudden, here's Fox News covering shenanigans on a public university campus in Texas.  The only thing about which we were wrong is that the incident that produced Fox News' interest didn't occur at UT-Austin.  Instead, it was the failure of UT-Austin to address the incidents on their own campus three weeks ago that allowed this to occur at Texas Southern.

And, eventually, Fox News is going to figure out that (at least in Texas) public universities fall within the jurisdiction of the Governor's office.  And we suspect you'll get whiplash at how quickly Greg Abbott acts once that happens. Whiplash.

Bottom Line:  This morning's appearance was a necessary step in the process.

Left wing Thuggery spreading to ANOTHER Public University in Texas (Abbott still doing nothing)....

"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13

By now, we're sure you've heard about Briscoe Cain's speech at Texas Southern being shouted down by protesters:



We've seen plenty of ink spilled over the "meaning" of all this, but allow us to discuss a more practical aspect: this nonsense has now spread out from the University of Texas to infect other public universities...and the Boards of Regents (that have been appointed by Governor Abbott) continue to do NOTHING.

Remember, two weeks ago, when the communist vandals at the University of Texas went after a widely respected 40 year old right of center political organization?!?  As we discussed at the time, the chain of command goes "University President" -> "Board of Regents" -> "Governor."  Unfortunately, none of the above did anything about the UT incident, so we shouldn't be surprised that it's moved to Texas Southern.

[Note: While we're on the subject, we also predicted Abbott's strange appeasement of the higher ed status quo would lead to this back in June and in January, although even we thought it would be contained to UT-Austin.]

[Note II: Dishonorable mention should also go to Joe Straus for killing the campus free speech bill; but even if that bill had passed, this would have been on the Board of Regents, which means it's on Abbott.]

Bottom Line: In Texas' public universities, the Office of the Governor controls the respective Boards of Regents.  Greg Abbott could shut down this nonsense in five minutes if he were so inclined.  Apparently, he's not....

Freedom Caucus gets dirty with Harvey relief....

"But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."
Galatians 6:4

UPDATE (8/30/2017): Apparently, we overlooked Valoree Swanson....




There have been a few photo sets circulating social media that are worth sharing.

First Briscoe Cain:



Also Jeff Leach:



Also, while we're on the topic, Cain also addressed a particarly grotesque piece of misinformation put out by the ambulance chaser lobby:

#TXLEGE: How the LAWLESS Texas house operates (Part 2)....

"They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah"
Psalm 62:4

We finally found the third video we wanted to post yesterday:



Highlights:

• Murders row of Straus lieutenants signed Huberty's petition.

• Almost as many Democrats as Republicans signed the petition.

• Rinaldi: "The effect of the motion you're making is there's no more amendments and we're going to vote on the bill immediately, correct?!?"

• Huberty denies being aware there were pre-filed amendments.
• Note: He's lying.
• Note: Huberty does that a lot.

• Pre-filed amendments would have expanded the scope of the bill.
• Huberty refuses to pull the motion.

• Leach: "Does the chair have the authority to not recognize a motion to call the previous question?!?"
• Straus: "Yes."
• Translation: Straus could have overruled Huberty and allowed debate on the amendments.
• Straus refuses to answer questions about why he's making this ruling.

• Previous question motions have historically been used only after marathon floor debates.

• Briscoe Cain points out how Straus' ruling is a...creative...interpretation of house rules.

• Cain asks why the bill had been delayed 24 hours if getting it over to the Senate was the top priority.
• Note: This exchange happend before the Sine Die stunt.

• Schaefer: "When we objected to the bill being postponed yesterday, we had amendments ready to go that we wanted to put before the body."

• Stickland: "More games are being played in your Texas capitol."
• "There were three different amendments that sought to bring in more Texans."
• "Instead, there are members of this body who are moving to silence folks like myself who believe that people's property taxes are too high right now."
• Straus interrupts Stickland.
• "The substance of this motion is to silence our ability, as members, to bring forth amendments to make this bill stronger."
• None of Dennis Bonnen's constituents were included in the bill.
• Millions left out of the bill.

#TXLEGE: Freedom Caucus DOMINATES Early House Fundraising!!!

"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase."
Proverbs 13:11

We obviously know about the Governor and Lt. Governor's fundraising, but did you know that 7 out of the top ten fundraisers on the House side are Freedom caucus members?!?

Your 10 largest Republican fundraisers in the #TXHouse for the July reports. @BriscoeCain is #2, under @SpeakerStraus. #txlege pic.twitter.com/lywWqdB44y

— Luke Macias (@effectualchange) July 18, 2017

While we're on the subject, among challengers Thomas McNutt (running against Byron Cook) raised over $320k and has $250k cash on hand; Mayes Middleton (running against Wayne Faircloth) has $480k cash on hand and has over 100 individual donors including former good UT regent Alex Cranberg!

Bottom Line: This tells you everything you need to know about where the energy and momentum lie.

#TXLEGE: Four Hour local and consent sets tone for final House push....

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage."
2 Peter 2:19

After we left the UT board meeting, we went to watch the House local and consent calendar.  What a mess.  After four hours of crossfire stalling and a shady attempt by leadership to change rules, over 20 bills had been killed.

While Jonathan Stickland was a ringleader, he wasn't the only participant.  Briscoe Cain, Matt Rinaldi, Tony Tinderholt, Valoree Swanson, and others also did their thing.  On the Democrat side, both Rafael Anchia and Ramon Romero saw significant action.

Some highlights:

• Stickland and Cain knocked off a Sarah Davis bill to fund a "maternal mortality" study under Medicaid that might have been used to justify abortions.

• Travis Clardy had (at least) three bills knocked off the calendar and at times was trying to distract Stickland while he was speaking.

• Larry Phillips almost sucker punched a member of the Freedom caucus and had to be physically restrained by another member of House leadership.

• Several attempts to create new taxes were considered.

• Likewise several special purpose districts with eminient domain authority.

Following the calendar, Senfronia Thompson attempted to change the rules so that the bills which had been knocked off could be considered on the regular calendar; she backed down when Matt Rinaldi attempted to amend her motion to consider several bills that leadership is actively killing.

Bottom Line: Tempers are short (and we still have two more days to go)....

Straus' Priorities: Minimum Wage Hikes and Rainy Day Fund Raids!!!

"I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,"
Galatians 1:6

One of the interesting dynamics of this session is the degree to which House leadership is being open about their left wing priorities; this past week saw two humdingers.

First the budget:

The institutions that we entrust with our future are facing serious setbacks that would harm our entire state. Our economic success begins in our schools, colleges and universities. In order to compete, we need a well-educated workforce with diverse skills.

And the cuts would hardly be limited to education. Across Texas, state mental hospitals are crumbling. Without significant repairs, for example, the Rusk State Hospital in East Texas will remain a public health hazard. Nursing homes could be forced to reduce their staffs.

And perhaps nobody should watch this debate closer than the retired teachers who put so many of us on the path to success. There is a $1 billion shortfall in the health care program for retired school employees. Without an injection of hundreds of millions of dollars to address that shortfall, retired teachers could face massive increases in their health insurance deductibles and very sizable increases in monthly premiums.

....

Another idea is to combine spending reductions with a modest withdrawal from the state's Economic Stabilization Fund, also known as the rainy day fund.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Read the whole thing here...but, honestly, what would you expect from a guy who uses identical language as Barack Obama to describe the economy?!?

Then there's this:

In a stunning move, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly to support Democrat efforts to hamstring the state’s economy by raising the minimum wage.

Earlier today, State Rep. Hugh Shine (R–Belton) moved to suspend the rules and fast track a proposed constitutional amendment to raise the minimum wage by almost 50 percent.

Authored by the chairman of the House Democrat caucus, State Rep. Chris Turner of Arlington’s HJR 56 would amend the Texas Constitution to raise the minimum wage in the State of Texas from the federally required $7.25 to $10.10 an hour.

Loyal to the Democrat-coalition that governs the Texas House, Shine serves as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Business & Industry and likely made the motion at the behest of his committee chairman State Rep. René Oliveira (D–Brownsville).

And he succeeded.

Despite the Texas Republican Party Platform’s call for a complete abolition of the minimum wage and a long history of free market rhetoric, Republican members voted overwhelmingly in favor of Shine’s motion, with only 21 members voting against the motion to suspend the rules.

That vote was sharply condemned by conservative State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park) who is serving his first term in the Legislature after dispatching a liberal Republican.

The minimum wage hike won't pass, but it will be used to waste time late in the session.

And there will be nine minimum wage related bills getting hearings on Monday; in other words, whatever your legislative priority, nine minimum wage related bills are going to get hearings first.

Priorities indeed.

#TXLEGE House Announces formation of Freedom Caucus!!!

"As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."
Proverbs 27:17

This can't hurt:

FREEDOM CAUCUS FORMED IN THE TEXAS HOUSE TO EMPOWER GRASSROOTS TEXANS

The Texas Freedom Caucus was launched today in the Texas House of Representatives. The Texas Freedom Caucus’ mission is to amplify the voice of liberty-minded grassroots Texans who want bold action to protect life, strengthen families, defend the bill of rights, restrain government and revitalize personal and economic freedoms in Texas.

The Texas Freedom Caucus (TFC) will be focused on first principles that are the hallmark of liberty-minded Texans. The policies supported by the TFC will be developed thru collaboration with grassroots leaders to identify priorities that are often dismissed in Austin.

“Go five blocks in any direction from the Texas Capitol, and you will see what interests are hard wired into the Austin establishment,” Caucus Chairman Rep. Matt Schaefer (Tyler) said. “The mission of the Texas Freedom Caucus will be to hard wire liberty-minded grassroots into policy making in Austin.”

The TFC will engage grassroots Texans on matters before session, during session, and long after session when policies are implemented at the agency level. The caucus is committed to restoring first principles – the right to life, liberty and property that are at the core of the freedom of America and the exceptionalism of Texas. The caucus will outline a set of legislative priorities after it holds a series of discussions with grassroots representatives from all across Texas. Thereafter, the TFC will support or oppose legislation in accordance with those principles.

“We don’t want our priorities to be determined from Austin down, but from the grassroots up. That includes taking things like the Texas Republican Party platform seriously,” said Schaefer. “There are thousands of people too busy working and raising their families to embed themselves in the legislative process. Their voices matter too, and we want to make sure they are heard, and their efforts are multiplied.”

The Texas Freedom Caucus will share many policy goals with other existing conservative organizations and caucuses, and it will buttress and complement rather than compete with those groups. The TFC will distinguish itself by providing a specific focal point for grassroots Texans interested in conservative policy-making in Austin.

The Vice Chair of the Caucus will be Rep. Bill Zedler (Arlington). The Policy Director will be Rep. Jeff Leach (Plano), the caucus Grassroots Liaison will be Rep. Matt Shaheen (Plano) and the Secretary-Treasurer will be Rep. Tony Tinderholt (Arlington). Other members include representatives Kyle Biedermann (New Braunfels), Briscoe Cain (Houston), Matt Krause (Fort Worth), Mike Lang (Granbury), Rep. Matt Rinaldi (Irving), Jonathan Stickland (Bedford) and Valoree Swanson (Spring).

James Bernsen will serve as Executive Director for the Texas Freedom Caucus.

Learn more about the group here.

If Austin's Tech community is Serious about 2017 #TXLEGE action....

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

Following the Prop. 1 debacle, there's been a lot of ink spilled about getting the legislature involved in various regulatory disputes; we just realized something that, if the tech community is serious, should constitute an IMMEDIATE action item.

The guy who killed the Tesla bill last session is in a runoff RIGHT NOW in HD 128 (Eastern Harris County).  Early voting is this week.  Election day is next Tuesday.

Wayne Smith, the incumbent, has been under the pink dome for 7 terms and done little of note.  Empower Texans has a good summary of his record here.  From the tech community's perspective, however, the most important takeaway is that Smith was the guy who killed the Tesla bill last session.

As we wrote last year:

The Texas House Committee on Licencing and Administrative procedure, however, clearly telegraphed that they would rather protect middlemen from competition than allow entrepreneurs and consumers to flourish....The most revealing moment of the hearing came when chairman Wayne Smith "disclosed" that one of the auto dealers testifying against the bill was a member of the same Rotary club as him. In another act of chutzpah masquerading as disclosure, Chairman Smith told the committee he was friends the spouse of another witness.

Did we mention that Wayne Smith killed the Tesla bill last session?!?

His opponent Briscoe Cain, by contrast, just did this:

A Harris County state district judge ruled Tuesday that a state law barring the use of audio and video produced by the Legislature in political ads likely is unconstitutional, blocking enforcement of a two-decade-old ban that critics said was aimed at protecting incumbents from election challengers.

A tea party House candidate challenging one of Speaker Joe Straus' lieutenants in a runoff sued the Texas Ethics Commission to strike down the law that prohibits the use of audio and video from the floor of the House and Senate, along with committee hearings, in political ads.

State District Judge Brent Gamble granted a temporary injunction requested by Briscoe Cain, a Harris County lawyer in a May 24 runoff with state Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown.

Cain wants to use footage in his campaign ads of Smith from the House floor during the 2013 and 2015 legislative sessions. According to a court filing, Cain is planning to use the taxpayer-funded footage of Smith in ads on social media websites.

The law prohibits "a person from using in political advertising any audio or visual materials produced by or under the direction of the legislature or of a house, committee, or agency of the legislature." It carries a fine of up to $5,000.

Cain sued the ethics commission, which enforces the law, in late April and claimed the state was engaging in censorship and trying to stifle political speech. Cain also charged that the state law amounted to nothing more than protection for incumbents who did not want potentially unflattering footage of their work at the Capitol to appear in political ads.

"Overall it's a win for the First Amendment because it allows anybody in the state of Texas to use audio and video produced by taxpayers to hold elected officials accountable," said Trey Trainor, a lawyer representing Cain.

The word disruptive gets thrown around too much, but if successfully challenging unconstitutional barriers to entry for political speech isn't disruptive, then nothing is.

In other words, this race is literally between the guy who killed the Tesla bill last session and a challenger who just got a bunch of unconstitutional restrictions on political speech tossed in court.

Bottom Line: We'll say more about what the tech community should expect in the legislature soon, but in the very short term the runoff in HD-128 should be a top priority.

Donate to Briscoe Cain here.

HD 128 Runoff: Property Rights and "High Speed" Rail

"Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property."
Ezekiel 46:18

Wayne Smith is an obnoxious Straus lieutenant.  He's in a runoff against conservative champion Briscoe Cain.  They recently discussed "High Speed" Rail (Author's Note: Which is MASSIVELY controversial in that part of the state.) in a candidate forum:



Highlights:

• Smith praises "high speed" rail in Europe and Japan.

• Smith: "I like 'high speed' rail."

• Cain: "High speed rail is a neat thing in a country that doesn't have a constitution but here, in the United States, we have a constitution that doesn't allow the government to take property just whenever it feels like it for private entities; that's what they want to do right now."

Paxton continues DOING AWESOME STUFF despite Persecution

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:8

This is great:

AUSTIN — Attorney General Ken Paxton's office has declined to represent the Texas Ethics Commission in a lawsuit challenging a state law that bars the use of archived House and Senate footage in political ads.

The move is uncommon, ethics experts said, since the primary job of the attorney general's team of lawyers is to defend state laws and agencies in court. But the attorney general's office has the authority to deny legal representation to an agency and has done so before.

In this case, Briscoe Cain, a Texas House candidate in a runoff with state Rep. Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, is suing the state in an attempt to nix a law put in place in 1987. The measure prohibits "a person from using in political advertising any audio or visual materials produced by or under the direction of the legislature or of a house, committee, or agency of the legislature."

According to the lawsuit, Cain wants to use in campaign ads archived livestream footage from the House floor of Smith during the 2013 and 2015 legislative sessions. But Cain, who claims his free speech has been limited, is worried about running afoul of the law and getting fined by the ethics commission, which enforces the statute.

....

In a letter Wednesday, the attorney general's office did not cite a reason for denying the commission's request for representation, but said the agency can ask for approval to hire outside lawyers for the case.

"The Office of the Attorney General has determined it is not appropriate to make an appearance on behalf of the Texas Ethics Commission in this matter," wrote Associate Deputy Attorney General Shelly Dahlberg.

Paxton's office did not return a request for comment.

 Meanwhile, Empower Texans details the legal case:

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the latest conservative to be indicted for doing nothing wrong. The crony establishment has gone after Tom Delay, Rick Perry and others, using Texas’ notoriously flawed criminal court system to criminalize their political opposition.

A disgraced district judge, Chris Oldner, improperly harangued a grand jury into indicting Paxton on the word of State Rep. Byron Cook, a wealthy ally of House Speaker Joe Straus and the Democratic caucus. (Cook has long pushed to create state documents for illegal aliens, protect labor unions, and oppose pro-life activists.)

Think people are innocent until proven guilty? Not in our flawed criminal justice system. Once someone is indicted in Texas, even improperly, even illegally, they must fight to prove themselves innocent. And doubly so when the liberal media perpetuates lies about their case.

In the latest turn of events, the disgraced Collin County criminal judge arranged to have two liberal trial lawyers from Houston appointed to prosecute Paxton. Despite Oldner himself now being under investigation for judicial misconduct, a new judge is forcing Collin County taxpayers to not only pay for these ”special prosecutors”… but to pay more than state law or court rules appear to allow.

Texas law limits how much special prosecutors can be paid to the amount normally afforded for indigent defense, but visiting Judge George Gallagher of Fort Worth has ordered Collin County to exceed those limits and pay the special prosecutors hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Given how conservative Collin County is, one would expect the county’s chief administrator, Keith Self, and his fellow commissioners to stand up against judicial tyranny.

Moreover, it is judicial tyranny coming from a visiting Fort Worth judge for whom Collin County taxpayers have never voted, and will never have a chance to hold accountable.

Self and the commissioner’s court are not standing up for taxpayers. While two commissioners initially voted against Gallagher’s order-to-pay, Self and the other two commissioners buckled. In public statements, Self has said he hates the order, but is afraid to be found in contempt of court.

But the court is itself in contempt of our constitutional separation of powers. Neither Judge Gallagher, nor any judge, has the power to reach into the treasury. Court rulings can only be enforced by willing parties. And in this case Self and the commissioners court are willing to go along with orders that appear to violate the law. (Only commissioner Susan Fletcher has consistently opposed the illegal orders of Judge Gallagher.)

....

District judges are seeing that even in Texas’ most conservative county they are free to exceed legislative limits, and reach deeply into the executive’s purse, to fund illegal orders in untenable politically-motivated cases.

Bottom Line: It's no wonder why the business as usual crowd sees Paxton as such a threat.

STICKLAND discusses Texas House's State of Play

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."
Galatians 6:9

Interesting:



Highlights:

• "Most of our wins came before a vote was even cast."
• Keffer, Otto, Harless, et. al....

• Conservatives +1 pending runoffs.

• 7 runoffs; 6 with solid conservatives running.

• Cain, King, Biedermann, Keating, Hefner, Strahan, 

• Jonathan Boos' race -- Only 39% of voters in his race were in his data.

CLARIFICATION: Wiley, Workman, and Houston

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,"
Acts 3:19

We need to offer a partial correction to something we reported Saturday.  Paul Workman endorsed repealing the Houston Bathroom ordinance in the middle of the day on Tuesday, NOT Wednesday morning as we originally reported.  Cahnman's Musings apologizes for the sloppy reporting.

Around 9AM, the Campaign for Houston posted a list (subsequently deleted) of elected officials and candidates who supported repeal of the bathroom ordinance.  Paul Workman's name wasn't there.  This is the list Jay Wiley posted to his Facebook page at 9:14AM:

Proud to be listed as one of the candidates opposing Houston's Prop 1, the Bathroom Ordinance that would allow men into women's restrooms.
Posted by Jay Wiley on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Likewise, HD-128 candidate Briscoe Cain posted the same list to his Facebook page:

Proud to be listed on this statewide slate of Republicans supporting Texas Values.
Posted by Briscoe Cain on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

At 12:12 PM, Campaign for Houston posted an updated list to their Facebook page that included Paul Workman (this was the list that Workman eventually published to his FB page):

Meet the local elected officials who are taking a stand against Proposition 1, The Bathroom Ordinance!Make sure you...
Posted by Campaign For Houston on Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Most likely, this means Workman had his name added to the list between 9AM and Noon on election day; the irony of the move occurring at literally the eleventh hour does not escape us.

Bottom Line: On Saturday, we incorrectly reported the timing of Paul Workman's actions regarding the Houston bathroom ordinance.  For that, we apologize.  Nonetheless, jumping on a bandwagon at the last minute isn't impressive....