#TXLEGE/#SD30: Stickland sets record straight re: Springer's #2A history

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

With Drew Springer now claiming to support Constitutional Carry, it's worth reviewing the history:

Highlights:

• Despite Stickland filing the bill each of the past three sessions, Springer never once co-authored.

• RPT legislative priority for most of the past decade.

• Over the years, Stickland asked Springer to sign onto the bill at least a dozen times.

• Thousands of Springer's constituents in HD-68 signed the ConCarry petition.

• In 2015, before he wanted a promotion, Springer publicly declined to support ConCarry.

• "When Representative Springer had the chance, he let you down."

#TXLEGE: System Chews Up and Spits Out Last Honest Man

"If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them."
Ecclesiastes 5:8

Well this sucks:

What a ride we’ve had together!

Friends, I find it very hard to put into words what an incredible honor it has been to represent you as your State Representative for four terms. Your love and support have carried us as we fought for our Christian, conservative values in Austin.

Eight years was enough for George Washington, and it certainly is for me. After much prayerful consideration and reflection, I have determined it is not the Lord’s will for me to seek reelection. Instead, I intend to dedicate more time to my family, my church, and my business.

Honestly, it's not surprising; it's been obvious since (at least) March that Jonathan was burnt out.

Therein lies cruelest joke.  Even if you get someone elected (as hard as that is), even if they manage to withstand the system's bad incentives (both the obvious temptations and the subtler, more insidious, compromises), it's still not enough.  To get elected, fight the system on this level while in office, and keep your seat is prohibitively personally draining.

Bottom Line:   Considering the insane amounts of pressure he's been under for five years, it's amazing Jonathan held on as long as he did.

#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: Israel outing herself over dishonest elections

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

Last week's Bad Bill of the Week segment from Jonathan Stickland raises interesting local questions:



Repealing voter ID...wow.

Obviously, Celia Israel has never been a champion of election integrity.  But to abolish basic safeguards is new.  Quite the escalation.

Here's the thing: Celia Israel's district isn't necessarily a gimme for Democrats.  Yes, it leans that way (fairly strongly).  Yes, next year's national environment likely means lousy down ballot conditions in Travis County.

That being said, Voter ID laws are popular.  Even among Democrats.  If an incumbent elected official gets on the wrong side of this issue, the national environment will not bail them out indefinitely.

Bottom Line: This could be a foot in the door, if anyone in Northeast Travis County is smart enough to kick it open....

#TXLEGE: Arrogant Flynn illegally uses state office to promote campaign

"The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate."
Proverbs 8:13

From Bryan Slaton campaign e-mail last week:

Friends, It is with much concern that I share with you that my opponent has been using ourtaxpayer dollars to promote his own re-election campaign. Over the last 7 days, Dan Flynn has released 6 different videos promoting his campaign that appear to have been filmed in his district office, which is paid for by the taxpayers of House District 2. If this is the case, not only is this unethical behavior, but it is also a clear violation of the law. Mr. Flynn would be flaunting Texas law which clearly states that no taxpayer-funded resources may be used for election purposes as outlined in: TEXAS PENAL CODE, TITLE 8; OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION; CHAPTER 39. ABUSE OF OFFICE (link) The taxpayers have a right to know. Has Mr. Flynn betrayed the public trust once again by using taxpayer-funded resources for his own personal benefit? I'm calling upon Mr. Flynn to publicly clarify whether or not he is using his taxpayer-funded district office for his campaign videos. If so, then he must immediately apologize for breaking the law and take down his videos. - Bryan

That's pretty bad; given the way frivolous criminal complaints have been thrown around this cycle, somebody really ought to file one against Flynn (and we might just file a complaint with the Texas "Ethics" Commission).

By beyond Flynn's immediate action, there's also a broader lesson: Arrogance.

It doesn't take a genius to see how using your taxpayer funded office for a political ad would backfire.  It's an obvious no-no.  But Flynn did it.

Over the past several years, as he's gotten closer to Joe Straus, Dan Flynn has grown increasingly arrogant.  It's been obvious since the early days of the Wallace Hall impeachment fiasco, and it's grown more obvious over time.  Now, Flynn reaps what his arrogance has sown.

[Note: Imagine the reaction if Jonathan Stickland had done the same thing.]

Bottom Line:  Dan Flynn is the ultimate case for term limits.  He was a pretty decent legislator in the early years, but this incident symbolizes how far he's fallen.  Eight terms in public office over nearly two decades rots your brain.

#TXLEGE: Parker, Huberty illustrate Good Ol' Boy network's Entrenched Mendacity

"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

From Empower Texans:

The Texas House Republican Caucus is using its financial muscle to defend liberal lawmakers opposed by grassroots conservatives and the governor.

On Monday, the Texas House GOP tweeted its support for pro-abortion State Rep. Sarah Davis (R–West University Place) as well as State Rep. Wayne Faircloth (R–Galveston), two incumbents with anti-taxpayer voting records during their time in Austin. Both Davis and Faircloth have earned failing grades on the Fiscal Responsibility Index with Davis performing worse than two Texas Democrats.

Both are facing conservative challengers in the Republican Primary. Businessman Mayes Middleton is squaring off against Faircloth while Davis is opposed by conservative attorney Susanna Dokupil. Both challengers are gaining grassroots support and working to retire the incumbents from the Texas Legislature in the upcoming primary election on March 6th.

Both challengers also received a substantial boost earlier this year when Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed them.

....

But despite Abbott’s endorsements against the two incumbents, the House Republican Caucus, which is chaired by State Rep. Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound) and for whom State Rep. Dan Huberty (R–Kingwood) serves as PAC treasurer, took to Twitter to support the liberal lawmakers.

....

“I think it’s dumb for Tan Parker to thumb his nose at our grassroots supporters and our governor, both of whom have decided that Sarah Davis and Wayne Faircloth need to be removed from the Texas Legislature,” said Stickland. “I’ve reached out to Chairman Parker and asked that he rescind these remarks that he’s offered without consent from the caucus.”

Neither Huberty, Parker, nor the House Republican Caucus responded to requests for comment.

This is rich.

For every bad incumbent Abbott has endorsed against, he's endorsed in favor of (at least) one.   Yet they still passive-aggressively tweet at him.  But they don't put their names behind it.

To be certain: Abbott's activity is welcome in the Susanna Dokupil (v. Sarah Davis)/Chris Fails (v. Lyle Larson)/ Mayes Middleton (v. Wayne Faircloth) races.  But Abbott is leaving plenty of opportunities on the table.  That's still not good enough for the good ol' boys.

The past few years have been so difficult because we're going up against a century and a half old good ol' boy network that never received a real challenge prior to 2010.  Thus they throw tantrums anytime anyone challenges them.  Yesterday's activity on Twitter is the latest example.

It's so pathetic.

Bottom Line: To feel so-entitled to political power that you passive-aggressively tweet against the Governor when he modestly challenges it is, simultaneously, sad and revealing.

#TXLEGE: Sarah Davis does what she does

"Her feet go down to death,
Her steps lay hold of hell."
Proverbs 5:5

What can you say about Sarah Davis?!?  We attended this morning's Trib event...and it didn't break new ground.  She's who she is.

Evan Smith did a thorough job discussing the numerous policy differences between Davis and the majority of her party (including the Governor).  Topics included Abortion, Property Taxes, Hurricane Harvey, and Davis' welfare expansion bill from last year's special session.  This ground is well-tread, and everybody knows where everybody stands.

During Q&A, we asked Davis about the debacle on the Coaching Staff for the U of H football team.  Davis replied that she was "saddened" by the decision and didn't try to defend U of H's decision in any way, shape, or form.  We were satisfied by Davis' answer.

View the event for yourself below:



Highlights:

• Abbott letting lots of other's who opposed him off the hook.
• Note: See here and here.

• Plays the feminist card: "I'm a woman [Abbott] can't control."

• Argues semantics over late-term abortions: "We're not allowed to have thoughtful or nuanced positions."

• "I'm not pro-death."
• Evan Smith: "if you're explaining, you're losing."

• Has an obvious chip on her shoulder against Jonathan Stickland.

• Doesn't disclose who she voted for for President.
• Evan Smith: "Not disclosing is disclosing."

• Inside baseball crosstalk re: Spending and Ethics.

• Endorses Larson's unconstitutional bill to restrict the Governor's appointment powers.

• Long discussion of her welfare expansion bill from the special session.
• Sob Stories....

• Evan Smith makes several points about how Abbott has been talking out of both sides of his mouth on numerous issues.

• Uses the same cliches as Jen Sarver.

• "I think I'm necessary" in the legislature.

• Refuses to commit re: Speaker's race.
• "I adore Dr. Zerwas."

• In response to our question about the Kendal Briles hire: "Saddened by that decision."

#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: Detailing today's house floor shady business....

Chris Paddie aggressively confronts Matt Krause

"And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "
Matthew 7:23

Some notable, albeit predictable, items from today:

• Shady SB 19 calendar rule - The house adopted a calendar rule for to restrict the type of amendments eligible for the retired teacher health care bill up tomorrow.  Todd Hunter's stated reason for the amendment was to speed up the conference committee process.  Unfortunately, as Matt Rinaldi got Hunter to confess under questioning, Hunter's rule explicitly prohibits the type of amendment that would allow the Senate to concur and skip the conference committee process entirely.
  
  As Rinaldi correctly pointed out, adoption of this calendar rule will (because of time constraints) eliminate any chance for an agreement on helping retired teachers; so this was a vote against health care for retired teachers.
  
  Jonathan Stickland correctly described leadership's actions in arbitrarily and lawlessly restricting the type of amendments that can be offered as tyranny.
  
  
  
• Refusal to consider third reading amendments on SB 1 - As part of an agreed upon deal during last Saturday's floor debate on the property tax bill (to get the spending cap bill to the floor), the Freedom Caucus agreed to pull down several amendments and send the bill to conference committee.  Unfortunately, leadership reneged on their end of the deal.  Thus, the freedom caucus pre-filed the amendments and intended to bring them back on third reading today.
  
  But Dan Huberty had other plans: Afraid to cast a record vote on the freedom caucus amendments, Huberty produced 25 signatures and immediately "called the question" (ie. moving immediately to a vote on the bill without considering amendments).  Several freedom caucus members, led by but not limited to Stickland, vigorously questioned Huberty and Dennis Bonnen about the last minute change.  Bonnen attempted to argue that second reading was the appropriate time to discuss amendments, while omitting that leadership's about face on Saturday's deal happened after second reading on SB 1.
  
  Following the vote, Chris Paddie aggressively confronted Matt Krause on the floor and attempted to lie about leadership's action Saturday; Paddie was physically restrained, and eventually led away from the confrontation, by Byron Cook (Note: You know it's bad when Byron Cook is the voice of reason).

• Zedler's union dues amendment on the school finance commission bill - This one wasn't particularly shady, but it was really entertaining to watch.  During consideration of a bill to create a school finance commission, Bill Zedler offered an amendment to study how much the start.
  
  Dan Huberty acted particularly butthurt and claimed Zedler's amendment was some sort of restriction on the ability of teachers to participate int he political process.  Byron Cook claimed Zedler's amendment was "discrimination" against teachers.  Two separate points of order were called by democrats.
  
  The amendment ultimately got 49 votes, which was better than we thought it would do.

#TXLEGE: How house leadership attempts to kill pro-life bills....

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
Matthew 18:6

This is a very revealing exchange between Stickland and Straus; we were actually in the gallery when it happened and we're glad he pulled the video:



Highlights:

• Byron Cook's committee was meeting about an unrelated bill.
• "Could we ask him to come up front, for the benefit of the public?!?"
• "Mr. Stickland, that question is not in order."

• HB 14 has been sitting in limbo between state affairs and calendars for two weeks.
• "The paperwork has not made it to the calendars committee."

• "What can the members do to make Chairman Cook get the paperwork to the calendars committee?!?"

• "Are you aware that, on average, it takes about a day and a half to get paperwork from one committee that meets in this building to another committee that meets in this building.
• "Mr. Speaker, do you think that's acceptable?!?"

• "Is there any procedural move that we can do to get Chairman Cook, of state affairs, to act on this bill and do his duty?!?"
• "Mr. Stickland, I would advise you to speak to the chairman."

• "Mr. Speaker, what do we do when the chairman makes it very clear he does not want to work with us?!?"

• "Mr. Speaker, is there any procedural move that we could remove a chairman?!?"
• "No."

• "Mr Speaker, is a committee chairman removable at will by the speaker at any point?!?"
• "Not by this speaker, no."

• "Do the rules permit you to do it if you so choose, Mr. Speaker?!?"
• "Mr. Stickland, I think we've had enough of this conversation."

• "Did you appoint Chairman cook to chairman of state affairs?!?"
• "I think clearly the answer is yes."

#TXLEGE: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from today's house floor session....

"Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing."
Isaiah 40:15

[Note: We also ran into Mayor Adler in the house gallery and had a very...frank...exchange of ideas about the City of Austin budget; we're not sure which category to place it into.]

Interesting day today.  Probably doesn't mean much.  But some thoughts:

The Good:

• Cook Amendment Fails - HB 25 is an obnoxious piece of legislation that attempts to use sick children as human shields to expand Medicaid.  In addition to being outside the bounds of the special session call [Note: Why didn't anyone call a point of order on this?!?], as originally filed the bill would have paid for the medicaid expansion by raiding the rainy day fund.  Yesterday, during second reading, Matt Krause had an amendment adopted that shifted to a different funding source.
  
  Today, on third reading, Byron Cook offered an amendment to restore the rainy day fund raid [Note: Third reading amendments are considered a big deal in the legislature].  Proponents of the bill attempted to argue raiding the rainy day fund would make the Governor more likely to add the bill to the special session call.  Dennis Bonnen attempted to talk sense by pointing out there was no way the Governor would support raiding the rainy day fun.
  
  Sarah Davis attempted to accept Cook's amendment.  Jonathan Stickland LOUDLY objected and asked for a record vote.  Cook's amendment ultimately failed 67-67.

• HB 22 fails on verification vote - This bill would extend the life of a school funding programs.  It was widely assumed the bill would pass comfortably.  But a number of the bill supporters received the benefit of ghost voting and weren't actually on the floor when the bill passed.  Some astute observer asked for a verification vote where the bill failed.
  
  Obviously, they'll bring this bill back next week but it was still amusing to see leadership get egg on their face.

The Bad:

• Huberty's TERRIBLE school finance bill passed with minimal opposition - During his layout for the bill, Huberty attempted to call this an olive branch, but it's actually a middle finger.  Furthermore, he claimed the bill would "reform education" when it literally does the exact opposite.  This bill does nothing but pour money into the status quo.
  
  Furthermore, Huberty attempted to claim school districts don't waste money and that the bill would allow school districts could reduce taxes "if the so choose."
  
  The bill ultimately passed 130-12 without amendment, with all present Freedom caucus members (joined by Morgan Meyer and Scott Sanford) voting no.

Which brings us to THE UGLY:

• Todd Hunter created amendment rules that made any amendment non-germane - According to Capitol soucrces, the rules adopted for this bill meant that any amendment that "added language" to the bill wasn't germane.  This was in direct contradiction to what Hunter said on the House floor on Wednesday about the process.  No members, including but not limited to Freedom Caucus, were allowed to place amendments on the bill.
  
  Still don't understand why anyone didn't point this out during floor debate....

#TXLEGE: House attempts spending spree (that will probably be unsuccessful)....

"Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored."
Proverbs 13:18

An optimist can argue that this was the first time during the special session that there was any organized floor pushback on anything and that the author of the second bill gutted his own bill via amendment.  A pessimist can argue that both bills passed overwhelmingly.  A realist can argue that the Senate approach is the only one that's going to get to the governor's desk and thus everything the house did today was pointless.

Today, the house voted out two bills related to teacher retirement; we'll address the bills in order.

• HB 20 (Ashby): This bill would raid the rainy day fund to make an allegedly "one time" payment to the teacher retirement system.
  
  During his layout of the bill, Trent Ashby repeatedly tried to assure the members that there would never be another raid of the rainy day fund to prop up this program ever again; if you believe Ashby, we have mineral rights in South Texas that we would love to sell you.
  
  That being said, this was the first time there was actual pushback from members on any bill during the special session.  Bill Zedler had a good exchange with Ashby pointing out that the fund is financially unsustainable.  Matt Krause discussed the inappropriateness of using the rainy day fund for this purpose.
  
  Mike Schofield attempted to offer an amendment to draw from general revenue instead of the rainy day fund.  Straus went full dictator and ruled the amendment non-germane.  Schofield ultimately caved, but gave a long speech about how "he was only voting for the bill to get it to a conference committee."
  
  Speaking against the bill, Jonathan Stickland explained: "I think voting against this bill is voting against political maneuvering."
  
  Ultimately, the Freedom caucus (minus Jeff Leach) and Jim Murphy were the only one who voted no.
  
  
  
• HB 80 (Darby): You know it's a bad sign when the bill author begins his layout by stating "the fund is not currently actuarially sound"...but that's how floor debate over this bill began.
  
  This bill was originally intended to give a cost of living increase to retired teachers.  Due to questions raised by members prior to the bill reaching the floor, Drew Darby offered an amendment to give "pre-permission" to do a cost of living adjustment "if the fund ever gets actuarially sound."  Essentially, the bill does nothing unless the fund sees freakishly good investment returns.
  
  Yvonne Davis called Darby's bill "disingenuous" and voted no.

-----

That being said, we got an idea this afternoon for how we could find a fairly substantial chunk of change; it wouldn't fix all problems with the fund, but it would buy some time.

The teacher retirement fund has a gigantic office complex, on prime real estate, two blocks from the Capitol.  If the state were to sell the property for mixed use development, we suspect they could net at least $1 billion.  Whatever personnel are actually needed to manage the fund could be relocated to less expensive land somewhere in East Austin.

Bonus points that this plan would help add supply to address Austin's structural housing shortage:

About that New Yorker anti-Texas Hatchet Job

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,"
1 Peter 2:1

Today, the New Yorker put out a looooooooooong article about the Texas legislature.  It would be easy to pander for clicks and dismiss the whole thing as "fake news," but it's more accurate to say that it uses half-truths to cast wildly a misleading impression (very similar to how the Austin Chronicle operates).  This is not intended as a comprehensive take-down, but to give a more accurate accounting of several claims made in the article.

• The claim: "The state is as politically divided as the rest of the nation. One can drive across it and be in two different states at the same time: FM Texas and AM Texas. FM Texas is the silky voice of city dwellers, the kingdom of NPR. It is progressive, blue, reasonable, secular, and smug—almost like California. AM Texas speaks to the suburbs and the rural areas: Trumpland."
  
  Reality: This is stupid.  On the occasions we listen to terrestrial radio, we switch back and forth between AM and FM depending on the content.  Everyone we know does the same thing.

• The claim: "The eleventh largest [city in the U.S., population wise] is Austin, the capital, where I live. For the past five years, it has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in America; it now has nearly a million people, dwarfing the college town I fell in love with almost forty years ago."
  
  Reality: Austin has been one of the fastest growing cities in the country for at least a quarter century.

• The claim: "The state was always culturally conservative, religious, and militaristic, but a strain of pragmatism kept it from being fully swept up in racism and right-wing ideology."
  
  Reality: Setting aside the cheap shots embedded in the use of the words "militaristic" and "racism," the phrase "strain of pragmatism" is a euphemism for the corrupt good ol' boy network (ie. the Austin lobby) mixing business and government to protect incumbent industries from competition and put together shady real estate deals.

• The claim: "While George W. Bush was governor, between 1995 and 2000, a cordial détente between the political parties prevailed."
  
  Reality: Everyone's campaign contributors got paid...thank you very much Karl Rove.

• The claim: "In January, 2003, the Republicans finally took over the Texas legislature, and Laney lost the speakership to Tom Craddick, an ultraconservative Republican from Midland, the oil capital.
  
  Reality: LOL, Tom Craddick "ultra-conservative."  Consider the following Empower Texans scores for Tom Craddick since he left the speakers chair.  2015: 81, 2013: 61, 2011: B+.  While that puts Craddick among the more conservative half of the GOP conference, that's hardly "ultra conservative" (Note: While Empower is holding the 2017 index until after the special session, it's worth pointing out that Craddick fell into the bottom half of the GOP conference in the Mark Jones index).

• The claim: "When he entered the House, [Craddick] was twenty-five—the youngest member. “Back then, most of the other members were retired, and they ran for office as a civic duty,” he said. Now, at seventy-three, he is the longest-serving legislator in Texas history."
  
  Reality: That's an accurate statement, but we find it notable that the author doesn't have a problem with the fact that Tom Craddick has been in public office for nearly five decades.

• The claim: "Another Republican congressman, Lamar Smith, lives in San Antonio, but his district includes—and neutralizes—the liberal area surrounding the University of Texas at Austin. Smith, a member of the Tea Party Caucus, in Washington, denies that human activity affects global warming."
  
  Reality: LOL, Lamar Smith "Tea Party."  We said our piece about Lamar Smith's record during the 2012 campaign.  Our full archive on Lamar Smith can be viewed here.

• The claim: "In March, 2016, a man named Robert Morrow was elected the Republican Party chairman of Travis County, which contains Austin. Like many reporters in Texas, I received wild e-mails from Morrow for several years. He once claimed that George H. W. Bush was “a seriously addicted homosexual pedophile” who was also involved in a C.I.A. drug-smuggling ring with the Clintons. In 2011, Morrow took out a full-page ad in a local newspaper:

  HAVE YOU EVER HAD SEX WITH RICK PERRY?

  Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a “young hottie” impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas?

  Nothing came of the ad, which, Morrow said, was designed to expose Perry as “a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, ‘family values’ hypocrite and fraud.”
  Morrow, a fifty-three-year-old Princeton graduate with an M.B.A. from the University of Texas, describes himself as an independent investor. In 2015, he wrote a book with Roger Stone, the political operative and occasional adviser to Donald Trump, called “The Clintons’ War on Women.” The Austin American-Statesman noted that it appeared “to be serving as a playbook for Trump” in his attacks on Hillary Clinton. (Upon its publication, Trump tweeted, “The latest book on Hillary—Wow, a really tough one!”) Mainstream Party officials were mortified when Morrow won the Travis County election, with fifty-six per cent of the vote. They promised to “explore every single option that exists” to remove him from office. Morrow responded, “They can go fuck themselves.” In June, he tweeted, “Top priority for Travis GOP: beautiful Big Titty women!!”
  
  Reality: It's not a secret that Robert Morrow is a personal friend of this author, but for Robert Morrow to receive more discussion in this piece than Ted Cruz tells you everything you need to know.
  
  (As to the claims about George Bush 41, see here).

• We don't want to waste your time making you read it, but there's a seven paragraph ode to Ann Richards about 30% of the way through the piece.

• The claim: "Another emergency item on the Governor’s list for the 2017 session was ethics reform, but many legislators saw the move as hypocritical. Lyle Larson, a centrist Republican state representative from San Antonio, told me, “Some of the most egregious violations are in the governor’s office. It’s well known that pay-for-play has been going on in that office for years. For you to be on the Parks and Wildlife board, for instance, or to be a regent at the university, you have to make significant contributions”—to Abbott’s campaign fund."
  
  Reality: Empower Texans addressed the substance of Larson's claims here, but for the purposes of this piece we will simply note that the author accepted Larson's claim at face value.

• The Claim: "Since [Dan] Patrick became lieutenant governor, one of his signature accomplishments has been the passage of the open-carry gun law; he also successfully pushed to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons on public-college campuses."
  
  Reality: LOLOLOL.  For as much as we appreciate Dan Patrick's political savvy in terms of knowing just how far and where he can push the political envelope given the cast of Senators he has to work with, the Second Amendment has easily been the issue where the Texas Senate's performance has fallen short(est).  The only reason open carry and campus carry passed (Note: two sessions ago; the lege didn't do anything noteworthy on 2A this past regular session) was because groups like Open Carry Texas and Lone Star Gun Rights made the issue too hot to ignore.

• The Claim: "Patrick’s extremism is often countered by Joe Straus, the speaker of the House, a centrist, business-oriented conservative from San Antonio. Whereas the lieutenant governor is elected by the voters of the state, the speaker is chosen by the members. That makes a crucial difference in the way that Patrick and Straus govern."
  
  Reality: Given the extended discussion of Craddick earlier in the piece, one would think a mention of how Straus unseated Craddick might be relevant.  But for some reason, it doesn't appear.  Strange.

• The Claim: "[T]here was no actual evidence of voter fraud."
  
  Reality: LOL; see here, and here, and here, and here (we could go on).

• The Claim: "The business community in Texas fiercely opposed S.B. 6, and produced a report suggesting that its passage could cost the state up to eight and a half billion dollars. (PolitiFact determined that this figure was hyperbolic.)"
  
  Reality: The study in question was so laughably bad that it was instantly discredited; while we're on the subject, we find it notable that the author fails to discuss Kelly Hancock's brutal cross examination of the head of the Texas Association of Business.

• The Claim: "On March 2nd, I returned to the capitol to have lunch with the speaker of the House, Joe Straus....[W]e sat down to plates of delicious crab cakes."
  
  Reality: It's a minor quibble, but we find it notable that, on Texas Independence day, Joe Straus was eating crab cakes instead of brisket.

• The Claim: "[Straus'] speakership has focussed [sic] on providing the workforce and the infrastructure that Texas businesses need, by protecting public education, building roads, establishing more top-tier universities, and expanding job training. Perhaps his biggest victory was in 2013: in the middle of a devastating drought, he ushered through a two-billion-dollar revolving loan fund for state water projects.
  
  Reality: We said our piece about that monstrosity at the time.

• The Claim: "With each session, Straus has watched the Republican Party drift farther away from the “compassionate conservatism” of the Governor Bush era and become increasingly dominated by Christian ideologues, such as Patrick, for whom economic issues are secondary."
  
  Reality: REALLY?!?  Who's the guy pushing property tax limits, tighter spending caps and a higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: “I can only do so much to keep the focus on fiscal issues and away from the divisive stuff,” [Straus] told me.
  
  Reality: Then why did you kill the afore mentioned property tax limits, tighter spending caps, and higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: "Unlike Patrick, who decides which bills come to the floor in the Senate, Straus has to exercise influence by artfully appointing committee members, who can dull the fangs of fearsome bills (or let them languish until there’s no time to consider them)."
  
  Reality: That's completely true, they just normally don't say it out loud.

• The Claim: "Meanwhile, [Straus] was pressing his own legislative agenda, which included securing additional funds for public schools"
  
  Reality: MOAR MONEY FOR SOCIALIZED EDUCATION!!!  Why didn't anyone think of that before?!?

• The Claim: "Dr. John Zerwas, a Republican anesthesiologist from Richmond, Texas, is the chair of the Appropriations Committee. A business conservative in the Straus mold, he is deeply respected in the legislature, and Straus selected him to craft the House version of the budget."
  
  Reality: Only liberals respect John Zerwas.

• The Claim: "Stickland is plump, with an imposing beard, narrow-set brown eyes, and an occasional broad smile revealing beautiful teeth."
  
  Reality: LOL; we've never paid attention to Jonathan Stickland's teeth, so we can't comment one way or the other.

• The Claim: "As usual, the Texas legislature passed anti-abortion bills. One bans the safest and most common procedure for second-trimester abortions: dilation and evacuation. Supporters of the legislation call this a “dismemberment abortion.” "
  
  Reality: If you can stand to see it, learn more about dismemberment abortion here.

• The Claim: "[A]s Texas’s liberal cities have burgeoned, the state has grown markedly less red."
  
  Reality: Texas has grown significantly redder over the past decade; while it's an open question whether that trend will continue with a Republican president, it doesn't change the facts of recent history.

• The Claim: "On May 20th, Tom Mechler, the chairman of the state Republican Party, resigned, citing personal reasons. He issued a letter pleading for party unity. “A party that is fractured by anger and backbiting is a party that will not succeed,” he said. He also warned that the Republican Party had failed to attract voters outside the white demographic, and was therefore destined for electoral oblivion. “If we do not continue to make efforts to engage in the diverse communities across Texas, our state will turn blue,” he warned. He urged the next chairman to reshape the Party in the image of modern Texas.
  
  
  Soon after Mechler’s resignation, Rob Morrow—the former Travis County Republican Party chairman with the motley-fool hat—announced his candidacy for the statewide position.
  
  Reality: Another discussion of Robert Morrow, yet the author fails to mention James Dickey; odd.
  [Note: We wonder if the author attempted to speak to James Dickey at all?!?]

• The Claim: "Drew Springer, the representative from North Texas who killed Stickland’s anti-hog-abatement amendment, pleaded for H.B. 810, which would fund experimental stem-cell treatments. He spoke on behalf of his wife, who is in a wheelchair. Such treatments “might give somebody like my wife a chance to walk,” he said, between sobs. “I’d trade every one of my bills I’ve passed, every single one, to get the chance to hear H.B. 810.” The Freedom Caucus gave in on this one, and it passed."
  
  Reality: We discussed Springer's stupid little speech at the time, we only bring it up because if you follow the link to the post from May we also included a list of issues Springer considered more pressing than his wife's alleged ability to walk.

• The Claim: "The session concluded this year on Memorial Day, and so fallen soldiers were honored. Legislators said goodbye to colleagues with whom they had endured a hundred and forty of the most intense days of their lives.
  
  
  Meanwhile, buses began arriving at the capitol. Hundreds of protesters, some from distant states, burst through the doors, filling all four levels of the rotunda and spilling into the House gallery. They unfurled banners (“see you in court!”) and chanted, “S.B. 4 has got to go!” One of the protest organizers, Stephanie Gharakhanian, explained to reporters, “We wanted to make sure we gave them the sendoff they deserve.”
  
  A few of the Democrats in the chamber looked up at the chanting protesters and began to applaud. State troopers cleared the gallery and broke up the protest, but by that time some of the Republicans on the floor had taken offense. Matt Rinaldi, a member of the Freedom Caucus from Dallas County, who is sometimes rated the most conservative member of the House, later told Fox Business Network that he noticed several banners bearing the message “i am undocumented and here to stay.”
  
  Reality: This isn't a Rinaldi claim, there's video

Read the whole thing here.

Stickland fires early shot across Cornyn's bow....

"The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth."
Psalm 34:16

This is wildly premature, but nevertheless awesome:

Bottom Line: A lot can change in two years, but if we get to this point in 2019 and Cornyn and Stickland both continue their current trajectories, this could be a very interesting race....

#TXLEGE: Dennis Bonnen's UNACCEPTABLE Property Tax STUNT....

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

LOL, nice try:

The Texas House on Saturday responded to Lt. Gov. Patrick's threat of forcing a special session by unanimously approving property tax legislation. But the lower chamber excluded the Senate's key provisions requiring voter approval of some tax rates — something Patrick wanted included.

Property tax changes and the so-called bathroom bill were the two items Patrick this week said needed to move by May 29 to prevent a special session. But it wasn't immediately clear Saturday afternoon if the lieutenant governor would accept a version of the property tax legislation that excluded the election provision many in the upper chamber considered vital. Conservative House members also wanted such language, but were unsuccessful in getting it added.

....

Under his proposal, local governments would have to announce a “no-new-revenue” tax rate each year and compare it to the rate they’re actually proposing. Taxpayers would get a copy of that and could intervene before the rates are finally set.

....

His committee stripped from the Senate version of the bill provisions that would require cities and counties to get voter approval for their property tax rates if revenues exceed 5 percent compared to what the entities collected the year before. The House's version leaves that "rollback" threshold at 8 percent — and only triggers an election if constituents successfully petition for a vote.

State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, asked Bonnen why his proposal doesn’t include automatic rollback elections. He said he would vote for Bonnen’s amendment, but wanted to know why it doesn’t go further. And he told the House that the Senate bill was the better option.

“This is a farce,” Stickland said. “This is part of a victory, part of a victory.”

He said he thought the automatic rollback election was essential to property tax reform.

The full interaction between Stickland and Bonnen:



Stickland subsequently elaborated:



From Empower Texans:

What lawmakers should have passed, but didn’t, was Senate Bill 2 by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston), a major property tax reform bill that would force taxing entities to secure voter approval in order to increase property tax burdens by more than 5%. Should that election fail the rate would be “rolled back.”

Knowing that it will serve as a shield against property tax increases, SB 2 has been hailed by homeowners across the Lone Star State and has been many conservatives’ primary goal this legislative session.

Though the bill passed by a party-line vote of 20-11 in the Texas Senate, the measure was stopped in the Texas House after Speaker Joe Straus removed it from consideration by sustaining Democrats’ point of order on the bill and preventing conservatives from moving to overrule it.

Our two cents: The automatic rollback provisions are non-negotiable.  As we explained in March, they are the absolute bare minimum to an acceptable session on the property tax issue.  The whole point of property tax reform move taxing entities from a forgiveness based system to a permission based system.

Senator Bettencourt seems to concur:

“Without Senate Bill 2 as passed by the Senate being considered by the full House, there will be no property tax relief coming out of the 85th Regular Session,” said Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), the author of SB 2. “Many of the items that the House voted on yesterday like SB 669, the committee substitute for SB 2, HB 15, and many other bills already existed as standalone bills in the Senate that have already been passed by the Texas Senate. While these are useful transparency and taxpayer tools, they are not property tax relief.”

If the House is to consider SB 2 in the 85th General Session, the House Calendars Committee will have to set the bill for today for a vote no later than second reading on Tuesday.

“Senate Bill 2 was based upon 50 hours of public testimony from taxpayers around the state that show multiple years of double digit increases in property tax bills on homes and businesses, with another year coming of strong value increases in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and on the IH35 corridor and in other jurisdictions around the state of Texas,” Senator Bettencourt stated. “If appraised values go up and tax rates don’t come down, then homeowners and business owners continue to be put at risk of ever-rising tax bills. This problem is not going away,” he added. “We should get a vote on rollback and automatic election provisions in the 85th Regular Session as Texas taxpayers are hoping we are not done yet.”

Bottom Line: We'll have to see what happens, but as things currently stand the property tax issue has NOT been satisfactorily resolved.

-----

Governor Greg Abbott: (512) 463-2000

Representative Dennis Bonnen: (512) 463-0564

Senator Paul Bettencourt: (512) 463-0107

#TXLEGE: Bonnen's incompetence increases likelihood of special session....

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

We were about to head into the capitol to watch the floor debate on the property tax bill, when we saw this:

We don't know what's happening, but a quick perusal of Twitter  revealed the following:

statesman: RT kherman: TxHouse quits until Friday without debating key property tax bill. The plot thickens. #txlege

— Austin Fox. UT (@myfoxaustin) May 18, 2017

Dems found error House leadership put in #SB2 property tax reform. Bill in jeopardy. Special session likelihood off the charts #POO #txlege

— Jonathan Stickland (@RepStickland) May 18, 2017

The House recessed until 10 AM tomorrow. #SB2 put off. Tune back then for real-time commentary on the #txlege floor action pic.twitter.com/UlBcmmvUnF

— Dick Lavine (@dlavine) May 18, 2017

Bottom Line: Delay = Special session.

#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)....

#TXLEGE: Constitutional Carry not happening this session....

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

SIGH:



Bottom Line: It's not surprising, but still....

#TXLEGE: Attorney General's office contradicts Phil King over Constitutional Carry

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

Phil King seems intent upon being the guy who kills constitutional carry this session.  As part of that effort, he attempted to pass the buck to Ken Paxton.  During his committee hearing last week, a representative from the A.G's office wasn't having it:



Highlights:

• Receiving at least 100 calls per day, up to 300 some day.

• Claims "Senior staff member" from A.G.'s told his chief of staff office would lose ability to use LTC system to enforce child support.

• Staff "deleted over 400 voicemails" the other day.

• AG office rep testimony begins at 8:50 mark.

• AG rep: "While it is the default setting of the agency to raise concerns any time a bill draft is in conflict with current law, or current practice...in the case of HB 375 [Stickland's bill] the agency is prepared to forego those concerns and continue to be the nation's #1 child support enforcement agency without that tool in our toolbox."

Lone Star Gun rights has more here.

#TXLEGE: Senate further restricts rogue local governments while House creates new occupational license....

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

While the "Senate good/House bad" narrative can be a bit of an oversimplification, the product of yesterday's respective floor sessions speak for themselves.

On the Senate side, the passed SB 715 (Campbell):

Relating to municipal annexation.

Campbell's bill would abolish involuntary annexation at the municipal level.  Involuntary annexation is a bad idea that has grown increasingly abusive in recent years.   This continues the Senate's trend this session of cracking down on municipal nonsense.

TPPF released this statement on Campbell's bill:

“Forced annexation is undemocratic and un-Texan,” said James Quintero, director of the Center for Local Governance. “Letting cities annex people without their consent robs those Texans of the right to decide what kind of government they want. Today’s passage of SB 715 by the Senate helps to right this terrible wrong.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the building, the House passed HB 1260 (Phelan):

Relating to the regulation of commercial shrimp unloading; requiring an occupational license; authorizing a fee.

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Jonathan Stickland explains why this is an awful bill in a recent "Bad Bill of the week" segment:



Highlights:

• Bill creates new authority for unaccountable taxation from unelected bureaucrats.
• Occupational licensing is a barrier to entry.
• Violates RPT platform; we should be repealing occupational licensing not creating new ones.

Stickland offered three amendments that would have solved the problem Phelan's claimed his bill was attempting to address in a free market manner.  Unfortunately, all three were overwhelmingly voted down.  Thus did the House put itself on record supporting fewer jobs and higher cost of living.

Bottom Line: Honestly, the difference between these two bills speaks for itself.