#TXLEGE, #SD30: Luther clearly living rent-free in Springer's head

"Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!"
Psalm 66:20

With bill filing now underway, Drew Springer has used his house seat to file two pieces of legislation related to the Governor's emergency powers.  HB 173 would create a board to oversee any emergency declarations.  HJR 15 is a constitutional amendment that would make a special session mandatory for any emergency that lasts longer than 21 days.

Reading the legislation, our first impression is how weak they are. HB 173 is a toothless joke that instituionalizes the rubber stamp treatment Abbott has gotten during COVID. The consituional amendment, while watered down, might be a decent shell bill to amend on the floor. But that's about all it's good for.

Clearly, these are acts taxpayer funded electioneering for Springer's senate campaign. File a bill that sounds great, but that doesn't actually do anything. It's an old trick. But at least you can talk about on the campaign trail.

While it's not surprising to see Springer deploy this tactic, the subject is noteworthy.

It's not a secret that challenging the Governor's COVID orders was why Shelley Luther became a thing. Springer most likely has polling data that says he needs to neutalize that advantage. So he'll file this bill, and claim to be "more effective."

Shelly Luther shouldn't have any of it. Every time Springer tries to play the "effective" card, she should point out Springer's bill doesn't do anything. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Bottom Line: They don't try to undermine your strongest issue if they're not afraid of you.

#tx2020: Status Quo (in the short term)

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."
Habakkuk 2:3

To summarize:

• Trump wins Texas comfortably.

• Cornyn wins even bigger.

• Partisan split of Congressional Delegation and Texas house remain identical.

• D's gain Senate seat they were widely expected to win...by narrower than expected margin.

• D's finally gain SBOE seat that was drawn to elect a Democrat ten years ago, that they'd previously blown twice.

None of this is surprising.

In terms of basic partisanship, there's a lot of reasons to be bullish if you're a Republican. Managed properly, conservatives should benefit as well. More in due time.

But Texas is going to remain an R+10 state for the forseeable future.

Bottom Line: There was never a good reason to believe otherwise, but the question has been answered.

#TXLEGE/#SD 30: Springer Likely to move LEFT in runoff

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

That answers that question:

Overall, solid showing for Luther. Weak performance for Springer. When you're an incumbent state rep, you should at least score in the mid-40's.

Moving forward, however, Springer's strategy is obvious: Pick up the 21% who voted for the Democrat. Springer's 32% + The Democrat's 21% = 53%. Given that there's basically zero chance Democrats will vote for Luther, it's basic arithmatic.

The runoff will probably look a lot like the 2014 U.S. Senate runoff in Mississippi.

If you're Shelley Luther...buckle up...cuz' you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Bottom Line: Democrats are the largest free agent block of voters in the runoff, and they only have one place to go.

#TXLEGE/#SD30 Special: Springer's smear campaign is actually good preparation for Luther

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
Exodus 20:16

In case you thought Drew Springer's campaign couldn't go any lower, this is what they did yesterday:

Who posts a picture of a woman with her father and then writes “Who is she sleeping with this month?” I hope that every...

Posted by Tim Georgeff on Friday, September 25, 2020

Obviously, the words "disgraceful" and "revolting" come to mind. We could use stronger language. But we don't want to get the Facebook messages from some of y'all Baptist types.

That being said, the more we think about it, the more we're drawn to another conculsion. It's probably good for Shelley Luther to be subjected to this level of negativity this early in the process. Because this is who the powers that be in this state are, and this is what they do.

If you're Shelley Luther, please understand: The campaign is the easy part. If you think it's bad now, just wait until session. It's this level of abusiveness, except that you're in close physical proximity to your abusers. It really is that sleazy.

We've always thought that Shelley Luther was a (very) good candidate. Our biggest concern was whether or not she's prepared for just how toxic the capital culture actually is in reality. In that vein, this past week is a pretty good sample. But it's only going to get worse if she wins.

Bottom Line: For as grotesque as it might be, it's actually a really good sample of what she's up against.

#TXLEGE/#SD30: Springer really MUST be losing

"Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."
Romans 15:7

[UPDATE: Apparently Springer posted this to twitter after this blog post went live.]

Well...this is silly:

 Shelley Luther sang a different tune about forced COVID-19 shutdowns before she realized she could use it for her...

Posted by Drew Springer on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Take a look at the date on that Facebook post: March 16th.

Of course, Shelley Luther didn't reopen her salon until April 24.

Which almost suggests that, Shelly Luther went along with the shutdowns for several weeks (over a month). Futhermore, just maybe, she **MIGHT** have conculded during that time that the costs of the lockdowns far exceeded the alleged benefits of reducing COVID. Imagine that.

But all of the above is obvious. What's less obvious is why Springer would launch such an easily disproveable attack. It's impossible to know for sure, but history and logic suggest that Springer's polling must be TERRIBLE. Like, not even making the runoff terrible.

Bottom Line: Only in the mind of establishment politicians and their assorted sycophants could this have POSSIBLY been considered a good idea.

#TXLEGE/#SD30 Special: Fallon's Tantrum Against Luther

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
Matthew 7:15

We're not sure when this happened, but at some point in the past few days Pat Fallon got up in Shelley Luther's grill:

Thoughts:

• Clearly, Fallon's rattled.

• Fallon's body language, and constant interruptions, is never a good look for a man when talking with a woman.
• It's called browbeating.
• Even if that wasn't Fallon's intent, that's sure as heck what it looks like.

• That being said, the degree to which Luther maintains her poise is impressive.

• Fallon: "So you need to go to jail to be elected, that's your standard."
• No, Pat, that's not what she said.

• Fallon: "I'm 5% in on your race, do you want me to go all in?!?"
• OK, jock boy.
• If Fallon is acting like this much a buffoon at 5%, we'd love to see 100% buffonery.

• Fallon: "Do you understand what sarcasm is?!?"
• Translation: My attempt at gaslighting failed, so now I'm going to retreat by claiming I was never serious to begin with.
• Dear Dudes: We don't know who needs to hear this (besides Pat Fallon), but mansplaining your alleged use of "sarcasm" to a woman is bad.

• Fallon might want to reread this interview with Coach Holtz.

Bottom Line: Sometimes reactions tell you more than the initial action.

#TXLEGE, #SD30 Special: Fallon's slight of hand

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Genesis 3:1

Pat Fallon speaking on behalf of Drew Springer:

First things first...wow Pat seems agitated.   Springer's polling must suuuuck.   Just a suspicion.

That being said, Fallon makes several claims about Springer's record that are worth addressing:

• "Voted against the budget"/"Defeated Wendy Davis to pass a pro-life bill" - Fallon's not wrong.  But both of these things happened in 2013.  It's telling that Drew Springer's biggest accomplishments as a legislator are nearly a decade old.
  
  Speaking of budgets, it's certainly the case that Drew Springer voted against the budget in 2013.  But the budget in 2019 was every bit as bad as the budget in 2013.  And both Drew Springer AND Pat Fallon voted for the budget in 2019.
  
  
• Sanctuary Cities - Springer voted for the bill.  But that bill didn't really do much.  It's also worth pointing out that, practically speaking, Austin gutted what little that bill actually did through clever lawyering.

• Property Taxes - Springer voted for the bill in 2019, but he was one of the primary villains killing it behind the scenes two years earlier.

Fallon also takes a dig at Shelley Luther for having not voted in primaries.   What a dumb, irrelevant, argument to make.  The whole reason why Shelley Luther became a thing in the first place didn't emerge until five months ago.

More of the same.

Bottom Line: Fallon wasn't necessarily 'lying,' but he was absolutely framing half-truths in the most self-serving way possible.

#TXLEGE: Miles/Murphy remain likely to get away with EVERYTHING

"It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness,
For a throne is established by righteousness."
Proverbs 16:12

Back in February, we wrote the following:

#TXLEGE: Borris Miles, Jim Murphy and Bi-Partisan POLITICAL MALPRACTICE

The gist of the piece was that, in both parties, you had legislators enmeshed in serious scandals (financial in Murphy's case, sexual in Miles' case). Yet neither party was even attempting to make an issue out the other guy's stumbles. Gift horses, mouths, etc.

Well, here we are seven month later, and...nothing's changed.

Both Borris Miles and Jim Murphy are looking at a 95%(+) liklihood of being re-elected.

But the craziest part isn't they're both likely to be re-elected, it's that in neither case did anyone even attempt to embarrass them.

Bottom Line: If you want to understand the depressing reality of why government in this state is the way that it is, this is a pretty good place to start.

#TXLEGE: Springer gaslights voters with half-truths

"The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment."
Proverbs 12:19

Drew Springer just released quite the doozy of an ad:

.@DrewSpringer up on TV in #SD30 special election #txlege pic.twitter.com/YSr6x51aPs

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 8, 2020

Obviously, this is the type of lame ad that can only come from a Murphy-Nasica focus group (ooh look...a fire truck!!!).   Nevertheless, it contains claims that sound good.  When you look closer, however, the facts quickly reveal that Springer's occupying that grey area between chutzpah and outright lying.

Specifically, Springer says two things:

1. He voted to ban taxpayer funded lobbying.
   
   
2. He voted for the (try not to laugh) Chick-fil-a bill (LOL).

Let's take these in order.

On the taxpayer funded lobbying ban, Texas Scorecard explained the full story last week:

After watering SB 29 out via the complete substitute, Springer supported efforts to remove public schools, community colleges, and other entities from the legislation. Then he broke from the majority of his own party and voted in favor of the Democrat-Ashby amendment to exempt the vast majority of Texas counties out of the bill by population—a move that would have prevented the hollowed-out ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying from applying to the entirety of his current Texas House District and 12 of SD 30’s 14 counties.

Only after the legislation was successfully gutted did he vote for the bill to pass.

Springer may have voted for the husk of a bill on final passage, but a review of the tape shows him to be one of its most active saboteurs. Drew Springer worked to water down a ban on taxpayer funded lobbying, ensuring his own constituents wouldn’t benefit from it.

We had actually forgotten, prior to writing this blog post, that Springer carved his own constituents out of the original bill.

Then there's the (LOL) Chick-fil-a bill (LOLOLOL).

We covered this one at the time:

"No significant legal harm the the LGBTQ community" is lawyer-speak for "does nothing."

This is the substantive equivalent of the SCOTUS Colorado cake-baker case: The legislature addressed the specific actions of the San Antonio city council, but did nothing to address any other sort of abuse that falls outside of that narrow set of circumstances.

Good luck trying to live out your Faith in all the other areas of life.

But at least they were able to convince Fox News they accomplished something (and that's all that really matters).

Bottom Line: Nothing of substance was accomplished, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either a liar or a chump....

It's not really a secret that, since then, the so-called "Chick-fil-a bill" has become a subject of widespread ridicule.

Thus, for Drew Springer to brag about it as one of his primary legislative accomplishments is quite revealing.

Bottom Line: Technically, Springer's "correct."   He voted for both bills.  But neither of those bills did anything.  This is the game Texas legislators love to play, and it'll be interesting to see if Drew Springer gets away with it this time.

#TXLEGE: Luther starts running, Abbott starts caving

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption,
but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
Galatians 6:8

Shot:

Chaser:

I said last month that Texas wouldn’t have anymore lockdowns—despite demands from mayors & county judges insisting on lockdowns.

Since my last orders in July, Covid numbers have declined—most importantly hospitalizations.

I hope to provide updates next week about next steps. https://t.co/EmmankcMMO

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 1, 2020

These two events are linked.

Bottom Line: It's amazing how quickly policy starts changing when someone emerges who's better at your core political strategy than you are.

#TXLEGE: The Leticia van de Putte Precedent on Special Election timing/vacancies

"Put them in fear, O Lord,
That the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah"
Psalm 9:20

A couple days ago, we raised the question about the legality of Governor Abbott's special election order in SD-30.

Last night, it was brought to our attention that this isn't the first time in recent memory this situation has occurred.

To wit:

To ensure Democrats don't have one fewer Senate member when the legislative session begins on Jan. 13, [Former Senator Leticia] Van de Putte intends to only vacate her seat [for an ultimately unsuccessful run for San Antonio mayor] once the special election's winner is sworn in.

Whatever you want to say about the propriety or wisdom of holding a special election before the seat is technically "vacant," it's happened before.

Of course, none of that negates anything we've previously said about the nakedly political nature of Abbbot's announcement. But just because something's nakedly political doesn't make it illegal. Ballot box, not courts.

Bottom Line: This topic might very well be one at which the lege should take a look. The status quo might or might not be good. At a minimum, however, Abbott's sunday announcemnt is consistent with how the underlying statues have been understaood in recent years.

#TXLEGE: Shelley Luther is Abbott's worst nightmare

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

That was quick:

Inbox: @GovAbbott sets special election date for #SD30 on 9/29 #txlege pic.twitter.com/pBQ8UKx4Ew

— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) August 23, 2020

To understand the significance of Dave Carney's Abbott's order, you need to interpret it in the context of Shelley Luther's announcement this past weekend:

Backing the Blue in Denton County pic.twitter.com/r7wfgPIKeu

— Shelley Luther (@ShelleyLuther) August 22, 2020

There is a LOT to unpack here. We'll have to go through it quickly. But the TL,DR version is that Greg Abbott just exposed the weakness of his hand.

[Note: Drew Springer is also running (as we predicted).  Plenty on him at the appropriate time.  For now, however, just know that Springer's who Dave Carney Abbott wants in this seat.]

-------

The Game Abbott thinks he's playing:

On paper, and under 'normal' circumstances, a quick election favors the professional politician.   They have a campaign team.   They don't have to build name id.   Lobbyists will give them money.

In this case, Drew Springer is the professional politician who Dave Carney's Greg Abbott's trying to help.

Like it or not, under 'normal' circumstances, there's a certain logic to that thinking.

Unfortunately for Dave Carney Greg Abbott and Drew Springer, we're not in normal circumstances.

-------

Abbott's blunder:

Dave Carney's Abbott's logic has two major flaws:

• Abbott's not particularly popular at the moment.

• Shelley Luther probably has just as much, if not more, name ID than Drew Springer.

Thus, for as much as Dave Carney Abbott thinks he's helping Springer, the quick turnaround probably benefits Shelley Luther.

If you're Dave Carney Greg Abbott, and you're being smart, you want COVID (and the ensuing restrictions) as far in the rear view mirrior as possible by the time this election is held. If we're coming out of the season, it's entirely conceivable that you could frame this election as being about the future rather than the past. By holding the election next month, however, we remain in the current season and what could have been the past remains the present.

-------

Shelley Luther:

We've seen a number of knowledgeable people bring up the fact that she's new. Thus, we don't know much about her. That's a valid point.

However, we do know a few things:

• She's personable.

• She's well spoken.

• She's NORMAL.

• All of which is to say, that it looks like she'd be a really good candidate.

• Greg Abbott hates her guts.

• In terms of her performance in the event she's elected, who knows?!?  But those who've worked with her up to this point seem to think highly of her.  Considering that her only declared opponent is known to be bad, we'll take the unknown.

If there's someone with a longer, and more verifiable, conservative record...they have a week to step up.

Unless that happens, however, a one-on-one between Shelley Luther and Drew Springer is a VERY easy call.

-------

Drew Springer:

Moron that guy at the appropriate time, but you can teach yourself about his record here.

Also, item 5 here tells you what you need to know about Springer's vindictive streak (see also here).

Finally, this one was recent and obnoxious.

-------

Then there's this:

LOL:

I served on W&M 2 sessions with Chairman @JimMurphy133 and its an honor to have his endorsement for #SD30. #txlege pic.twitter.com/LH6dB15eyS

— Drew Springer (@DrewSpringer) August 24, 2020

Jim Murphy, for those who are new, is this guy.

-------

Bottom Line: This could be a lot of fun.

#TXLEGE: Wendy Davis...and quasi-legal Bribery of Texas Legislators

 

"A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers."
Proverbs 17:8

Ouch:

Understand something: These charges are 100% accurate. The original source material is here and here. Wendy Davis ABSOLUTELY lived large off of her campaign contributors.

[Note to the Club for Growth: Since you brought it up, don't forget Wendy Davis' career as a conflict-of-interest infested toll road lawyer.]

That being said, this story isn't about Wendy Davis personally.  At least, not really (beyond the fact that Wendy Davis is personally running for another office this cycle).  This is about bidness-as-usual in Texas state government.

Cuz' Wendy Davis ain't the only one doing this.

[Note to opposition researchers: When running against a current or former Texas legislator, ALWAYS check the "expenditure" sections of their old campaign finance reports. Especially in cycles where they don't have credible opposition. Never know what you'll find.]

Also, you'd think that after Rick Perry and Royce West, those who've spent a career working in Texas State government would think twice about running for federal office.

Oh well.

Bottom Line:  Wendy Davis certainly didn't invent the game.  But she's been a player.  Whatever the impact in this particular congressional race, this is a teachable moment for the whole operation.

#TXLEGE: Fallon's Departure Virtually GUARANTEES Texas Senate Moves (significantly) Left

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are punished."
Proverbs 27:12

Meh:

SULPHUR SPRINGS — State Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, has won the Republican nomination to replace former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Heath, on the November ballot — and will likely succeed him.

Fallon prevailed Saturday on the first ballot held by county and precinct chairs who had been tasked with replacing Ratcliffe on the November ballot. Fallon won a clear majority of the group, getting 82 votes. The runner-up was former Ratcliffe staffer Jason Ross, who received 34 votes.

The district is solidly red, so Fallon is expected to win in November even though a Democrat, Russell Foster, is also on the ballot.

Congratulations to Pat Fallon. We guess. Although we must confess we find the decision to voluntarily spend time in Washington D.C. to be strange.

But here's where things get really depressing: There is no obvious **good** person lined up to succeed Pat Fallon in the Texas Senate.

Consider the state reps whose districts overlap SD-30:

• Drew Springer -- Gross.  Unfortunately, virtually guarantee that he's running.  Even worse, he's probably the favorite.  Would be Kel Seliger 2.0 with twenty years to get worse.
  

•  James Frank -- Meh.
  

•  Reggie Smith -- Who?!?
  

•  Shelby Slawson (pending) -- Too green.
  

•  Tan Parker -- LOL.
  

•  Phil King -- Meh.

Of those turds, James Frank probably has the most polish.  King and Parker **MIGHT** cross a minimum threshold of acceptability.  But everyone on that list is significantly to the left of Pat Fallon.

Of course, the possiblity exists that someone from completely outside politics might enter the race. We hope that heppens. Because, as you can see, the pickings among current legislators is pretty slim.

Bottom Line: Whatever ultimately happens to Pat Fallon in D.C., you've just injected massive uncertainty into a Texas Senate that had previously been in relatively solid hands.

#TXLEGE: Abbott facing first Sustained Revolt Re: "Contact Tracing" Boondoggle

"David said furthermore, 'As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.' "
1 Samuel 26:10

Tony Tinderholt:

I would like to make one final point which concerns contract tracing. The MTX contract must end promptly. It is a gross invasion of personal liberty and privacy. I also have serious concerns it violates HIPPA and other medical privacy laws. Why is Texas spending nearly $300 million of taxpayer money on tracking Texans for two years over this? Though it may be federally funded, every dollar spent by local, state, or the federal government either comes from current taxpayers or the children or grandchildren of taxpayers through debt service. Therefore, we could have forgone the federal funds, saved taxpayer dollars, and not conducted privacy-infringing tracing.

[Note: While the scope of this blog post is limited to the so-called "contact tracing" boondoggle, Tinderholt's full letter is brutal.]

Bob Hall:

“Contact tracing is technically wrong, as it may be an effective tool to trace slow moving deadly viruses such as Ebola or Tuberculosis, but not for a fast-moving virus with a low death rate that is primarily spread by asymptomatic people.

“Contact tracing, for COVID-19, is a colossal waste of money which could be better spent on resources to protect the elderly and immune-compromised populations that are the most affected. Contact tracing will shred our constitutional rights to privacy.

“Texas must stop contact tracing and change course by adopting new policies consistent with the facts as we now know them...."

Matt Krause: 

James White:

State Reps @RepMattKrause and @James_E_White have called for termination of @MTX_Inc’s $295m contract for contact tracing. Anyone else out there doing same? My DMs are open https://t.co/K1mzSZto2r

— Jay Root (@byjayroot) June 1, 2020

It's not a full statement, but this retweet from Donna Howard's certainly suggests discomfort with the contract.

All of which is really, really, interesting.

Obviously, we've been around the block several times.  We know that the legislature often talks a big game during the interim, then fails to follow through once they get the chance.  Still, this is not a good place for a Governor to be heading into the most difficult session in awhile.

If Abbott's smart, he'll cancel the contract (and fire Mike Toomey).  Whether or not he is smart remains to be seen.  That being said, it wouldn't surprise us to see that announcement as a Friday afternoon document dump this week or next.

Bottom Line: The long term fallout remains to be seen, but the bloom is certainly off the rose in a way it hasn't been previously.

#TXLEGE: Royce West a Textbook Example of Petty Legislative Enrichment

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

There was a story a few months back that we meant to highlight.  Not so much because of it's own merits, but because it was a great vignette into how the lege operates.  Unfortunately, we didn't have time.  Well, now it looks like the same player is back on a different story.

Texas Scorecard this morning:

Next week, Dallas’ city council will vote on a special development deal for the son of a Democrat U.S. Senate candidate and state senator. City staff keeping elected officials in the dark, as well as questions about the developer’s competency, were among the issues raised during a meeting on Monday—further heightening similarities with Fort Worth’s Panther Island boondoggle.

Interstate 345, located in southeast Dallas in the Deep Ellum district, is a stretch of highway constructed in 1973 that has been blamed for the decades-long economic downturn of the area.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) owns the land but has leased it to the City of Dallas with an agreement that they can use it to build parking lots. As previously reported, there are two proposals for the future of I-345; one calls for tearing it down to allow for new economic development, and the other calls for Roddrick West—son of Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate and Texas State Sen. Royce West (DeSoto)—to build soccer fields beneath it. Texas Scorecard received the plans for the fields as part of a response to an open records request sent to TxDOT.

On Monday, the City of Dallas’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discussed amending the agreement with TxDOT to allow West’s soccer fields to be built, whereby the city would surrender control of the area to TxDOT. West told the committee he could have the project up and running in three to four months, and the fields won’t be full size and will be for recreation only—despite the claims of one state bureaucrat who talked about the World Cup coming to Dallas.

Emails secured by Texas Scorecard reveal that, in an attempt to push through the agreement, a swap has been proposed where TxDOT will not stand in the way of Dallas redeveloping Carpenter Park. Critics say tying the soccer field with other deals is a classic tactic used to make projects harder to oppose. When asked at Monday’s meeting why development for Carpenter Park has been put together with West’s soccer field, Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry replied, “For the benefit of consolidating everything.” He also said council could separate the projects if they wished.

“We strongly support moving forward with additional parking,” said Matt Tranchin, president of Coalition for a New Dallas, which supports tearing down I-345. He also said West should not have the contract awarded to him without first having to compete against other bidders. “Let’s have Roddrick compete with world-class institutions.”

“How did you get this contract?” District 9 Councilwoman Paula Blackmon asked.

“There’s no open bid,” West replied. “I can’t speak to [TxDOT’s] process.”

“We polled and talked to a hundred different stakeholders involved,” said Jon Hetzel, president of the Deep Ellum Foundation, which has continuously opposed West’s soccer fields. “Nowhere on that strategic plan did people bring up that we don’t have enough soccer facilities … in the neighborhood.”

On its own, this may or may not be a big deal. It certainly looks shady. But, if this is a one off deal, who knows.

However, as this Texas Tribune story from last year (which we had meant to discuss at the time) makes clear, this isn't a one off deal:

For years, state Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) has raked in millions in legal fees representing governmental entities such as the Dallas and Houston independent school districts, metropolitan transportation agencies and major Texas cities, sparking criticism that he is using his influence as a state lawmaker to score business deals average citizens can’t get.

Until now, it was nearly impossible for voters to quantify the number of governmental contracting deals or estimate how much he’s personally making from his private business interests.

But because he’s running for the U.S. Senate, a federal office that requires far more robust disclosure than the state of Texas, the Dallas Democrat is finally pulling back the curtain on his considerable wealth. A recently implemented tweak to state ethics rules also requires him to provide more detail than ever about his government contracts.

In a U.S. Senate campaign disclosure filed last month, which includes all of 2018 and this year through mid-August, West reported that he made over $1 million in earned income, and that he’ll be eligible to draw a state pension exceeding $80,000 a year — or more, depending on when he retires.

....

West lists contracts between his law firm and seven public entities: the public school districts of Houston, Dallas and Crowley; the cities of Houston and Fort Worth; Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority; and the Sunbelt Freshwater Supply District in Houston.

He also reports serving, via his law firm, as bond counsel for multiple governmental entities, including Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas County Community College, the North Texas Tollway Authority and several school districts and cities.

There you have it.

Like we said, we had actually intended to discuss this story months ago.  Royce West is a great example of the various ways legislators (in either party) can skim off the top.  A little bit here, and a little bit there, and all of a sudden you're talking real money.

And that's before your family members get in on the scam.

To be fair, Royce West is hardly the only legislator who does this.  Royce West is just the guy who chose to run for office at the Federal level (thus triggering more robust disclosure).  But lots of legislators do similar things.

Bottom Line: If you want to understand why things in the lege are the way that they are, Royce West (and family's) personal finances are a good place to start.

#TXLEGE: Jane Nelson Gives Us an Idea

"There is desirable treasure,
And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man squanders it."
Proverbs 21:20

Interesting:

A leading lawmaker has announced the state budget process will require every agency to utilize zero-based budgeting in the wake of a projected shortfall due to the Chinese coronavirus and government-ordered shutdowns that have devastated the Texas economy.

“As I meet with each agency to review their appropriation requests, I will begin at zero,” said State Sen. Jane Nelson (R–Denton), the head of the Senate Finance Committee which will prepare the state next budget.

Requiring zero-based budgeting—a powerful tool to rein in expanding bureaucracy and administrative bloat—for every agency in every budget has been a legislative priority of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility for years.

Yes. Absolutely. One Hundred Percent. Plus one.

However, even if Nelson is successful, this won't be the last time we need this level of fiscal cleansing.  Unfortunately, this level of fiscal cleansing is difficult to achieve.  It only ever seems to happen during major economic downturns.

It needs to become a regular thing.

This gives us an idea: Why not make zero-based budgeting part of the sunset process?!?

Agencies already have to go through sunset.  They already have to review their operations.  They already have to dedicate the resources.  While they're at it, why not make them build their budget from scratch?!?

Bottom Line: Nelson's directive is a worthwhile response to the current crisis.  But the current crisis will certainly not be the last crisis.  Zero-based budgeting as part of the sunset process will inevitably make us stronger whenever next time inevitably shows up.

#TXLEGE, #atxcouncil: Casar recognizes he's unelectable (at least outside his council district)

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.
Proverbs 29:2

Bullet dodged:

I've made my decision about running for office. Here it is: pic.twitter.com/5wten6NpLC

— Gregorio Casar (@GregCasar) May 4, 2020

Blah, blah, blah.

This can only mean one thing: Casar polled the district.

And the results weren't to his liking.

The results could have shown one of two things:

• Casar would lose the runoff to a Republican.
  
  or
  
  
• Casar wouldn't make the runoff.

The former is bad for the entire local Democrat machine.  The latter is bad for Casar's agenda.  Either way, the smart play is to avoid getting embarrassed.

Bottom Line:  He can do plenty of damage in his current position, but his political ceiling is very low.

#TXLEGE: Bettencourt Talks Sense

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

It's about time:

PRESS RELEASE: Senator Bettencourt Says Harris County & Houston Do Not Need Sweeping Shut Down Order Today That Damages Economy…Especially Small & Mid-Size Businesses. #TXLEGE @TheTexanNews @TPPF @EmpowerTexans @GHPartnership @HRBC1 @SylvesterTurner @LinaHidalgoTX @HoustonChron pic.twitter.com/FSIs8783mg

— Team Bettencourt (@TeamBettencourt) March 23, 2020

PRESS RELEASE: Senator Bettencourt Asks Direct Questions to County Judge Hidalgo Regarding
her Proposed Shut Down of the Nation’s 3rd Largest County. #txlege pic.twitter.com/aWnBdsFxWf

— Team Bettencourt (@TeamBettencourt) March 24, 2020

Honestly, there's not much more to say.

Crazy part is that has to be said in the first place.

While we're on the subject, kudos to Bettencourt for focusing on the relevant issues, and not falling into counterproductive sidetracks.

Bottom Line:  In a sane and rational world, Bettencourt's sentiments would be considered completely obvious.  Yet here we are.  At least one elected official hasn't gone over the cliff.

#TXLEGE: Lt. Dan Thinks You've Forgotten History

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

Shot:

[Note: Due to formatting issues, we can't provide a link, but this was an e-mailed press release from the Lt. Governor's office yesterday afternoon.]

Chaser:

Some of the least-qualified graduates of the University of Texas School of Law in recent years have high-level connections in the Legislature, which may explain how they got into the prestigious law school in the first place.

A months-long Watchdog.org analysis of political influence on the admissions process at UT Law found there’s some truth, after all, to the old line about who you know mattering more than what you know. We found dozens of Longhorns who don’t know enough to be lawyers but know somebody important in the Legislature.

Two of those mediocre students are legislators themselves.

Some have connections to the leadership circle of House Speaker Joe Straus, others to powerful state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, who’s already been caught three times trying to pull end runs around the admissions process.

....

At least 12 of the students have roots in Laredo, home of state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, who is known to have pulled strings on behalf of other applicants. As Laredo has just 2 percent of the state’s population, it’s highly over represented in this sample.

....

Of the nearly 2,700 UT Law students to take the exam since 2006, only 29 have failed it three times or more. Thirteen made our list for closer inspection, and seven of those have ties to Laredo.

Among the 13 are Carlos Manuel Zaffirini Jr., the state senator’s only son, and Jeffrey Carona, the son of Republican state Sen. John Carona. Sen. Carona has donated some $31,043 to Zaffirini’s campaign in recent years, in addition to undisclosed sums his company paid her as a “communications consultant.”

....

Among the Laredo-connected bar failures are two brothers whose father is a top city health official who has worked with Zaffirini on state-funded projects. Another needed six tries to pass the bar and another passed on his fifth try.

Since this last graduate’s family has donated more than $52,000 during the years to Zaffirini, we asked the senator’s office whether the senator’s law school support was mercenary or a matter of family connections.

Zaffirini spokesman Will Krueger emailed us on March 7 to say the man’s “family and the senator’s family have been friends for at least three generations — on both his mother’s side of the family and his father’s side.”

Sounds like a great candidate for the higher ed. committee.

Eyeroll.

Bonus: To fully understand how far Patrick's fallen, see here.

Bottom Line: Scandal?!?  What scandal?!?  Lt. Dan don't see no scandal.  Besides, that was sooo five years ago.