January 29, 2015 6:43 PM Republican Party of Texas Chairman Steve Munisteri resigns effective March 7; Joining Rand Paul as adviser Munisteri had been talking about resigning soon. Vying to replace him are Wade Emmert, Jared Woodfill, Tom Mechler, and Robin Armstrong Per
the Wall
Street Journal, Munisteri is the team of Sen.
Rand Paul as an adviser. |
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January 29, 2015 5:08 PM HK: The present quandary of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Picking and choosing when to be visible is no longer an option for Governor Patrick. To the inflamed, he is the Texas Senate. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick this week reiterated that
he did not have the votes to pass “Open Carry” out of the Texas Senate. On cue,
talk radio and social media exploded with cries of “recall” and “impeachment.” And therein lies the great
question of the session: As a newly-minted part of the political establishment,
can Governor Patrick sidestep or defuse the political inflammation that talk
radio – of which he has been a part – has spent more than two decades igniting. The Lt. Governor has two
conflicting constituencies. The first is the inflamed Tea Party-style
Republican primary voter who wakes up every morning certain that they have been
betrayed or sold out by government and the institutions of civil society. They
may not know the specifics of how they have been betrayed, but that does not
reduce their certainty. Talk radio and Fox
News (and yes, MSNBC) all play to that sense of
certitude. Their mission is to inflame, not inform. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 29, 2015 5:02 PM Press Releases: Condemnations of bigotry, Blue ribbon honors, financial security of Texans and more
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January 29, 2015 4:34 PM AgendaWise blogger under fire after saying female lobbyists and reporters are whores Longtime lobbyist Bresnen calls for Weston Hicks to be fired from AgendaWise, MQ Sullivan denies any involvement despite being listed as a director of the website Quite
a few women who work in and around the Texas Capitol have taken note this
week of what can only be described as a sexist and bizarre blog written by Weston Hicks of the website AgendaWise. Hicks described women in the lobby and female
reporters as “whores,” legislative staffers as “oxen,” and suggested there is
lots of sex going on between them for information and favors. From
the post: “Believe it or not, Austin
has actual political whores. They don’t think of themselves that way, but
others do, and that is what they are. They may be a disgrace to their families,
but they are rife in Austin. In their minds they are just being ‘liberated women,’
only they are professionally rewarded for being ‘liberated’ in the vicinity of
men with crucial intelligence or strategic access to power. It is especially
important to find weak links to access in the Austin clan who don’t pledge allegiance
to the current special interest regime – conservatives – and this caliber of
woman can do this job uniquely well.” After
quoting from the Bible, Hicks goes on to say: “It is important for
legislators to make sure they, and the oxen they hire,
don’t go to slaughter behind a media or lobby concubine. Claiming this kind of
thing is simply ‘a private matter’ is nothing more than a declaration of weak
leadership. It is not only a private matter. It involves their political bride
- their district.” The
full
post is here. AgendaWise Executive Director Daniel Greer did not respond to our request for comment. Quorum Report readers may recall that Greer got into some hot water of his own back
in 2013 for bigoted comments after he bizarrely tweeted about Democratic mega-donor
Steve Mostyn
while using the word “fag.” On
Thursday afternoon, longtime lobbyist Steve
Bresnen said Hicks should apologize and be fired from AgendaWise
for his words. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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January 29, 2015 4:07 PM Senate budget on fast track to hit the floorFast learning curve for 8 new members of Finance The Senate
Finance Committee is on a tight four-week time frame to get the budget
reviewed and out to the floor within Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick’s timeframe. When the
Senate budget was unveiled last week, Patrick said he did not intend to wait
until the chaos of the last few weeks of session to pass the bill. And the
budget, this time, is Senate Bill 2, while property and
commercial tax relief is Senate Bill 1. For
those who like the quick read, the Legislative Budget Board presented
an executive summary of the budget bill here.
The all funds budget is $205 billion, including $3 billion in additional funds,
or a 1.5 percent increase over the last budget. An additional $193 million was
expended over budget funds in 2014-15. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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January 29, 2015 1:57 PM Based on venue issues, Public Integrity Unit concludes investigation of AG Ken Paxton Refers the matter to “appropriate authorities” in Dallas and Collin County Note: As of 5:39pm, this story
has been updated with comment from the Dallas County District Attorney’s office
– SB This
afternoon the Travis County Public Integrity Unit announced that
it was ceasing its investigation of whether or not Attorney General Ken Paxton committed any criminal
offense related to his non-registration with the State Securities Board
and providing false information during the Board’s investigation of the matter. Paxton
is also accused of not revealing a personal financial interest to clients to
whom he was marketing securities. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 29, 2015 11:55 AM Gov. Abbott wants Emerging Technology Fund dissolved Abbott wants the money left in the ETF divide evenly between the Enterprise Fund and recruitment of top scholars at universities One
of former Gov. Perry’s economic
development funds would be done away with and the money left in it reshuffled
if Gov. Greg Abbott’s proposal for
the Emerging
Technology Fund becomes reality. Abbott
on Thursday laid out a plan, which of course would need The Legislature’s
approval, to dissolve the ETF and divide the money left
in it between the Texas Enterprise Fund and efforts to recruit top scholars
for universities. The
fund is expected to have a balance of around $32 million at the end of the fiscal
year. The Enterprise Fund is expected to be right around $30 million. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 28, 2015 5:35 PM Lt Gov. Patrick goes on offense on guns and moves forward with campus carry legislation Patrick fast-tracks campus carry after open carry advocates blasted him for his assessment of the will of the Senate; Open Carry Tarrant County says “it’s time to hunt down the Republicans who don’t support the Constitution…” After
taking some heat from advocates of doing away with virtually all restrictions
on firearms – the “open carry” crowd – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday moved to fast-track legislation that would
allow people with CHL’s to carry their handguns on
college campuses. "I
sent the Campus Carry bill to the State Affairs Committee for a full
public hearing. The bill author already has 19 Senate co-authors which, because
of last week's rule changes, is enough to bring it to the floor for passage,”
Patrick pointed out. “Once passed we will forward the bill to the Texas
House as quickly as constitutionally allowed.” Meantime,
advocates of what’s called “open carry” – there’s also a thing called “constitutional
carry” – have expressed anger at Patrick because he said this week there are
not enough votes in the Senate to bring “open carry” to the
floor for a debate. “Second
Amendment rights are very important, but open carry does not reach to
the level of prioritizing at this point,” Patrick said in an interview. Open Carry Tarrant County, a group that’s made national news by intimidating motorists
in North Texas as well as patrons at restaurants, were instantly
outraged. “What?!?!!? Not enough support for the Constitution? The job they
swore to uphold? We have 20 Republican Senators. Are they listening to lobbyist
and gun organizations who are pro money?…. or the
people?” the group asked. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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January 28, 2015 5:34 PM Press Releases: Auditing the fed, the Perry indictment, gun bills, and tax relief, tax relief, tax relief!
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January 28, 2015 5:09 PM Gov. Abbott wants competitive bidding for state agency contracts whenever possible New governor outlines reforms he wants implemented immediately while legislation is worked out With
the 21CT scandal and
the resignation
of former Health and Human Services Commission general counsel Jack Stick as the backdrop, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday told the heads
of all state agencies that they need to avoid no-bid contracts whenever
possible. If agencies do approve a no-bid contract, they had better publicly
state why from now on, Abbott said. In
a letter to state agency leaders, Abbott said he supports
a bill by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower
Mound, aimed at “strengthening oversight of state government contracts through
reforms that will also allow for greater transparency.” “One
simple, effective way state agencies can both maximize value for the
taxpayers-and improve the public's confidence in their government-is to utilize
a competitive bidding process to purchase goods and services whenever that is
possible," Abbott said in his letter. "I must ensure that all state
agencies are committed to maximizing value and utilizing open and transparent
contracting processes." The
governor's office said that even though Nelson's legislation is "pending
and remains a work in progress, state agency heads will be expected to comply
with the reforms outlined in Governor Abbott’s letter.” Sen. Nelson said she
was glad Abbott is treating this with urgency. "I appreciate his
leadership in implementing these reforms as soon as possible to ensure fair and
ethical contracts while SB 353 works through the legislative process,"
Nelson said. Agencies
are expected to start adhering to the following reforms next week: The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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January 28, 2015 5:08 PM HOUSE GOP Caucus confirms commitment to tax cutsChairman Tan Parker says proposed House budget left plenty of room House Republican
Chair Tan Parker today confirmed that his
fellow Republican members were committed to using unspent in their budget
blueprint for tax cuts. In a statement
he said, “I am proud of the fiscally conservative budget blueprint that my
colleagues have put forth in the Texas House of Representatives. This
approach has us starting at a place that accomplishes many priorities for all
Texans, such as fully funding public school enrollment growth, strengthening
our border security and taking another bold step toward fully meeting our
public highway needs. Moreover, we start at this strong point by keeping
spending flat and leaving billions of available revenue unspent with the clear
intention that the Texas House will make a strong investment in tax relief for
hardworking Texans. Tax relief is a critical component to strengthening
the Texas Model, and the Texas House will be hard at work this session on
delivering the tax breaks that Texans deserve.” By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 28, 2015 4:47 PM Disruptive technologies mount major lobby effortUber currently has 21 lobbyists registered; Tesla a mere 16...Yellow Cab has 1, Texas Taxi Group has 4 By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 28, 2015 12:39 PM Perry legal teams says there is still hope for a swift resolution to his felony case Botsford says Third Court of Appeals could deal with their appeal within a couple months Former
Gov. Perry’s legal team on Wednesday
said despite a Republican judge’s refusal to dismiss felony charges against
their client, hope remains that the case could be resolved in fairly short
order. That assessment, however, differs from the analysis of many in the legal
community who say the last real hope Perry’s team had of quickly resolving his
abuse of power case faded dramatically on Tuesday. That’s
when Judge Bert Richardson said the
case could proceed after he denied defense attorneys’ requests to dismiss the
two-count felony indictment. Richardson’s
order is here.
During
a morning news conference at the Omni Hotel in downtown Austin,
attorney David Botsford said the appeal
they’re filing with the Third Court of Appeals will be, in
his opinion, dealt with in a “minimum period of time.” When asked by Quorum
Report what that meant exactly, Botsford said he believed it could be
as quick as a month to two months before a decision is made. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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January 27, 2015 9:21 PM Education Commissioner Williams willing to walk away from No Child Left Behind waiverTEA is acting out of the ordinary in that the agency has spent decades doing specific work assigned – no more and no less – and now its willing to think about school district concerns and come up with out-of-the-box solutions. Education Commissioner Michael Williams’ willingness to compromise with school
administrators and board trustees on accountability issues was not always
apparent in an informal question-and-answer session at Tuesday afternoon’s Texas
Association of School Administrators’ Midwinter Conference. Williams talked about gathering stakeholders to address the Education Department’s recent rejection of the state’s No Child Left Behind waiver. He talked about the addition of parents to advisory committees. And while Williams wasn’t necessarily enthusiastic about returning to an accreditation model that left accountability in the hands of school districts, he was open to change. “I am committed to get the accountability system right, no matter what that system might be,” Williams told an auditorium of superintendents and trustees. “There is no doubt education is front and center in this session.” But Williams also is a lawyer, and he offered some carefully weighed answers. For instance, Hutto ISD Superintendent Doug Killian challenged Williams on his personal, if not professional, support of vouchers. “I struggle with the idea that the Party of Lincoln would propose vouchers,” Killian told Williams, offering an invitation for the commissioner to visit Hutto if he wanted to talk in detail about the downside of vouchers. “I struggle with that idea.” The untested piece of this that hung over the room is that a new governor now leads the state. School leaders were often frustrated, even stymied, by platitudes offered by education officials. In years past, the commissioner’s advisory committees were stacked, more often than not, with people expected to rubber stamp ideas. But the rumblings inside the Texas Education Agency these days, more often than not, are aimed at pitching solutions rather than maintaining status quo. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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January 27, 2015 5:31 PM HK: Initially far from efficient, Senate committee jurisdictions clear as mudThe new battleground is apparently bill referrals Rick Perry
indictments notwithstanding, the talk in the Capitol today was mostly about the
muddy lack of jurisdictional guidelines for the new standing committees
consolidated by Lt. Governor Dan Patrick in
the name of greater efficiency. Yet days
later, there are no clear lines of authority indicating which committees have
what jurisdictions. For instance,
last week, few noticed that the former Committee on Natural
Resources had been expanded to include Economic
Development. In this
brave new world, telecom and electricity are natural resources now heading to
the expanded committee instead of Business and Commerce where they once
resided. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 27, 2015 5:30 PM Gov. Abbott sets Feb 17 as the runoff date to fill House District 13 The runoff for the seat formerly held by Sen. Kolkhorst will be decided on the same day as SD 26, HD 17 and HD 123. Early voting the week of Feb 9. |
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January 27, 2015 4:41 PM Press Releases: Campus carry, open carry, budget proposal reactions, Pre-K reform and much more
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January 27, 2015 3:45 PM Updated: Criminal case against Rick Perry will proceed after judge declines to dismiss charges The case could now be seriously stalled; Perry’s lead attorney says there will be an immediate appeal The
latest on the story
was first reported by Tony Plohetski at the Austin American Statesman. Shortly
after the news broke Tuesday afternoon, Perry’s lead attorney Tony Buzbee
said Perry “acted lawfully and properly exercised his power under the law as
Governor to protect the public safety and integrity of government. Continued
prosecution of Governor Perry is an outrage and sets a dangerous precedent in
our Democracy. America’s commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law is
at stake in this case, which is why we will immediately appeal this decision to
the Third
District Court of Appeals.” The
group that filed the criminal complaint against Perry, Texans for Public Justice,
took issue with Perry's "high priced legal team" and national pundits
who have said the indictment is too flimsy to stand up in court. "Today a
top GOP judge again refused to dismiss the case,” said TPJ
director Craig McDonald. “The
prosecutor and a grand jury have said there's compelling evidence against
Perry. That evidence should be presented in court for all to see. The chances of that happening improved today.”
A
copy of the order from Judge Bert
Richardson is
here. |
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January 27, 2015 1:16 PM Texas Senate leaders propose $4 billion in tax cuts The Senate base budget slashes property and franchise taxes while investing in roads, border security, and funding enrollment growth for public ed Texas Senate leaders on Tuesday offered up their vision for the state’s spending
plan over the next two years and, unlike the House, the upper chamber
is including “significant tax relief.” Under the Senate’s base budget unveiled Tuesday morning, Texans would see
$3 billion in property tax relief and businesses would get $1 billion in
franchise tax relief, said Finance Committee Chair Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound. Calling
the document both “responsible” and “compassionate,” Nelson said the Senate’s
proposed budget “meets our growing needs while remaining true to the policies
of fiscal discipline that have led to our economic success and created the
Texas miracle.” During a morning news conference alongside Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Sen. Nelson said this
proposal is very much a starting point. There
are also a slew of bills in the works designed to make this budget – or something
close to it – a reality, Patrick and Nelson said. SB
52, for instance, is aimed at making permanent a 5% exemption in the
franchise tax, Patrick said. The
$205 billion two-year spending plan appropriates $101.4 billion in general revenue,
a 6.6% increase over the current biennium. In contrast, the House base budget
essentially flat-lines new appropriations with a 0.2% increase in general revenue
spending. Both
base budgets, as one would expect, spend less than the $113 billion in revenue
estimated by Comptroller Glenn Hegar. The proposals also come in under the $107
billion cap created by constitutional constraints, though the House is significantly
lower because it includes no tax cuts. And that’s the biggest difference
between the chambers as they get to work on the only thing they’re legally
required to pass – a budget. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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January 27, 2015 1:15 PM Bearse: Searching for William WallaceFrom the Right: Quorum Report’s conservative columnist Eric Bearse argues that one of the greatest personal freedoms is the freedom to contradict yourself I have yet to hear anyone campaign on an anti-freedom platform. But at the same time, I’m not sure there are very many William Wallaces in The Legislature. The concept of personal freedom is a sticky wicket. I have written ad nauseum about the nanny state caliphate established by the left. They want to force you to take your groceries home in salmonella sacks. They want to take your gas-guzzling cars away by jamming up downtown traffic at 5:00 p.m. Yes, I believe traffic is a state-sponsored conspiracy as evidenced by the reduction in car lanes and the proliferation of compact parking spots in the People’s Republic of Travis County. They now have a city ordinance in Austin that prohibits people from holding their cell phone while driving because distracted driving statutes alone have not stopped accidents caused by those who text while driving. And we all know, if we pass another law to prohibit certain behavior, people will obey it. LOL! But this stuff doesn’t always fall nice and neat along ideological lines. A lot of Republicans are in on the texting while driving bans. People in both parties want to rid the poor of the consequences of taking out a payday loan because no one should be forced to read the small print. If the left wants to protect people from themselves, I suppose the right isn’t doing much better. We believe you should keep more of what you make so you can spend your money as you see fit, unless it is on blackjack, or liquor after 2:00 a.m. The complete column
from Eric Bearse
is in today’s R&D Department. By Eric Bearse |
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January 26, 2015 6:21 PM Texas and the feds on a collision course over No Child Left Behind waiverNo guarantee of course, but GOP control of both houses of Congress could lead to a resolution over NCLB reauthorization Texas seems destined to square off again with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and Commissioner Michael Williams is making it clear he won’t blink. The animosity between Texas and the Obama administration’s education department is long standing, stretching back to Gov. Rick Perry’s refusal to compete for the Race to the Top grant. At the time, Duncan told Bloomberg television he felt “very, very badly for the children of Texas.” Now Duncan has rejected the Texas Education Agency’s application to extend its waiver of No Child Left Behind and its ties to federal dictates around teacher evaluations. The Duncan administration apparently wants uniformity to teacher and principal evaluations. In the past, discussion around uniform evaluations has faltered, and the idea that teachers can be compared using a growth model has resulted in outright rebellion. “Well before this waiver, TEA’s work to
develop new teacher and principal evaluation and support systems was under way
with the clear intent of offering it to districts as a resource to improve
instruction,” Williams said in news release. “I have always made it clear to
federal officials that as part of the waiver process TEA could not exceed its
current authority nor would we do anything to erode our state’s strong
commitment to local control in public education. My position on this front has
not, and will not, change.” The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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January 26, 2015 5:52 PM Press Releases: Contract oversight, E-Verify, reactions to committee assignments and more
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January 26, 2015 3:50 PM Lt. Gov. Patrick announces grassroots advisory boardThis is in addition to the group of business leaders already advising him - Tea Party leaders from around Texas will have the Lite Guv's ear Lt.
Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday announced
the creation of what he's calling the "Lieutenant Governor Grassroots
Advisory Board." This is in addition to the advisory board made up
of business leaders that he announced two weeks ago. He's
chosen Tea Party activists from around the state to advise him - folks like Dallas
Tea Party Co-Founder Ken Emanuelson and Joann
Fleming of Grassroots America We the People. “Governor Patrick has a
reputation for valuing folks outside the capitol complex who ask tough
questions and bring common sense solutions to the table,” Fleming said. “Our
primary focus will be on border security, education reform, and tax relief
legislation - serious issues important to a strong Texas." Here
is the full
release from Patrick's office. |
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January 26, 2015 2:51 PM MQ Sullivan hearing on residency in Denton County is postponed Tim Dunn's spokesman and the TEC won't clash in court over whether he really lives in Denton County until February at the earliest Here
is the latest on the story from San Antonio Express-News reporter David Rauf, who made the trip up to
North Texas from Austin today. |
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January 26, 2015 9:15 AM In Texas Energy Report: Senate Natural Resources Committee oversees PUC, TCEQ, RRCPatrick’s office officially releases assignments but not jurisdictions The newly reconstituted Senate Natural Resources& Economic Development Committee named Friday by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has jurisdiction over the Public Utility Commission, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission, according to the office of committee Chairman Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay. “We will have a great challenge in continuing the economic momentum that has resulted from the energy boom, and the committee will review all economic development legislation to move through the Legislature,” Fraser said in a statement. The complete story can
be found in Texas Energy Report. |
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January 23, 2015 6:28 PM HK: A quick down and dirty look at committee assignments from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Some traditions, some surprises, social conservatives own State Affairs, and Estes pays the highest price Though
they only make up about half of the Senate Republican Caucus, the eight
GOP freshman got either chairmanships or vice-chairmanships when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced committee
assignments late Friday. Sen. Charles
Perry, R-Lubbock, is the sole freshman chairman at Agriculture, Water and Rural
Affairs. In
some ways the most interesting committee is State Affairs, which
looks to be a gift to social conservatives. Chaired by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, the committee
appears to be the most skewed in partisan makeup. While most committees appear to honor the two-thirds
to one third Republican vs Democratic makeup of committees of the Texas
Senate, the committee through which most social issues will flow has
two Democrats and seven Republicans. As
many observers expected, there are two Democratic committee chairs—Senate Dean John Whitmire, D-Houston, retains Criminal
Justice and Eddie Lucio,
D-Brownsville, takes over Intergovernmental Relations. Both
took decidedly conciliatory tones in Wednesday’s rules debate. Lucio was the
lone Democrat to vote “yes.” The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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January 23, 2015 6:27 PM Press Releases: Compassionate use, jobs numbers, runoff elections, and more
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January 23, 2015 4:40 PM Lt. Gov. Patrick announces Senate committee assignments Eltife to chair B&C, Whitmire stays chair of Criminal Justice, Seliger stays chair of Higher Ed, Estes is off State Affairs and replaced by Huffman. Sen. Charles Perry, a freshmen, is Chair of Agriculture, Water and Rural Affairs |
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January 23, 2015 4:08 PM Doris Janek, mother of HHSC Commissioner Kyle Janek passed today at age 83Funeral to be in Galveston, arrangements to be announced |
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January 23, 2015 2:16 PM Gov. Abbott sets Feb 17 as runoff elections for SD 26, HD 17 and HD 123 Early voting for seats being vacated by Van de Putte, Kleinschmidt and Villarreal will be the week of Feb 9. No word yet on a date for HD 13, Sen. Kolkhorst's former seat. |
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January 23, 2015 11:28 AM Update: Timing of school finance case becomes more clear
The earliest the court could schedule oral arguments would be September with a decision possible by March of 2016 No one doubted the Texas Supreme Court would take jurisdiction over the ongoing school finance case, allowing the state to bypass the appeals court. The real question is timing. Since the court granted the extended timeline for briefs and replies, the last briefs in the current school finance case would be due to the court on August 11. Typically, the Texas Supreme Court spends the entire month of August issuing opinions. They do not hear oral arguments that month. That means the earliest the court could schedule oral arguments in this case would be September. The most telling part of the announcement will not be the date, but the time allocated to each plaintiff group. Typically, the timing is 20 minutes per group. But in the last school finance case, the court shifted the largest allotment of time to the West Orange Cove plaintiffs. The court denied a plea from MALDEF to add additional time to their allotment. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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January 23, 2015 10:32 AM Texas Supreme Court agrees to hear school finance case Court accepts the extended briefing schedule. Justices have essentially doubled the time for briefs and responses, likely meaning a ruling would not come for more than six months from now |
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January 23, 2015 10:06 AM Smith: How Scrapping the Two-thirds Rule Disenfranchised 5.3 Million TexansFrom the Left: Quorum Report’s liberal columnist Glenn W. Smith argues “Democracy can die, and moves to disenfranchise millions of voters – however worthy the cause at stake may seem to the disenfranchisers – will ultimately kill it.” When
the Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick-led Texas
Senate eliminated the democracy-enhancing two-thirds rule, it
effectively silenced the voices of 8.8 million Texans represented by Democrats.
Oh, let’s give the Senate the benefit of the doubt and say only 60 percent of
those voters are Democrats (all are from very safe Democratic districts), so
only 5.3 million Texans were disenfranchised. Back
in the late-1980’s when I worked for then-Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, he and others made it very
clear to me that the two-thirds rule, requiring 21 votes to bring a bill up for
a floor vote, was there to protect voters. At the time Democrats controlled a
solid majority. But Republican senators, and more importantly their voters,
were not silenced. The wishes of their voters were respected, their proposals
heard, their votes on key issues counted. By
reducing that number from 21 to 19, the Senate is trying to make its 11
Democrats irrelevant and their voters non- citizens. Republicans argue this is
necessary if the will of Texas’ statewide electorate is to be honored. But that
is precisely where American principles of democracy are subverted. The Texas
Senate is not elected at-large. Like congressmen, state house members, city
councils, school boards and county governments, we elect representatives from
districts to guard against just this “tyranny of the majority.” By the way, I
think John Adams coined the term. The complete column from Glenn W. Smith can be found in the R&D Department. By Glenn W. Smith |
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January 23, 2015 9:35 AM Gov. Abbott charts a new course on appointments of university regents Some of former Gov. Perry’s loudest critics on regent appointments are applauding Abbott’s first selections A week into his term, Gov. Greg Abbott has started the process of appointing university regents and his style – which differs from former Gov. Perry’s – has already earned high praise from some who were not happy with his predecessor. Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, a former chair of the Senate
Higher Education Committee and one of Perry’s most vocal critics on the
appointment of regents, said Abbott is doing well on behalf of the Longhorn nation.
She called the re-appointment of vice chair Steve Hicks and the appointments of David Beck and Sara Martinez
Tucker outstanding. "These three strong, intelligent, dynamic Texas Exes love
UT and undoubtedly will be leaders in the quest for excellence at all UT
institutions, especially our flagship,” Zaffirini
said in a statement. “Each brings expertise and experience that will be
valuable assets in interacting with the legislature and in understanding that
students are our top priority.” Time named Tucker one
of the 25 most influence Hispanics in the country. The Laredo native is a
former reporter with the San Antonio Express. She spent nine
years overseeing the $280 million Hispanic Scholarship Fund, which
aimed to double the number of Hispanics earning college degrees. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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Copyright January 29, 2015, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 