December 7, 2018 12:03 PM People on the Move Building a government in Austin with new staff hires for new members, trade associations hiring new executives and promoting others, and at least somebody in the Rick Perry orbit in DC is making money Are all y’all worn
out yet from all the fundraisers ahead of the deadline? Well, the end is in
sight and session is on the way as evidenced by various offices staffing up and
trade groups putting their plans in place. It’s that time of year: Lobby contracts are
being signed and holiday decorations are everywhere. I even received my new
Christmas neckties. They’re classy, I promise. If you’ve got career news to share, please
pass it along at ksbraddock@gmail.com
and put “POTM” in the subject line. It helps a lot. Lots to get to this week, so here’s the latest
People
on the Move: The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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December 7, 2018 8:50 AM Toy drive for detained immigrant kids becomes bipartisan, raises more than 500 soccer balls overnight Democratic Sen. Rodriguez is spearheading the effort; GOP Representatives Jeff Leach, Matt Krause, and Jason Villalba joined overnight with many others to help with raising more than 500 soccer balls so far An
effort to deliver a little bit of Christmas joy to detained immigrant children
in El Paso County spearheaded by the office of Sen. Jose Rodriguez became bipartisan overnight and has raised more than
500 items so far. There are 2,400 kids and the deadline to get this done is
next Thursday, Dec 13. “The
children are not allowed visitors, gifts of any kind, or even hugs. However,
for this holiday season, the Office of Senator José Rodríguez has received
permission to provide a gift of a soccer ball,” per the senator’s office. Overnight,
Republican Representatives Jeff Leach,
Matt Krause, and Jason Villalba joined with the
Democratic senator’s effort by purchasing soccer balls for the kids along with
hundreds of other people after the toy drive began to circulate on social
media. If
you’d like to purchase one or more of the balls for the kids, click
this link. Depending on your browser you may have to right click the link. By Scott Braddock |
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December 6, 2018 4:18 PM HK: With parliamentarian choices, Chair Bonnen gives a nod to the last Democratic Texas House Speaker Newbie Republicans might be alarmed at the thought of a conservative Speaker even invoking the name of the last Democrat to preside over the House, but for long-time members and lobbyists, Laney was considered a model Speaker-to-be
Dennis Bonnen has spent the last
several weeks telling various members and lobby constituencies that he hopes to
model his Speakership style in the fashion of former Speaker Pete Laney, D-Hale Center. And
in today’s announcement of Sharon Carter
and Hugh Brady as House Parliamentarians,
Bonnen underscored his intention The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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December 6, 2018 4:14 PM Amazing Grace: George H. W. Bush remembered at state funeral in Houston“It’s the honor of a lifetime to share his name,” Commissioner Bush said in eulogy; Jim Baker told the crowd about his conversations with 41: “Our glory, George, is to have had you as such a president and such a friend.” In
a state funeral that included the Oak Ridge Boys performing “Amazing
Grace,” dignitaries from around Texas and the nation gathered at St.
Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston Thursday morning to pay tribute to
the forty first President of the United States George Herbert Walker Bush. With
Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas
House Speaker Joe Straus, Houston
Mayor Sylvester Turner, and many others
in attendance Texas Land Commissioner George
P. Bush eulogized his grandfather and said, “We all grew up in awe of my
grandfather, a larger than life figure.” The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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December 6, 2018 4:07 PM Commissioner Miller comes out in support for lifting ban on hemp production But says “Hate to break it to the potheads, but marijuana is still illegal in Texas and under federal law. Ending the ban on hemp won’t change that." In
a perhaps surprising move, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Thursday said Congress should lift the federal ban
on hemp production. “This
is all about taking the shackles off the American farmer,” Commissioner Miller
said. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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December 6, 2018 2:12 PM Texas Secretary of State Pablos announces he will leave office this month"With the midterm elections successfully behind us, and the 86th legislative session around the corner, I believe this would be a good time to begin the process of transitioning out of my position," Pablos said |
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December 6, 2018 9:01 AM Chair Bonnen and working group name new Texas House ParliamentariansSharon Carter and Hugh Brady will serve jointly as Parliamentarians for the Texas House of Representatives in the 86th Legislative Session, per Rep. Bonnen's office |
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December 5, 2018 5:59 PM Ahead of session, Center for Public Policy Priorities looks to broaden reach across policy areas Former Chairman Keffer: “During the last election, 100 percent of the people who voted decided 50 percent of the people had lost their minds. CPPP is trying to bridge that gap with the facts, with the numbers and figures, that can help policymakers.” The Center
for Public Policy Priorities on Wednesday rolled out a broad overview
of its upcoming policy agenda, saying Texas has failed to invest in its most
important resource: its growing and diverse population. For more than a
decade, CPPP has been known at the Texas Capitol for the expertise of
its policy experts: Dick Lavine on
property taxes; Eva DeLuna Castro on
budget issues; Anne Dunkelberg on Medicaid;
and Chandra Villanueva on school
finance. The recent hiring
of Luis Figueroa as a legislative
and policy director, however, sends the message CPPP is looking to broaden its
reach. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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December 5, 2018 5:57 PM THCA hopes bankruptcy filing by largest nursing home provider in Texas sparks reform "We’re hoping this isn’t just a wake-up call for our state leaders, but a call to action to address this before this becomes widespread across the state.” Long term health
care advocates are hoping this week's bankruptcy filing by the largest provider
of nursing home services in the state proves to be a genuine wakeup call for
lawmakers in Austin ahead of the 2019 session. Senior Care Centers, LLC, announced on Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11
bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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December 3, 2018 6:34 PM In its final report of year, House State Affairs takes HHSC to task over DNR Lawmakers say law was improperly implemented, questioning whether the agency “gave heavy consideration to a highly problematic letter that sought to go beyond the bounds of the law” – a letter from Texas Right to Life The
final interim report released by the Texas House State Affairs Committee of
this year puts the Health and Human Services Commission under higher scrutiny
after its handling of a rule regarding issues of end of life. The
result of a contentious September 6 hearing, the 42-page document highlights
the complicated journey of Senate Bill 11, authored by Sen. Charles Perry, R Lubbock, and sponsored
by Rep. Greg Bonnen, R Friendswood. There
was no immediate comment on the report from the agency. The rest of the story, subscribers only By James Russell |
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December 3, 2018 6:13 PM Pauken: How to win by losing From the Right: Former Texas GOP Chairman Tom Pauken argues Beto O’Rourke will be the first Democrat in modern history to run statewide in Texas whose career isn’t ended by his loss Beto O’Rourke may have narrowly lost the race for the U.S. Senate in Texas to Ted Cruz (the final
results show Cruz with 51% of the vote and O’Rourke 48%), but he
outperformed any Democrat in a statewide race since the 1990s. Moreover, he was able to raise and spend over
$70 million in his campaign, the largest sum ever raised for a Senate race in
Texas – and nearly twice as much as the incumbent Ted Cruz raised. The full column by former Texas GOP Chairman Tom Pauken is in the R&D
Department. By Tom Pauken |
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December 1, 2018 2:25 PM After short meeting, Texas House Republicans endorse Chairman Bonnen for Speaker Caucus Chair Burrows says “Texas House Republicans have full faith in Representative Dennis Bonnen as he has committed his Speakership to supporting and empowering our members of the Texas House so they may dutifully represent the values and principles of their districts." |
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December 1, 2018 10:48 AM State Republican Executive Committee condemns efforts to oust Muslim Republican leader in Tarrant County “The Republican Party of Texas calls for all Republican organizations to advocate...religious liberty for all Americans” The
State
Republican Executive Committee on Saturday unanimously voted to condemn
efforts in Tarrant County to remove a party leader because he is Muslim. Tarrant County GOP Vice Chair Shahid
Shafi, a surgeon who is also a Southlake
City Council member, had
come under pressure lately by some party activists while others had defended
his leadership and called it “disgusting” that he was targeted because of his
faith. Dr. Shafi spoke to the SREC right after their
vote and thanked them for the move. “The
Republican Party of Texas calls for all Republican organizations to
advocate...religious liberty for all Americans,” reads the resolution adopted by
the SREC. “The State Republican Executive Committee encourages all Republican
county executive committees to follow the Rules of the Republican Party of
Texas related to participation in meetings and conventions; and reaffirmour core values of religious liberty and the
freedom to practice all faiths.” |
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November 30, 2018 5:27 PM Updated: Lawmakers stick to $7.5B as sufficient balance for Rainy Day Fund, freeing up excess funds for investment
A select committee has voted to maintain $7.5 billion as the sufficient balance of the Rainy Day Fund, opening the door for Comptroller Glenn Hegar to invest additional funds. The state’s Economic Stabilization Fund, or ESF, currently is sitting at a balance of $12.5 billion, the highest balance ever in the fund’s 30-year history. The concept of the “sufficient balance” – and the creation of a committee to determine that amount – occurred with the voters’ decision to send a portion of so-called excess funds to state transportation projects. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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November 30, 2018 5:19 PM Paxton sues City of San Antonio over alleged violations of SB4, the sanctuary cities ban
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November 30, 2018 11:27 AM People on the Move A lobby group expands, a new lobby shop on the scene, hires at trade groups, an appointment, and total staffer moves Major
props to all of you who stood in line for as long as 90 minutes at Chairman Dennis Bonnen’s fundraiser this week. Speaking
of that, what do y’all think of the new Four
Seasons layout? I'll pass along your notes to their management. Seems like a safe bet that the bar is going to miss out on quite a bit of business during session if they don’t find a way to bring
down the noise level. Or maybe I’m just getting old and can’t hear as well. Meantime,
the Reagan
Building has been bustling with Rep. Bonnen’s
appointments heading in and out of his temporary headquarters. House
Administration Chairman Charlie Geren
told QR
that the office Bonnen is using is the one that would have been assigned to a
random member heading into session in the event there was going to be a
contested speaker’s race. There are only 149 regular offices for House
members, plus the speaker’s office, and Joe
Straus is still using that one. Thanks
for all your well wishes after I experienced the joy of a kidney stone on
Thanksgiving break. All the “this too shall pass” jokes were appreciated. Now
that I’m better, it’s back to work. If there’s career news to share, please
send it to ksbraddock@gmail.com and
put “POTM” in that subject line, please and thank you. Here’s
this week’s People on the Move: The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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Copyright December 07, 2018, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 