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September 20, 2019 3:19 PM
After seriously considering a run, Branch tells Quorum Report he is convinced a thoughtful Republican could win back the seat for the GOP but the "timing is not right for me and my family."
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Copyright September 20, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 20, 2019 12:28 PM
Tons of staffer moves, lobby news, appointments, campaigns staffing up, and much more
Not sure what we will all
do if this gets any more entertaining. Lt. Gov. Patrick is at war with MQ
Sullivan, Pat Fallon may challenge Sen. John Cornyn, and there was a knockdown drag
out debate at the State Republican Executive Committee to determine whether the
Texas GOP should ask Speaker Dennis Bonnen to resign.
More to come.
Meantime, the career moves
are coming fast and furious. You can always send what’s happening with your own
career – or that of a friend or foe – to ksbraddock@gmail.com
and use POTM in the subject line. Thanks very much.
Here’s the latest edition
of People on the Move:
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 20, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 19, 2019 2:48 PM
The update
from KXAN Television in Austin:
A former Texas legislative
staff member accused of killing a man before going on a shooting spree last
year has been found incompetent to stand trial, according to the Austin
District Attorney’s office.
The court ordered Charles
Curry to undergo a mental health evaluation in July. Curry is accused of
shooting and killing his neighbor Christian Meroney
near the Post South Lamar apartments in July 2018. Two days later, police say
Curry went on a shooting spree in south Austin, where two people were hurt
including a woman who was shot in the head.
As part of the
incompetency declaration, Curry will be sent to the hospital for treatment and
evaluation for 120 days. This means his criminal trial is halted but could
resume if “competency is restored,” according to Assistant District Attorney Joe
Frederick.
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Copyright September 19, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 19, 2019 2:42 PM
The Inspector General at
the Health and Human Service Commission issued three reports this
week that echo complaints about managed health care plans lodged by critics
last session.
HHSC’s shift of health
care services to a managed care model left a lot of issues on the table for
discussion during last session: transparency in pharmacy benefits (Senate
Bill 1096, passed); sufficiency of managed care services and benefits (Senate
Bill 1105, failed); and protections for denial of service to low-income
residents (House Bill 2453, failed.)
Plenty of people in
hearings at the Texas Capitol last session – especially the
parents of medically fragile children -- complained about the insufficiency of managed
care networks, especially for specialized services. HHSC has insisted networks
have been adequate.
Now a trio of OIG reports
are out with somewhat related subject headings. The outcomes of these reports –
Is there a good guy and a bad guy here? – are not always so obvious.
Here’s a summary of the three reports:
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright September 19, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2019 6:58 PM
Two main points of contention: First, retirees were guaranteed a rate of return, which were reduced in 2014 and then were tied to actuarial tables; second, retirees can no longer take lump-sum payments out of the account
The Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund faced
the second of three possible legal challenges to the fund’s structure in front
of the Texas Supreme Court; this one, a direct challenge to the
legislature’s solution to keep the fund solvent.
The
bill to stabilize
the pension fund was carried by Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, and Sen. Royce
West, D-Dallas, back in 2017. Legal challenges to date have focused on the pension
fund’s payments that are deferred to an interest-bearing account, known as a
DROP account, when a firefighter or police officer continues to work after the
age of retirement.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright September 18, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2019 12:19 PM
Editor Scott Braddock and conservative radio host Mark Davis on KSKY in DFW talk about the dustup between MQ Sullivan and Lt. Gov. Patrick
Check out the
segment here. (Depending on your browser, you might have to right click
then open in a new tab)
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Copyright September 18, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 18, 2019 12:09 PM
“We’re anticipating lengthy meetings. And, obviously, there will be a need for additional security,” Chair Geren said, adding “I think we’re probably being overcautious, but I think we need to be in this particular case.”
The Texas House
Administration Committee, in a brief meeting this morning, approved a
$241,000 budget for the select committee created after a spate of mass
shootings.
The House Select Committee
on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety, chaired by Rep. Drew Darby,
R-San Angelo, met for the first time in Austin on Tuesday.
Additional hearings are
planned for Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and Odessa. Each hearing will
include both invited testimony and public testimony, House Administration Chair
Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, told his committee.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright September 18, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 17, 2019 4:55 PM
Conversations seem to point to investigation wrapping up by mid-October
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Copyright September 17, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 17, 2019 4:51 PM
“I hate to disappoint you, but I try to stay out of the punditry business,” Cornyn said.
Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s recent comments on gun
control have set back the gun debate for years, if not decades, U.S. Sen. John
Cornyn told reporters this afternoon.
O’Rourke, who is trailing
in the Democratic polls, has doubled-down on comments that AR-15 and AK-47s
need to be subject to a mandatory buy-back program.
"I refuse to even
acknowledge the politics or the polling or the fear or the NRA," O'Rourke
said on Meet the Press. "That has purchased the complicity
and silence of members of Congress."
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright September 17, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 17, 2019 4:11 PM
DPS Director Steve McCraw and Deputy Director Skylor Hearn discuss agency protocols
Texans deserve better, Select
House Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety
Committee Chairman Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, said in his opening remarks
at its first meeting today.
“My commitment to you is
that we will listen, we will work, and we will engage in a serious
conversation,” he said.
The 13-member committee
was formed in the aftermath of mass shootings in El Paso and Midland/Odessa
between July and August. 28 people were killed.
Department of Public
Safety Director Steve McCraw
and Deputy Director Skylor Hearn served
as resource witnesses. They pointed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s eight
executive orders and a set of legislative proposals aimed at inter-agency
cooperation and additional resources to guide the committee’s work.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By James Russell
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Copyright September 17, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 17, 2019 11:19 AM
Lite Guv who’s received at least $800K in contributions from Empower Texans and given them Senate floor access says Sullivan should release Bonnen recording because this whole thing is ripping the GOP apart
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
on Tuesday told Empower Texans spokesman Michael Quinn Sullivan
that he is “destroying our party” by not releasing the audio recording of Sullivan’s
June 12 meeting with Speaker Dennis Bonnen.
Sullivan was tweeting
criticism of Patrick’s new push for expanded background checks for gun purchases
when the Lt. Gov. weighed in from his own Twitter account.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 17, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 16, 2019 4:55 PM
“It is utterly astonishing to me and very, very worrying that young people know cigarettes are bad for you, but they don’t know vaping’s bad for you, too,” Commissioner Hellerstedt said. “And I don’t think that’s an accident that they have been given that impression.”
The scariest part of the
current rash of vaping illnesses is what doctors doing know about the outbreak,
DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt
told the Texas School Health Advisory Council.
TSHAC, which serves as an
advisory council to local school district SHACs, has become a one-size-fits-all
stop for everything from sex education to mental health to childhood obesity. So it wasn’t a surprise to hear Hellerstedt
offered some comments on e-cigarettes and vaping, especially given its
increased usage among teens.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright September 16, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 16, 2019 4:18 PM
Big announcement today:
“Texas REALTORS® announced today that Daniel Gonzalez, the
association’s Director of Legislative Affairs and Chief Lobbyist, is establishing
an independent lobby firm and the association will be his primary client. Travis
Kessler, Texas REALTORS® President and CEO, said the transition is mutually
beneficial for Gonzalez and the statewide association. ‘Daniel’s
forward-thinking approach has positioned Texas REALTORS® as a powerhouse among
advocacy organizations. He has our full support as he enters this new role, and
our association gains increased flexibility to respond to the fluid dynamics of
the Texas Capitol,’ Kessler said.”
Here’s the full announcement.
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Copyright September 16, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 16, 2019 9:08 AM
The El Paso Democrat has the backing of El Paso delegation in race to succeed retiring Sen. Jose Rodriguez
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Copyright September 16, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 14, 2019 10:42 PM
Chair Klick pushes back against the idea that House leadership may have been watching how members voted and then pressured them to change their votes: “we cannot see how each member voted”
After complaints from some
Republican Texas House members and staffers that the election of
the GOP Caucus Vice Chair was not fair and may not have
even featured anonymous voting – as required by the group’s bylaws –
Chair Stephanie Klick on Saturday defended the process as secure and
anonymous.
Speaker Dennis Bonnen’s preferred
candidate, Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston, was announced as the winner Friday
evening. He defeated Rep. Andy Murr, R-Kerrville,
who had announced earlier in the week he had secured sufficient
support to win.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Copyright September 14, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 14, 2019 3:25 PM
The key vote was 31 to 29
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Copyright September 14, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 13, 2019 6:37 PM
Appointments, staffer moves, and award winners
Hello from the
road. Great to see you all at the Texas REALTORS® event
in Fort Worth this afternoon. Tomorrow, it's the State
Republican Executive Committee meeting back in Austin.
No rest for the weary
around here.
Meantime, keep those career moves coming to ksbraddock@gmail.com and use POTM in the subject line. No gig is too big
or too small to mention and it’s okay to brag when you win an award or are
recognized in some other way. We’re all proud of you.
Here’s the latest edition
of People on the Move:
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Scott Braddock
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Top of Page
Copyright September 13, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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September 13, 2019 9:39 AM
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Copyright September 13, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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