Federal Judge Blocks Biden Deportation Ban Indefinitely

[#TexasPolitics365]

A federal judge has indefinitely banned the Biden administration from enforcing a 100-day moratorium on most deportations. U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton issued a preliminary injunction sought by Texas, which argued the moratorium violated federal law and risked imposing additional costs on the state, CBS reports.

Biden proposed the 100-day pause on deportations during his campaign as part of a larger review of immigration enforcement and an attempt to reverse the priorities of former Pres. Donald Trump.

Biden made good on the campaign pledge in the first days of his administration, when the Department of Homeland Security issued an order implementing the 100-day pause in deportations, ostensibly to review immigration policy. 

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton took Administration to court and won a delay in implementing the pause late last month. 

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Nine Launch Campaigns To Fill Vacant US House Seat

[#TexasPolitics365]

The field is growing to fill Congressman Ron Wright’s seat in the special election for Texas’s 6th Congressional District schedule for May 1.

Susan Wright, the widow of the late Congressman Wright, launched her campaign for Congress in Texas’s 6th District on Wednesday.

Wright has lived in the 6th District for over 30 years, serving as District Director for both Rep. Bill Zedler (TX-HD-96) and his successor Rep. David Cook (TX-HD-96).

Former 2020 Democrat state representative candidate Lydia Bean hasalso announced her candidacy in the May 1 special election.

Bean, the daughter of a Baptist pastor and a public school teacher, holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Harvard University and taught at Baylor University. 

Tammy Allison Holloway and Matt Hinterlong are also Democratic candidates.

Also listed on the FEC website as filed candidates are Republican State Rep. John "Jake" Ellzey, Mike Egan, former US Health and Human Services Dept. Chief of Staff Brian Harrison, Asa Palagi, and Montgomery Markland. 

Katrina Pierson, former Trump campaign communications director, is also rumored to be considering a run for the seat.

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Lt. Gov. Patrick Says Energy Reform Is His Responsibility

[#TexasPolitics365]

On a visit to Midland on Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick laid out several of his priorities for the State legislative session. Topping the list was reform of the states power grid in light of the power outages estate experience during the recent ice storm and frigid temperatures.

"Look, we all have to be honest, this was the most severe storm in the history of the state,” Patrick said. “No one predicted 10 inches of snow in Del Rio or two snowfalls in San Antonio or 20 degree below with the windchill factor in parts of Texas, but we should have been in a situation no worse than rolling brownouts….I’m taking the responsibility of this fix on my shoulders.”

A complete ERCOT reform, more winterization, new pricing schedules in times of emergency or extreme weather were all on the table, according to Patrick.

The Texas Senate and the House have planned hearings on what went wrong last week and why. Gov. Abbott says it should be a legislative priority.

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Spiller Wins Special Election In West #Texas State House Distirict.

[#TexasPolitics365]

Republican David Spiller has won the special election runoff to represent a swath of West Texas and the Panhandle in the Texas House. He will replace Drew Springer, R- Muenster, who was elected to the state Senate in December, reported the Texas Tribune.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night, Spiller led fellow GOP competitor Craig Carter by 26 percentage points, 63% to 37%, according to unofficial results.

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Sen. Cruz Says Wife Heidi "Pretty Pissed" Texts With Neighbors Made Public

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) on Tuesday said that his wife, Heidi Cruz, was "pretty pissed," over group text messages leaked to The New York Times last week that showed she invited friends and neighbors to join their trip to Mexico as their home state was battered by an extreme winter storm., reported the Hill.

In an interview on Josh Holmes's conservative "Ruthless" podcast, the GOP senator said that his wife was recently at a neighbor's house "walking through the messages." 

The Texas senator said there were "folks on our street who put up Beto signs, which I thought was a little rude," after his return home, referring to his 2018 Senate race against former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D).

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Breaking: ERCOT Board Resigns

[#TexasPolitics365]

Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas, will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to the Public Utility Commission.

All four of the members who are resigning live out of state.

Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, will resign at the end of the ERCOT board meeting Wednesday morning, according to the notice.

The board members had been under intense criticism this past week for their handling of the massive power outages that resulted from the ice storm and extremely cold weather Texas experienced.

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CNN Calls Out AG Paxton For Utah Trip

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, left Texas and traveled to Utah last week while the state was being rocked by severe winter storms, reports CNN Politics.

Paxton's campaign spokesperson, Ian Prior, would not tell CNN when the couple had departed or returned but said the attorney general "did not leave Texas until after power had returned to most of the state, including his own home."

"Attorney General Paxton attended a previously planned meeting with the attorney general of Utah to discuss several matters," Prior said, listing a law enforcement scenario simulator demonstration and "strategizing" on a Google lawsuit as some of the reasons for the travel.

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Abbott, Legislators Meet Over Energy Bill Price Spike

[#TexasPolitics365]

Gov. Greg Abbott today convened a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan, and members of the Legislature to discuss the spike in energy bills affecting many Texans following the recent power outages throughout the state.

“We have a responsibility to protect Texans from spikes in their energy bills that are a result of the severe winter weather and power outages,” said Governor Abbott.

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Bills Would Target Transsexual Healthcare

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Texas Legislature is considering two bills related to transgender medical and healthcare that propose potential bans.

House Bill 1399 discourages doctors by prohibiting professional liability insurance from covering transition related care. While House Bill 68 proposes that any medical or mental health professional that performs transition related health care on children would be considered to be performing child abuse.

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San Antonio Republican To File Two Utilities Bills

[#TexasPolitics365]

A San Antonio State representative plans to file two bills in the Texas Legislature regarding the power crisis that has left millions of Texans without electricity and water.

According to a news release posted on Twitter, the first bill Republican Rep. Steve Allison is drafting will require the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to enact comprehensive rules, mandating each energy operator to fully weatherize and maintain each coal, gas, nuclear, and wind plant to protect from severe weather conditions.

“This must not be a suggestion or request for study or report, but a mandate that such weather protections be in place to guard against the freezing consequences Texans are currently experiencing,” said Allison.

Allison says he is also planning to file a bill that would require the PUC to establish rules requiring that each energy provider enact procedures for including public school facilities in emergency priority categories for grid and distribution purposes. 

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Bills Would Ban Slot Machines In #Texas

[#TexasPolitics365] 

Soon, many eight-liner gaming machines may be illegal in Texas, according to recently proposed legislation. Exceptions would be made if individual towns, precincts, or counties vote to approve them, reports casino.org

An eight liner resembles a slot machine. Depending on the type, a player “wins” if a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row of. objects line up. Eight liners now operate in the state under an unclear part of the law.

Players can use the machines for entertainment.

But no prize can be given out that has a value of more than $5. To get around the law, some businesses will give winners groceries or a form of debit card for a retail store.

Earlier attempts to clearly regulate eight liners failed to get approval from the legislature. Now, to clarify the legal status of eight liners, rules are included in two new bills introduced by Rep. Richard Pena Raymond (D-Laredo).

One attempt to regulate eight liners is House Bill 647. The other is House Joint Resolution 37. The joint resolution is a state constitutional amendment that would be voted on during a November statewide referendum. HB 647 could only be effective if the voters also approve the constitutional amendment.

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Chair, Vice-Chair Of Energy Council Live Out-of-State

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is getting a lot of attention as millions of Texans remain without power while the state faces extreme cold.

Meanwhile, ERCOT's recently elected chair and vice chair for the board of directors aren't feeling the chill like we are, reports the Houston Chronicle.

ERCOT Chair Sally Talberg lives in Michigan.

Vice Chair Peter Cramton is a professor at the University of Cologne in Germany and the University of Maryland. According to his LinkedIn page, he lives in Del Mar, California. Cramton has served on the board since 2015.

Yesterday Governor Abbott vowed to prioritize an investigation into the council's preparations for this week's bone-chilling temperatures. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller vocally condemned green energy and our increasing reliance on it as a future energy source.
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#Texas Gov. Abbott Calls For Electric Council Inquiry, Ag Commish Condemns Green Energy

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling on the state legislature to investigate the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) after millions of Texans were left with no power for days during record-breaking cold temperatures.

“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours,” said Abbott. “Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. This is unacceptable. Reviewing the preparations and decisions by ERCOT is an emergency item so we can get a full picture of what caused this problem and find long-term solutions."

At the same time, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller condemned the commission, which he noted were appointed by Abbott, and placed the blame for the outages on wind turbines.

"We should never build another wind turbine in Texas," Miller said in a Facebook post. "The experiment failed big time. Governor Abbott's Public Utility Commission appointees need to be fired and more gas, coal and oil infrastructure built. To heck with green energy or climate change. They are overhyped and scientificly challenged. This tragic failure to prepare is killing people. How dare this happen in our great state with all the resources we should ever need to keep our fellow Texans safe? Heads better roll and plants and infrastructure better be built. This must never, ever happen again!"

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Laredo Democrat Wants Sunday Alcohol Sales in #Texas

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas State House Representative Richard Raymond (D - Laredo) has filed legislation to allow Texans to buy liquor every day of the week. HB 937 would strike down the state's Prohibition-era ban on distilled spirits sales on Sundays.

The bill would also extend the hours at package stores: Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m, reports ABC News 13 Houston.

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Gov. Abbott Championing Covid Lawsuit Protection For Businesses

[#TexasPolitics365]

Gov. Greg Abbott is leading the push to protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits. He made liability protections an emergency item for state lawmakers to tackle this session. 

"They have gone above and beyond throughout the pandemic to open and to operate safely. And yet, those same businesses now face the crosshairs of lawsuits," Gov. Abbott said during his State of the State address. 

Texas has seen among the most COVID-related lawsuits in the country, but workplace-specific cases are significantly fewer according to a law firm tracking coronavirus litigation. 

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SCOOP: Husband And Wife Run For Cedar Park Council Seats

[#TexasPolitics365] 

A husband and wife are both running for separate city council seats in Cedar Park.

Dorian and Claudia Chavez filed to run Friday, the last day of filling for city races throughout the state for the May 1 election.

Dorian Chavez is seeking Place 1, a seat currently held by Councilman Tim Kelly, who is not seeking re-election, and will face James Penniman-Morin. His wife Claudia Chavez is seeking Place 3, currently held by incumbent Anne Duffy.

Dorian Chavez previously served one term on the council, but lost his race for re-election last November.  The council  postponed last May's election date in November due to Covid-19.

This will be Claudia Chavez's first run for political office. She served as a medic in the U.S. Army, and is the mother of three boys.

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Rep. Romero Takes Aim At Private Toll Road Where Deadly Ice Storm Pileup Occurred

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas State Rep. Ramon Romero, Jr. is asking tough questions after the deadly pileup on Interstate-35W in Fort Worth that happened early Thursday morning. He’s also pursuing legislation to prevent it from happening again, reports ArkLaTexHomepage.com.

Around 100 vehicles were involved in the deadly pileup that killed at least six people, and trapped and injured dozens in the multiple collisions around 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

Rep. Romero, Jr. represents District 90, which covers much of the Fort Worth area, says he’s pursuing an investigation into exactly how the pileup occurred in the first place, if weather warnings were clearly issued beforehand.

Romero tweeted that the private toll road should have been salted prior to the storm.

"I don’t believe that @fortworthpd should be held responsible for the maintenance of the roads. This is the matter that maybe wasn’t as clear in the press conference... private toll road with private road maintenance responsibilities"

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AG's Office Getting into Fight Against Williamson County Homeless Hotel

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Texas Attorney General’s Office added its support to the fight brewing in Williamson County over the Austin City Council’s purchase of a hotel to eventually house the homeless, reports KXAN TV.

Asmall part of north Austin resides in Williamson County. Most of Austin, however, is in Travis County. Williamson County officials last week said they had not been consulted about the decision to house homeless people from Austin in the Williamson County hotel, and that no economic impact or other studies had been done prior to the decision.

Aaron Reitz, the Deputy Attorney General for legal strategy, joined local leaders and business owners during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. He said Attorney General Ken Paxton is looking to “see what legal avenues there may be” to challenge Austin’s decision.

Reitz said the city council entered into a contract without consulting Williamson County officials.

“[They] just sort of kicked the problem up to Williamson County,” Reitz said. “It’s not fair. It’s not just. It stinks.”

Meanwhile, Williamson County commissioners have indicated they are going to file suit against Austin to delay the purchase of the Candlewood Suites hotel.

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Runoff Election For #Texas State Rep. Dist. 68 Scheduled

[#TexasPolitics365]

A special general runoff election has been scheduled for Feb. 23 in District 68 of the Texas House of Representatives.

Craig Carter (R) will face off against David Spiller (R). Carter and Spiller advanced to the runoff with 18% of the vote and 44% of the vote. 

The vacancy occurred when Republican Rep. Drew Springer was elected to the state senate.

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#Texas Gov. #Abbott Open To Rethink Of His Executive Powers After GOP Criticism

[#TexasPolitics365]

Gov. Greg Abbott says he's open to reconsidering his executive powers during state emergencies, a point of contention among some fellow Republicans during the coronavirus pandemic, and that his office is "offering up some legislation ourselves on ways to address this going forward."

"What we are working on — and we've already begun working with legislators — is approaches to make sure we can pre-plan how a response would be done, but it has to be done in a way that leaves flexibility to move swiftly," Abbott told The Texas Tribune the day after his "State of the State" address last week.

Some GOP lawmakers have grown uneasy with how aggressively Abbott has used his executive authority, particularly when it comes to business shutdowns and mask mandates. 

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BREAKING: GOP Congressman Ron Wright Has Died Of Cancer, Complications From Covid-19

[#TexasPolitics365]

Arlington Republican Congressman Ron Wright has died of Cancer and complications of Covid-19, the Dallas Morning News reports. 

His family and spokesperson confirmed Wright’s death Monday morning. The 67-year-old congressman, who was reelected in November, had been battling cancer.

Wright is the first member of Congress to die of COVID-19.

According to a statement, Wright had been keeping a vigorous work scheduled before contracting the virus. Two weeks ago Wright and his wife, Susan, were admitted to Baylor hospital in Dallas because of COVID-19 side effects.

Wright announced on Jan. 21 that he had tested positive “after coming in contact with an individual with the virus last week.” He had been in quarantine since Jan. 15 and said he would remain in quarantine until doctors cleared him to return to work.

Monday afternoon, Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted his condolences:

"Heidi and I are saddened to hear of Congressman Wright’s passing. Ron was not only a dedicated public servant, a principled conservative, and a proud Texan, he was also a loving father and grandfather."

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Divided El Paso Co. GOP Splits In Two

[#TexasPolitics365]

A deeply divided El Paso County Republican Party has split into two organizations over vision and leadership.

KTSM-TV News reports that Party officials expected former chairman Rick Seeberger to cause a scene at last week's meeting at a Christian center in central El Paso. But he quietly stepped down when nearly 100 members of the party largely rejected a motion to allow him to speak.

Seeberger hadn't resigned his position October of last year, but rescinded that position when some people in the green party encouraged to remain involved.

Members of the party then elected Ray Baca as their new chairman, who immediately appointed Bethany Hatch as his vice-chair. The election puts Baca at the head of a local party organization that is recognized by the state GOP.

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Newly Registered "MAGA Patriot Party" Sets Up Office In San Antonio

[#TexasPolitics365]

An office complex on the west side of San Antonio is the new address for the newly formed MAGA Patriot Party National Committee, reports Fox7Austin.

Paperwork for the new party was filed this past week with the Federal Elections Commission. James Davis, who lives near Tampa Bay, Florida, is listed as its Custodian of Records, Treasurer, and Designated Agent.

The move signals dissatisfaction with the mainstream leaders of the Republican Party, and they're discomfort with former Pres. Trump's frequent bombastic style and rhetoric.

Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa said the Republican Party had created a monster in Donald Trump and could no longer control their base, which has been "radicalized."

“As they continue to lose their base to a radicalized and false ideology, they are finding out the hard way that there is a consequence for selling your soul to a snake oil salesman in exchange for temporary power.”

The San Antonio Express-News reports that a spokesman for former President Donald Trump has disavowed any connection with the MAGA Patriot Party, which listed Trump's political action committee as a beneficiary of its fundraising in its FEC filing.

“We are not supportive of this effort, have nothing to do with it and only know about it through public reporting," said Jason Miller.

Trump has frequently discussed starting a "Patriot Party" to advance his agenda. But despite one starting in Georgia and this effort in Florida and Texas oh, he has not started such an organization or endorsed an existing one.

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#Texas GOP Chair Defends Idea Of Secession Referendum

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Texas Republican Chair and Allen West on Thursday backed a state lawmaker’s push to let Texans decide whether to split from the Union, reports Talking Points Memo.

“I have always said I would rather have Texas lead than secede, but the people here in Texas have a right to be able to voice their opinions on a critical issue that affects them right now,” West told Newsmax.

“Especially in light of all of the onerous, intrusive executive orders that are coming down from [Vice] President Joe Biden."

The Republican leader argued that NOT  putting secession to a vote would deprive Texas citizens of their constitutional rights.

“I don’t understand why anyone would feel that they need to prevent the people from having a voice in something that is part of the Texas Constitution,” Allen said.

Texas Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R), has introduced legislation to hold a referendum in November on making the Lone Star State a country.

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GOP Senator Springer Files 11 Bills On Gun Rights

[#TexasPolitics365]

State Senator Drew Springer has filed 11 bills in this legislative session protecting and expanding Texans' gun rights.

The 11 bills, the most bills filed by state senator in modern Senate history, said Springer, were filed because "Standing up for the 2nd Amendment has always been one of my top priorities," he wrote in a Facebook post. 

"Time and time again, we’ve seen how harmful government regulations have limited firearm producers and owners," the Weatherford Republican explained.

The bills would establish Constitutional carry, allow Texans to manufacture, sell and use firearms inside Texas, and give Texas sanctuary state status. 

Springer says many of the bills he filed were written to "stand up to the federal government’s overreach and fight for the 10th Amendment."

Rachel Malone, founder of Texas Firearms Freedom, praised Springer and bill co-sponsor Sen. Dawn Buckingham for the legislation.

"Glad to see a Constitutional Carry bill filed in the Senate (SB 540, joint authored by Sen. Dawn Buckingham) ....along with these other bills that we are prioritizing:

- 2A Sanctuary State - companion to HB 635

- Texas Firearm Freedom bill - companion to HB 915

- Suppressor Freedom bill - companion to HB 957

- Domestic Violence Victim Protection - companion to HB 1094"

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