#Texas House, Senate Pass Election Reform Bill

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

The Texas House and Senate have passed a sweeping election law after months of Democratic opposition that included a nearly six-week quorum break.

The House passed the bill 80-41 about a week after the Democrats ended their 38-day walkout. Lawmakers debated the controversial bill for more than 12 hours Thursday before giving it final passage Friday.

The Texas Senate acted Tuesday to pass the bill in a party-line vote, 18-4.

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Bill Banning Classroom Mask Mandates Gets First Hearing Today

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Texas House of Representatives will hold a hearing before the House Public Education Committee today on a bill that would prevent local school districts or any other government body from imposing mask mandates on children in classrooms.

HB 141, authored by Republican Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano, states that, "Notwithstanding any other law, a student in any grade level from kindergarten through grade 12 may not be required to wear a face mask or face covering as a condition of the student's admission to, continued enrollment in, or attendance at any public school in this state."

In May, Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order banning mask mandates by government bodies, but several school districts have imposed them anyway, taking the governor to court. Some have suggested that legislation would be the only way to prevent these mandates.

Leach has been outspoken in his support of preventing mask mandates for children. On Twitter in late July, he posted a response to a Democrat suggesting a mask mandate for children in schools, saying,

"Not just no. But hell no! We must ensure our children - whether 12 or 2 - are not forced to wear masks."

Leach's Bill is co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Cole Hefner (Mt. Pleasant) William Metcalf (Conroe) and Valoree Swanson (Spring.)

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Judge Rules Travis Mask Mandate Legal; AG Appeal Stalls Enforcement

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Concluding that Gov. Greg Abbott exceeded his authority by banning mask mandates in Texas, an Austin judge ruled Friday that school districts in Travis County can enforce face coverings as a COVID-19 precaution. 

State District Judge Catherine Mauzy's order also applied to 19 school districts that represent about 1 million students — including Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth and Houston  — as well as Austin Community College, which also sued Abbott.

However, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly appealed, automatically blocking enforcement of Mauzy's temporary injunction — though the Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals can be asked to reinstate the judge's order while Paxton's challenge proceeds.

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AG Paxton Sues San Antonio ISD Over Employee Vaccination Mandate

[#TexasPolitics365]

Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a complaint asking for a temporary restraining order against San Antonio ISD after it refused to follow Executive Order GA-38. GA-38 prohibits governmental entities and officials from mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. It has the force and effect of state law and preempts local rules and regulations.

“Executive Order GA-38 clearly states that government entities in Texas cannot impose mandates for vaccines with only an emergency use authorization,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The Texas Legislature gave the Governor the authority to create and enforce executive orders during a statewide emergency – not a hodgepodge of county judges, city mayors or superintendents."

"If other governmental entities continue to blatantly disregard state law, I will sue every single one of them," he said.

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Attorney General Race Fundraising Figures Reported

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The Texas Ethics Commission has reported fundraising for the Republican primary for attorney general (July 7-Aug. 6)

Attorney General Ken Paxton drew $38,890 in donations, while Land Commissioner George P. Bush outraised Paxton, with a haul of $157,661.  ($6,040 of this was in-kind.) But Eva Guzman outraised both, taking in $192,911. According to a post by Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek.

Meanwhile, Democrat AG candidate Lee Merritt of Dallas, who launched on July 13, outraised all three of the Republicans, reporting $285,000 in contributions.

Democrat Joe Jaworski has not yet reported for this period, said Svitek.

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Gov. Abbott Bans Vaccination Mandates By Govt Bodies

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order Wednesday afternoon to maintain the current policy which prohibits COVID-19 vaccinations by any government entity in the state.

The governor also says the issue of whether any state or local governmental entities in the state can mandate that a person receive a COVID-19 vaccine has been added to the Special Session agenda, and what expectations should apply to such mandate.

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GOP Calls For "Consequences" For Fleeing Denocrats

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The Republican Party of Texas has gotten behind several measures designed to punish Democrat House members who fled the state to prevent a quorum in the special session.

The party says it supports the following measures: 

1. Removing quorum breaking Democrats as Committee Chairs.  

2. Amend the rules to automatically revoke committee chairmanships of any member with 15 or more unexcused absences.

3. Enforce a call of the House and arrest absent members if quorum is not maintained. 

Matt Rinaldi, Chairman of the Texas Republican Party said “Democrats have played this childish political charade for far too long. Now that House Republicans have the power of a quorum they should vote immediately to remove Democrat Committee Chairs and take action to maintain a quorum in the future."

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Don Huffines Scores Rand Paul's Endorsement For Governor

[#TexasPolitics365]

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has thrown his weight behind former State Sen. Don Huffines’ bid to become the next Governor of Texas.

On Thursday, the Huffines campaign released an endorsement video featuring Paul praising Huffines and giving him his endorsement in next year’s race for Governor.

“It is my pleasure to endorse my friend Don Huffines for governor of Texas,” Paul said. “I have known Don for over 20 years. He is a loyal, steadfast fighter for limited, constitutional government. He has been in the thick of every conservative fight since I have known him. He is unafraid to stand up to the establishment. He is someone who will defend our freedoms.”

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Gov. Abbott Tests Negative For Coronavirus

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says he has now tested negative for COVID-19, four days after testing positive for the virus.

“I am told that my infection was brief and mild because of the vaccination I received,” Abbott said in a video he posted on Twitter Saturday afternoon. “So, I encourage others who have not yet received the vaccination to consider getting one."

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#Texas Special Session Bill Adds $1 Billion For Border Security

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and GOP leaders want to more than double their already amped-up spending on border security, to add 1,800 National Guard troops, put more boats in the Rio Grande and boost funding of Abbott’s proposed state border wall, The Dallas Morning News reports. 

Texas would put more boats in the Rio Grande, deploy 1,800 more National Guard soldiers there and prosecute and imprison illegsl immigrants arrested offenses such as trespassing.

A $1.77 billion appropriations bill filed late Thursday by Friendswood GOP Rep. Greg Bonnen, the House’s chief budget writer, would give Abbott’s office slightly more than $1 billion for the making of border security grants.

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Gov. Candidate Allen West "Livid" After Wife Arrested On Suspicion Of DWI

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The wife of Texas gubernatorial candidate Allen West was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated in northwest Dallas Friday night, but West denied that his wife had been drinking.

Angela West, 61, was arraigned in Dallas County on Saturday morning and faces a charge of driving while intoxicated with a child under 15.

West said, in an Instagram video posted Saturday morning, that he was, "highly pissed off" and "livid" that police left his grandson alone with police on the side of the road. Police managed to contact one of his daughters, who picked up the child later.

On Saturday afternoon, West reported on his Facebook page  that his wife had been released from jail.

West said witnesses at the P.F. Chang's in Dallas where his wife had been dining earlier in the evening saw her only drinking lemonade and water. He said she later passed a sobriety test, but police have not yet confirmed that.

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#Texas Supreme Court Upholds School Mask Mandates; Paxton Defiant

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Texas Supreme Court upheld school mask mandates in the state on Thursday, at least temporarily.

After a judge in Travis County, which encompasses the state capital of Austin, issued a temporary restraining order rejecting Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, the decision was appealed to the high court, which upheld the lower court’s ruling.

Attorney General Ken Paxton said the ruling wasn't a defeat.

"Recent SCOTX decision is NOT a mask-mandate loss. Not a loss for freedom-loving Texans or the Rule of Law. A common procedural move that fake news is spinning. We addressed it & will press forward. I will defend TX Law & sue every entity that violates it. We will win! Stay tuned."

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Sen. Cruz Endorses "Close Friend" Gov. Abbott

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US Sen. Ted Cruz gave an emphatic endorsement to Gov. Greg Abbott and his re-election bid. 

He said Wednesday about Abbott:

"He campaigned for me, he fought for me. I can tell you very, very simply, if it were not for Greg abbott, I would not be in the US Senate. ... I think primaries are a healthy thing in politics. But I got to say, as for me, I'm gonna vote for Greg Abbott. And to be honest, I think I'd be a disloyal jackass if I didn't vote for him in our two decades of our working side by side."

Cruz's remarks came during a town hall in Grapevine organized by the True Texas Project, a conservative group previously known as the NE Tarrant Tea Party. 

The group says over 500 people attended the monthly meeting, which was streamed to over 200 more throughout the state.

An audience member stated that the crowd favors "anyone but Abbott" in 2022 and asked Cruz if he would commit to endorsing one of Abbott's primary challengers or commit to staying out of the primary altogether.

Longer excerpt of the senator's remarks, here:

(Full story here.)
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#Texas AG Paxton Readies Lawsuits Against Mask-Imposing School Districts

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Attorney General Ken Paxton is making good on his threat to sue school districts that impose mask mandates on staff and students, contrary to Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order benning such mandates by government entities.

Paxton tweeted Wednesday:

"My office is reviewing all of your emails & taking action. I’m committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all Texans. Exec. Order GA-38 prohibits gov. entities & officials from mandating face coverings or vaccines."

Paxton listed over 70 independent school districts, counties, and schools that have violated the governor's executive order on the Attorney General's website.

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Williamson County Sues Austin Over Homeless Hotel Purchase

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

Williamson County will sue the City of Austin over its plans to turn a northwest Austin hotel into a shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

The Williamson County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to give the county attorney permission to file suit Tuesday.

Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell previously stated he expected the City of Austin to have a conversation with the County before making a decision on the hotel. Gravell says Austin didn’t do that.

The hotel is located in Williamson County, but in a part of the county that is also within Austin city limits.

Community activists have been organizing against the purchase of the hotel, which is one of many hotels the City of Austin has purchased to house homeless people.

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Gov. Abbott Tests Positive For Covid-19, Is Fully Vaccinated

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday, the governor’s office announced in a release.

“Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms. Everyone that the Governor has been in close contact with today has been notified. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative,” the release says.

Gov. Abbott is tested daily for COVID-19, the release says.

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Sen. Cornyn Taiwan Twitter Error Causes Diplomatic Embarrassment

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US Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) on Tuesday mistakenly listed the U.S. as having 30,000 troops stationed in Taiwan, a country that has not seen an American military presence in over 40 years, leading to widespread criticism on Twitter and from Communist China.

Mainland China claims Taiwan as part of China, and often threatens it with military conquest. Even rumors of a massive US military presence on the island is likely to cause alarm in China.

In the wake of the disastrous collapse of the Afghan government following the rushed withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country, many politicians are arguing that the relatively small force that the U.S. had in place maintained stability in the nation at a comparatively low cost in terms of lives and money.

To illustrate this point, Cornyn took to Twitter on Tuesday to list other current U.S. troop deployments around the world that are much higher than the 2,500 stationed in Afghanistan as recently as two months ago.

Among the countries listed with major troop contingents were South Korea, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan, where he cited 30,000 soldiers in place. However, the U.S. has not stationed troops in Taiwan since 1979, when former President Carter severed diplomatic relations with the country.

Kuomintang, a political party based in Taiwan, responded to Cornyn to dispute the numbers. It posted: "There are not 30,000 US troops in Taiwan! The last U.S. soldier left Taiwan on 3 May 1979."

The erroneous figure was removed from his Twitter feed quickly by Cornyn's team.

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#Texas Supreme Court Upholds Governor's School Mask Ban

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

The Texas Supreme Court on Sunday ruled in favor of upholding Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) order prohibiting mask mandates, a win for the governor after local entities across the state attempted to defy him.

The state Supreme Court action blocked temporary restraining orders that came from district judges. The orders, upheld Friday by intermediate appellate courts, made it possible for local authorities to temporarily override the state mask requirement ban, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

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GOP Gov. Candidate West Calls For Impeachment of 3 Harris County Judges

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West is calling on the state's leaders and the state legislature to impeach three Houston area judges that he says have released violent felons back onto the streets.

In a press release, West said, "Judges Morton, Jones, and Cornelio should be brought up on impeachment charges by Speaker Phelan and Governor Abbott. Their release of violent criminals back onto the streets of Houston and streets across Texas is a dereliction of their duty. By releasing dangerous felons back into our community, these three judges are responsible for dozens of needless deaths."

The judges he referred to are Chris Morton, DaSean Jones, and Natalia Cornelio.

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Abbott, Paxton File Suit To Challenge Dallas School Mask Mandate

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Gov. Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday filed a petition to halt a judge's order requiring face masks inside schools and businesses in Dallas County. The order was signed despite Abbott previously banning government entities and officials from implementing mask mandates in Texas.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins on Wednesday signed an order requiring public schools, child care centers and businesses in Dallas County to develop health and safety plans that include, at minimum, face mask requirements for employees and visitors, CBS Dallas-Fort Worth reports. Jenkins cited rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as the reasoning behind the mask mandate.

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House Speaker Dade Phelan Issues Arrest Warrants For Fleeing Democrats

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House Speaker Dade Phelan has signed 52 arrest warrants for Democrats who left the state for Washington D.C. in July and have yet to return to the House chamber for the second special legislative session of the year.

The warrants came after Texas House Republicans voted to direct state law enforcement to track down and compel the attendance of absent Democrats by a vote of 80-12, the second time such a vote has been taken during this quorum-bust.

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Schools Pushing Mask Mandates Despite Governor's Ban

[#TexasPolitics365]

A Texas judge on Tuesday approved a temporary restraining order preventing the enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott's ban on mask mandates in schools, just hours after leaders from San Antonio and Bexar County filed a challenge.

A spokesman for the governor's office said they are confident the judge's decision will be overturned on appeal.

Some local school districts across the state are pushing back against Abbott's May executive order that Texas schools can’t require masks for students, with one advocacy group suing to block the order and some of the state’s biggest districts issuing mask mandates anyway or indicating they want to.

Dallas Independent School District officials announced Monday morning that they will require students and teachers to wear masks on campus. Austin ISD’s superintendent also announced late Monday that masks would be required, according to KXAN-TV. 

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#Texas Supreme Court Denies Request To Overturn Abbott Veto

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The Texas Supreme Court on Monday rejected a request from Texas state House Democrats to overturn Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) veto on funding for the state's legislature.

Filed in June, the petition argued that Abbott's veto was unconstitutional and violated the separation of powers between branches of government.

Abbott vetoed the legislature's funding after a group of state Democrats left Texas to prevent the passage of voting legislation that critics have said would limit voter access.

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House Democrats Face Ridicule, Confusion Over Flight Tactic

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Texas House Democrats who fled the state to prevent a quorum during a special session of the legislature, are facing ridicule and confusion within its own ranks, as the end game of the political stunt is increasingly unclear.

A federal lawsuit filed against three Texas Republicans by the wayward House Democrats is gaining a reputation as a must-read legal document, but for all the wrong reasons.

The gaffe-ridden complaint, submitted Friday by an oft-disciplined Houston lawyer now practicing under a probationally suspended license, has been mocked on the right for, among other things, blaming the Republicans for the Democratic legislators’ decision to flee the state.

The complaint, which misspells the house speaker's name, lists 22 House Democrats as plaintiffs, but already state Reps. Nicole Collier and Shawn Thierry have tweeted statements saying that they did not authorize the filing even though their names are on it.

The filing blames Republicans for Democrats fleeing. But dumbfounded critics asked how this was the GOP’s fault, given that the nearly 60 Texas House Democrats who fled on chartered jets to block an elections bill did so over the objections of Mr. Abbott and the Republican-led House.

 
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Sunday that the House Democrats, who absconded to Washington, D.C., last month to break quorum in the GOP-led House, “ought to be embarrassed.”

“Now the same group [is] filing a lawsuit by an attorney that apparently has his law license suspended, didn’t get the speaker’s name right, and [is] suing for a couple of bucks,” Mr. Patrick said on “Fox & Friends.” “They’re just showing how idiotic this whole adventure has been for them, and their credibility just disappears day by day by day.”

Even the White House tended to indicate that the Democrats plan was on its last legs.

At a White House briefing Thursday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki seemed to indicate that President Joe Biden’s administration would support Democrats returning to Austin.

“I can’t say I’m exactly following too closely the legislative calendar there, but certainly if it required them to be there, we would support that,” she told reporters.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said he expected the Democrats to return.

"The Texas House remains committed to fulfilling its responsibilities as soon our Democratic colleagues return from Washington or from their vacations abroad,” said Phelan, a Beaumont Republican. Two of the fleeing Democrats, Reps. Jessica Gonzalez and Julie Johnson are in Portugal for vacation, according to a Texas Monthly reporter. 

(Full story here.)

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Fleeing Democrats Sue Gov, House Speaker For "Discomfort and Embarrassment"

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

Nearly two dozen Texas House Democrats who fled the state last month have sued Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican officials, alleging that GOP efforts to bring them back to the state Capitol for a special legislative session infringed on their constitutional rights. 

The 22 plaintiffs have been "deprived of liberty for substantial periods of time, suffered much anxiety and distress over separation from their families, and much discomfort and embarrassment," the complaint filed late Friday alleges. 

Abbott, House Speaker Dade Phelan and State Rep. James White are all named as defendants in the case.

White, a candidate for attorney general, says he does not know why he was named in the suit.

(Full story here.)
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