South Texas Counties Sue Biden Admin. For Open Border Policy

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

The county in Texas that witnessed the flood of 30,000 migrants earlier this month has said it will unite with neighboring counties to sue the Biden administration and push action at the southern border.

"We’ve talked about immigration reform for as long as I can remember. Both parties have had control of Washington at one point or another over the last 20 years, and we have failed to do anything about it other than create the mess that we have today," Val Verde County Commissioner Beau Nettleton said in a Tuesday night meeting. 

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West Takes Abbott To Task For Allowing Vax Mandate In TX Nat'l Guard

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Col. Allen West is taking Gov. Greg Abbott to task for not ending a vaccine mandate among National Guardsmen in Texas.

In a press release Tuesday, West, who will face Abbott in next year's Republican primary, said that Abbott,  who is commander of the Texas National Guard, "is allowing vaccine mandates to take effect this October. He is kowtowing to federal overreach and not standing up for liberties of Texans who have stood up to serve the Lone Star State."

"The Governor cannot blame President Biden for this mandate. As Governor of Texas, he is well within his authority to stop the medical overreach from occurring. Since the Texas National Guard is not currently under neither Title 10 nor 32 orders, it is not under federal authority. The buck, instead, stops at the Governor’s office. Blaming the Biden administration for the mandate and wringing one’s hands is not a policy decision that a principled leader would take.

Lt. Col. West went on to say:

“It is highly disturbing that our Texas National Guard members are being ordered — mandated — to take a COVID shot. Unless on active-duty orders, the Commander-in-Chief of the Texas National Guard is the Governor, not Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin."

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AG Sues To Reinstate Migrant Protocols

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion to force the Biden Administration to reinstate Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) after he says they ignored the court’s order to do so. 

MPP restricts illegal aliens’ ability to remain in the United States during immigration proceedings, which greatly reduces the burden shouldered by state and federal agencies tasked with defending our border. 

“The Biden Administration’s refusal to follow the law has created chaos at our border. Our officers are working endlessly to try to manage the crisis that is overwhelming our state,” Paxton said.

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Gov. Abbott's GOP Challengers Remain Longshots

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has $55 million banked for his re-election campaign, a 73% approval rating among Republicans, and an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

And, thanks to restrictive abortion and election reform bills Abbott has signed in recent months, Texas has become an epicenter of the national conservative causes that rally the GOP base.

None of that, though, has stopped a crop of critics — including Allen West, a former Florida congressman with a right-wing following who briefly served as the Texas GOP chairman — from announcing plans to challenge Abbott in next year’s primary.

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AG Paxton Wants Court To Throw Out Whistleblower Complaints

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A lawyer for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, arguing Wednesday before a state appeals court, insisted that Paxton cannot be sued by four former high-ranking officials who were fired after accusing him of accepting bribes and related crimes.

The Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals will decide whether a whistleblower lawsuit by the former officials, who say they were improperly fired last year in retaliation for reporting the allegations, can move forward.

The Republican Attorney General faces a hotly contested primary, as well as announced Democratic candidates competing in the Democratic primary.

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Abbott Announces Election Audit Of Four Counties After Trump Request

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Former Pres. Trump is pressuring Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to back a bill to launch an election audit in the Lone Star State, signaling an expanded effort to throw his broader 2020 election defeat into question

The Texas secretary of state's office announced Thursday afternoon it would carry out an election audit in four of the state's largest counties.

While Trump won Texas handily in November, as did Republicans up and down the ballot, he issued an open letter to Abbott Thursday repeating his claims of mass voter fraud and other irregularities "in some" counties in the state and urged the governor to back the election audit bill in the Texas Legislature's upcoming special session.

The legislature passed sweeping legislation to reform elections in a previous session this year, ending special, one time election procedures such as drive-thru voting in 24-hour voting and lengthened hours of voting in some counties. Democrats portrayed this as restricting access to voting and voter suppression, but these selection procedures were unusual and in place only for the 2020 election.

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Following Censure, State Rep. Paddie Says He Won't Seek Re-election

[#TexasPolitics365]

Following a censure by his own County Republican Party, state representative Chris Patty has decided not to seek re-election next year.

Paddie (R-Marshall) 2. House District 9 includes Cass, Marion, Harrison, Panola, Sabine, and Shelby counties.

Paddie released the following statement:

“Serving as State Representative for the people of East Texas has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Paddie. “I’m proud of the many accomplishments and landmark reforms my colleagues and I have delivered during my service as State Representative.”

“I love and respect the Texas House and will certainly miss serving with so many great people who have become like family to me. However, I also recognize that the greatness of the House existed long before I joined it and it will exist long after I am gone. I look forward to supporting Speaker Phelan and my House colleagues as they continue their service to our great state.”

House Speaker Dade Phelan praised Paddie for his service:

"This chamber, your colleagues, and your state thank you for your service to your district and to Texas, @ChrisPaddie. #txlege"

Phelan came to Paddie's defense after his censure by the Harrison County Republican Party.

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Beto O'Rourke Prepares Gubernatorial Run

[#TexasPolitics365]

Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke is reportedly preparing to run for Texas governor in 2022.

According to Axios, the announcement is set to be made later this year. He is currently making calls to supporters around the state.

O'Rourke has been vocal in his opposition to the GOP-backed Texas voting bill. He and his organization raised more than $600,000 for Texas Democrat lawmakers going to Washington D.C. to break quorum, and he also held a voting rights rally, but the bill eventually passed.

This would be his third straight election cycle as a candidate, following his narrow loss for U.S. Senate in 2018 and failed White House run last year.

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Sherman School District Rescinds Face Mask Mandate

[#TexasPolitics365]

The Sherman Independent School District is dropping its face mask mandate starting Tuesday, September 21.

School board members meeting Monday evening voted to reverse the policy that had been in place for nearly a month in the wake of elevated COVID-19 cases among students and staffers.

"In order to keep our schools open and our students learning in person, we must begin to address this spike in cases before the situation becomes unmanageable," Superintendent David Hicks wrote in a letter to parents on August 23.

According to the district's own COVID dashboard, there are currently 199 students with coronavirus at all schools out of a total enrollment of more than 7,500.

Sherman, with a population of 44,000, is located just north of Dallas, just 16 miles south of the Texas/Oklahoma state line.

On September 10, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed suit against the Sherman ISD for defying Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order prohibiting face mask or vaccine mandates at public schools in the state.

(Full story here
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Biden Administration Speeds Up Deportations From Del Rio

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The Biden administration said Saturday it was accelerating deportation flights and sending 400 federal agents to Del Rio to seize control of an escalating crisis as thousands of mostly Haitian immigrants continued streaming to the Texas city’s border, camping out in squalid conditions under its international bridge.

Customs and Border Protection temporarily shuttered its ports of entry there late Friday and re-routed international traffic 57 miles east to the nearby city of Eagle Pass.

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New Poll Shows Abbott, Paxton Beating Primary Opponents

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A new Dallas Morning News/UT-Tyler poll shows Gov. Greg Abbott and attorney general Ken Paxton polling far higher than their primary rivals for the 2022 race.

Abbott bested rival Allen West 65% to 20% in the poll, and Sen. Don Huffines 70% to 15%. Paxton is shown with 43% support, Land Commissioner George P. Bush with 28% and Judge Eva Guzman with 5% support. 

But in troubling news for the two incumbents, perhaps, 54% said that the state was going in the "wrong direction," while only 44% said it was on "the right track."

Actor Matthew McConaughey, who has hinted at running for governor next year but has not made his intentions known, can take solace in the poll, which shows him beating Abbott 44% to 35% with 14% voting for an unnamed, "someone else."

But the poll shows Abbott defeating likely Democrat rival Beto O'Rourke, 42% to 37%.

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Judge Blocks Round Rock ISD Mask Mandate

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

State District Judge Rick Kennon has temporarily blocked the Round Rock school district from enforcing its mask mandate.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who sued the school district along with several others, declared "Another WIN!" in his legal fight against school districts that have defied Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning schools from requiring masks.

"The Court finds that the State of Texas is thus likely to prevail on the merits and that a temporary restraining order is required to preserve the status quo and to prevent the irreparable harm of the continued violation of state law absent injunctive relief," Kennon's Tuesday order said.

A hearing on whether to extend the order will take place at 9 a.m. Sept. 28.

Round Rock ISD officials respond

Round Rock school district leaders said they would "comply with any lawfully issued court order."

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Portland, Oregon City Council Ditches Texas Boycott

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Portland, Oregon's City Council voted on Wednesday to set aside $200,000 to fund abortion care in Oregon in anticipation of an uptick in Texans traveling to the state to access the procedure, but walked back a boycott of the state.

Mayor Ted Wheeler garnered nationwide attention two weeks ago with his proposal to boycott Texas over recently passed legislation that dramatically curtails abortion access. But the proposal shifted shape considerably after the city nabbed national headlines. 

The city ditched the two most eye-catching parts of the proposal — a boycott on city business with Texas and a ban on employee travel to the Lone Star state. Instead, city officials voted to set aside $200,000 that will go to organizations “that deliver programs and services related to reproductive health care.”

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Rep. Matt Krause Joins Crowded GOP AG Primary

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Fort Worth Republican Rep. Matt Krause is the latest candidate to launch a 2022 bid against embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for his statewide office.

Krause on Thursday announced his bid for the seat. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman have previously announced campaigns for attorney general in the Republican primary. On the Democratic side, civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt is running for attorney general, as well as Galveston lawyer Joe Jaworski.

Krause said in his announcement, "It's more important than ever that we have an Attorney General who will focus completely on fighting to protect Texas."

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Harrison Co. GOP Rep. Censured By Local Party; Speaker Defends

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

The Harrison County Republican Party’s executive committee recently voted, 9-1, to censure State Rep. Chris Paddie (R-Marshall).

Local party chair Lee Lester said the vote was spurred by Paddie’s seemingly lack of support to the party’s platform.

“He was censured in Harrison County,” said Lester. “We were kind of waiting to see if he did anything in this legislative session. We were hoping that he would and we wouldn’t have to do anything, but he’s still not representing the people who sent him.

“We’re in a representative republic, and he doesn’t represent us, so we have to do something,” said Lester.

The local party chair said Paddie has been invited to their meetings several times to entertain questions about his representation of House District 9, to no avail.

“He has not even responded to our request,” said Lester.

Paddie responded on Twitter to the censure:

"When someone claims “We’re in a representative republic, and he doesn’t represent us, so we have to do something”, is the “us” that matters a handful of local party people or the nearly 80% of Republican voters in Harrison Co who continue to vote for me? What a joke."

House Speaker Dade Phelan also stood up for Paddie on Twitter:

"This is absurd. HD-9 knows and all of Texas deserves to know that @chrispaddie represents true Texas conservative values and votes his district every single day in the #txlege."

(Full story here.)
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AG Paxton Sues Round Rock, Galveston, Other School Districts For Defying Mask Ban

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced a series of lawsuits against Texas school districts actively defying Gov. Greg Abbott's Executive Order GA-38 regarding mask mandates.

The six districts include Richardson, Round Rock, Galveston, Elgin, Spring and Sherman ISDs.

In the current school year, many districts across the state have chosen to go against the executive order, and the attorney general's office expects to file additional lawsuits if they're defiance of the order continues.

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Bail Reform Signed Into Law

[#TexasPolitics365] 

Gov. Abbott yesterday signed Senate Bill 6, the Damon Allen Act, into law at the Texas Pastor Council's Safer Houston Summit. 

The Damon Allen Act will keep Texas communities safe and secure by prohibiting the release on personal bond of defendants charged with a violent offense or who are charged while released on bail. 

The bill also requires a defendant be granted or denied bail within 48 hours of their arrest and that a defendant's criminal history be examined before setting bail.

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Special Election Called For San Antonio State House Seat

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Gov. Greg Abbott has picked Sept. 28 as the date of the special election to replace former state Rep. Leo Pacheco, D-San Antonio.

The candidate filing deadline is Monday, and early voting starts Sept. 20. Pacheco resigned effective Aug. 19 to take a job with San Antonio College.

House District 118 is anchored in San Antonio and covers parts of Bexar County south and east of the city. It is a Democratic-friendly district, though Republicans have already made clear they are eyeing it in the special election.

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Gov. Signs Social Media Censorship Bill

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Gov. Greg Abbott has signed House Bill 20 into law, which is designed to protect Texans from wrongful censorship on social media platforms. 

The governor was joined for the bill signing by Sen. Bryan Hughes and Rep. Briscoe Cain, the bill's authors, as well as Senators Charles Perry, Dawn Buckingham, and Angela Paxton. Abbott named social media censorship legislation as an agenda item for the second special legislative session in August.

 

"We will always defend the freedom of speech in Texas, which is why I am proud to sign House Bill 20 into law to protect first amendment rights in the Lone Star State," said Abbott. "Social media websites have become our modern-day public square. 

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Biden Administration To Sue Texas Over Heartbeat Law

[#TexasPolitics365]

 

The Biden administration is preparing to sue Texas over its new law banning most abortions, people familiar with the matter said, an action that would set off a federal-state clash at a time when the future of abortion rights becomes an ever-more-pressing question before the courts.

The Biden administration has faced pressure from Democrats and abortion-rights groups to take action to stop the Texas restrictions after the Supreme Court last week allowed them to take effect.

Attorney General Ken Paxton reacted fiercely to the suit on Twitter.

"Today the Biden Administration sued every individual in Texas. Biden should focus on fixing the border crisis, Afghanistan, the economy and countless other disasters instead of meddling in state’s sovereign rights. I will use every available resource to fight for life."

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AG Commish Miller Announces Global Ag Market Initiative

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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has announced that the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has partnered with the Center for North American Studies (CNAS) at Texas A&M AgriLife Research to provide global market assessments for more than a dozen Texas agricultural commodities.

These assessments meet high-priority national needs by offering detailed insight on U.S. export market activity and allows Texas producers to have a competitive advantage on the trade front. 

“We're the 4th largest agricultural exporter in the nation, and have a unique opportunity to promote Texas products. We must continue to cultivate relationships abroad to help our family farms and ranches here in the Lone Star State,” said Miller, who is seeking election in 2022.

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Legislators File Impeachment Resolutions Against Two Judges

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Representatives Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) each filed resolutions seeking impeachment of Judge Chris Morton of the 230th District Court in Harris County and Judge Brad Urrutia of the 450th District Court in Travis County.

Both resolutions cite the actions of the respective judges in blocking the arrest of Democrats who refused to attend the House regular and special sessions. The legislators say the judges overstepped their constitutional duties and interfered in the business of the legislature.

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Gov. Abbott Signs Election Integrity Bill Into Law

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Tuesday signed a sweeping overhaul of his state's election procedures after months of delay caused by Democrats who sought to block the bill they say will disenfranchise voters. 

Abbott made the measure his top priority in two special legislative sessions he called over the summer, the first of which ground to a halt when state House Democrats denied majority Republicans a quorum by fleeing to Washington, D.C.

The legislature approved the bill last week and Abbott signed the measure in Tyler, accompanied by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and Sen. Bryan Hughes (R), the lead Senate sponsor of the measure.

"Election integrity is now law in the state of Texas," Abbott said.

The measure bars round-the-clock polling stations and places new restrictions on drive-thru voting and voting by mail. It will give more authority to partisan poll watchers who can observe an election, and it increases the requirements for identification voters must show when they cast a ballot.

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Satanic Temple Seeks "Religious Exception" To Heartbeat Law

[#TexasPolitics365]

Texas’ controversial fetal heartbeat bill may have many fans among some religious communities — but the Satanic Temple isn’t among them.

The religion, which does not have or believe in gods, filed a letter with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to request its members have access to abortion pills on grounds of freedom of religion, Fortune reports.

This comes as the state of Texas passed the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws this past week. Under Senate Bill 8, abortions after six weeks of pregnancy are banned. The legislation was met with national and international controversy.

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Poll Shows Gov Abbott At 50% Disapproval

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A recent poll shows half of Texans disapprove of how Gov. Greg Abbott is performing in his job right now, with a majority believing the state is “going in the wrong direction.”

The August 2021 poll, conducted by the Texas Politics Project, shows 50% of surveyed voters disapprove of Abbott’s actions and 41% approve. That’s the lowest job approval rating during his time in office, the Texas Politics Project reports

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