Cedar Park City Councilor Accuses 3 Colleagues Of Misusing Taxpayer Funds

[#TexasPolitics365]

Cedar Park City Councilor Tim Kelly is accusing three of his colleagues of misusing taxpayer funds and has filed complaints with the state ethics Commission.

Each member of the Cedar Park City Council receives a monthly stipend to cover the cost of mobile phone service - a necessity for an elected representative in a growing community and in an interconnected age.

 

But according to Kelly, three of his council colleagues have been misappropriating their $100-per-month city cell phone funds by using my the phones for campaign purposes.

 

In sworn complaints with the Texas Ethics Commission, Kelly said three of his colleagues -- Mayor Pro Tem and Place 3 Council member Anne Duffy, Place 5 Council member Rodney Robinson, and Place 6 Council member Heather Jefts -- maintain their officially listed phone numbers also on their Facebook Pages. Those social media pages, while retitled to reflect their current elected offices, still contain campaign images, disclaimers, and verbiage and are clearly promotional in nature, he said.

 

"Using taxpayer funds to campaign is a flagrant violation of the public trust," Kelly said. "There is a reason why state law does not treat this abuse of elected office lightly. I look forward to a quick turnaround on this by the Texas Ethics Commission, and referral to the proper authorities or Texas Attorney General's office for further investigation."

Duffy is currently a candidate for re-election to Place 3 on the May local election ballot. Kelly and Robinson are not seeking re-election. Jefts's seat is up for re-election in 2022.

There has been a good deal of bad blood between Kelly and the rest of the council in the past year. In 2020, Kelly was censured by the board for making comments on Facebook that were said to be disrespectful and violated the city's "code of ethics."

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Bill To Halt Gov't Closure Of Churches Passes #Texas House

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A bill designed to protect religious freedom and ensure that no governmental entity has the power to close a house of worship has passed the House of Representatives, in a vote of 117 to 29. 

House Bill 1239, sponsored by Rep. Scott Sanford, had over 50 co-sponsors, and was among the priority issues outlined in Governor Greg Abbott’s State of State Address in February. 

The bill prohibits any governmental entity from issuing an order or passing an ordinance that would close houses of worship. In addition to adding a prohibition on closures, the bill also creates a defense against prosecution under the protection of the First Amendment of the US Constitution.

Backers argued that the unprecedented closure of churches, mosques, and synagogues in 2020 negatively impacted many who were struggling with isolation and stress during the pandemic. 

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George P. Bush Considers Challenging #Texas AG Paxton in 2022

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Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Thursday he is "seriously considering" running for attorney general in 2022 — and detailed how he would challenge the incumbent, embattled fellow Republican Ken Paxton.

Bush spoke in an interview with Dallas radio host Mark Davis, saying, "Personally I think that the top law enforcement official in Texas needs to be above reproach."

Bush, the grandson of former President George H.W. Bush, went on to say a Paxton challenge would not be centered on "conservative credentials" but how the incumbent has run his office. "I think character matters and integrity matters," Bush said.

(Full story here.)
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Mike Collier Plans Another Run Against Lt. Gov. Patrick in '22

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Mike Collier, the 2018 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor who lost to Dan Patrick by 5 percentage points, is gearing up for another run.

Collier is launching an exploratory committee to challenge Patrick again next year, though he said it is more of a "confirmatory" committee and that he is "intent on doing this."

(Full story here.)
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#Abbott Refuses To Throw Out First Rangers Pitch Over Atlanta #MLB Pull-Out

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declined the Texas Rangers’ offer for him to throw out the first pitch on opening day over the league’s decision to pull the All-Star Game from Georgia.

The Rangers are set to play their home opener on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays. The team offered Abbott the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, which he participated in two years ago and did so virtually last year.

(Full story here.)

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Gov. Bans Vaccine Passport Use To Deal With Public Agencies

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Monday that restricts the ability to require coronavirus vaccinations and so-called vaccination passports.

According to the order, no governmental entity can require a person to receive a COVID-19 shot. State agencies are also prohibited from requiring people to provide proof of a vaccination as a condition of receiving a service or entering a place. The order also applies to any public or private entity that is receiving public funds “in whole or in part.”

The order apparently does not apply to private businesses not doing business with the state.

In this, it apparently does not go as far as a similar executive order signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who issued an executive order last Friday prohibiting businesses from requiring patrons or customers to show vaccine documentation, or risk losing grants or contracts funded by the state. 

 (Full story here.)
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#Texas AG Paxton Defends Rule Limiting Immigrant Use Of Welfare Benefits

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is defending a rule that limits entry for immigrants based on their likely use of public benefits. 

"It cost the country billions of dollars," Paxton stated on "Sunday Morning Futures," on Fox News, "If we're going to invite people in, we've got to make sure they can take care of themselves and that they're not going to end up on food stamps and Medicaid and health care insurance from our country."

Paxton explained that the "public charge" rule, put in place to set boundaries on public assistance for immigrants, was never official until the Clinton administration federally enforced it. The rule was halted in 2020 after a court order.

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#Beto O'Rourke Sends Mixed Signals About '22 Gubernatorial Race

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Will he or won't he run for governor against Greg Abbott? Beto O'Rourke is being coy, and sending mixed signals.

"I’ve got no plans to run, and I’m very focused on the things that I’m lucky enough to do right now — organizing, registering voters and teaching,” the El Paso Democrat for an upcoming segment on Lone Star Politics on KXAS-TV (Channel 5). “I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing now.”

But hours later, afut O’Rourke’s comments was published, the Democrat told The Dallas Morning News that he had not ruled out a run against Abbott. He has until the December filing deadline to decide.

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#Texas Senate Acts To Stop Social Sites From Banning Users Based On Political Stances

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The Texas Senate on Thursday passed a bill blocking social media platforms from banning residents based on their political views.

The Texas Tribune reported that Senate Bill 12 passed shortly after 2 a.m. on Thursday. The measure now heads to the state House, where there are two identical bills that have not moved out of their committee, according to the Tribune.

Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes (R), the Senate bill's sponsor, said in a video posted to Twitter that the bill will "get Texans back online."

(Full story here.)

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Senate Bill Would Let Lakeside Properties To Secede From Austin

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A bill filed in the State Senate would allow hundreds of Lake Austin shoreline properties to disannex or "secede" from the City of Austin. 

State Sen. Dawn Buckingham (R-Lakeway) said she filed Senate Bill 659 because the Lake Austin properties – which had a property tax exemption granted to them in 1986 but repealed in 2019 by the Austin City Council – were not receiving City services. Those lakefront properties are now being charged property taxes from the City of Austin for the first time.

(Full story here.)

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SB 7 Election Integrity Bill Passes Senate

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Election integrity is a top legislative priority for the Texas GOP and the only one also designated an emergency item by Gov. Abbott.

Just ahead of this week’s deadline, Texas lawmakers in both chambers filed two big bills addressing election integrity, one of the key priorities for the legislative session.

The highly anticipated omnibus bills, House Bill 6 and Senate Bill 7, feature long lists of election procedures and ballot security measures identified by advocates as needed reforms to improve voting reliability and voter confidence—including a curb on mail-ballot vote harvesters.

SB 7, introduced Thursday and passed by the Senate last night, is authored by State Sen. Brian Hughes (R–Mineola), along with 12 fellow Republican senators. Hughes chairs the Senate State Affairs Committee, which hears election-related bills in the upper chamber.

Hughes’ bill addresses a range of election issues, including voter registration and voter roll maintenance, voting by mail procedures, security and oversight at polling places and counting stations, and civil penalties for election code violations.

The bill requires counties to start using “auditable voting systems” that produce a paper audit trail by 2026, allows live-streamed video of central count areas, and prohibits “drive-thru” voting (a practice invented last year by Harris County’s Democrat election chief that’s not allowed for in Texas Election Code).

It also limits private donations to county election administrators to $1,000, unless the Texas Secretary of State’s office approves more. House Bill 2283 by State Rep. Phil King (R–Weatherford) would ban all private funding of election offices. In 2020, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg funneled hundreds of millions to select local election offices, including in Democrat-controlled Dallas and Harris counties.

(Full story here.)
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