Hello, True Texan friends! 

I hate to start right off with bad news, but man... those politicians are in session at the Capitol, which means no one is safe and nothing is sacred.

You should be livid.  Here's a really good summary on the pay structure for our state legislators.  For them to slip in pension raises with AUTOMATIC increases is nothing short of criminal given the fact that there is a $31 BILLION refund owed to the taxpayers that they overcharged us, and we will be lucky if we even get 1/3 of it back.  Your State Reps really need to hear an earful on this one.  Have they no shame???  Folks found out what was going on, pushed back, and the lege jumped in with some fancy footwork - pushing the vote out until Tuesday.  Regardless of how they cover their tracks, the point is the same... they tried to pull a fast one.  Whether or not they succeed, they still need to be reprimanded. 

Oh, and did I mention that the day before this nonsense, the House voted to bring back the corporate welfare we killed last session?  You just can't make this stuff up.  Aren't they so giddy with all the $$$ they've stolen from us? 

Is your State Rep on that list above?  Those are the State Reps that voted for you to pay welfare to corporations for wind farms and solar energy.  My State Rep is guilty of both votes, so I took to Twitter to shame him:

The point is, we must be ever vigilant because it is OUR money, and they spend it like drunken sailors.  They do not respect you or your labor. 

And this just in...  The Calendars Committee pledged to never hear Senate Bill 14, the one that protects minors from gender mutilation. There was a great stink made by decent Texans like you and me, and now they will hear it on Tuesday.  But when everyone was up in arms, guess who they blamed it on?  Speaker Phelan.  Just make sure you remember who it was that gave Phelan that speakership.  Every State Rep made embarrassing excuses and cast their vote for a man that had already told us he'd kill Republican legislation.  The only exceptions were Tinderholt, Slaton, and Schatzline (these are typically the 3 that have our backs).  All other Reps wear this around their necks like a millstone.

That is why TTP is here!  If you want to be more involved in holding our legislators accountable, please be sure to read Fran's weekly updates and emails.  Just scroll down!

Last Week In Pictures

There's always SOMEthing going on with our True Texan patriots!

Fran Rhodes and Carole Widmann put 200 goody bags together for 1st-time guests.
Invite your friends to the next meeting so they can get one!

Your True Texans are now 3-1.  Sadly, our perfect record has been broken...but not our spirit!
Come watch our games on Thurs nights in Grapevine.

Brazos Valley dinner meet-up

Fran's Legislative Update

With only about 4 weeks left in session, things are moving pretty fast!  We all need to be prepared for fast action.  That means, try to be flexible with your schedules, and act fast when you see an action alert.

AND SPEAKING OF MOVING FAST!

EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT FOR TUESDAY MAY 2

In the Friday message, we said that we were expecting the House to schedule a vote on HB1686 any time now.  Well, it turns out - they have scheduled SB14 (the identical Senate bill) for floor vote on Tuesday!

THIS IS HUGE!

We need as many people as possible to be at the Capitol on Tuesday, wearing a red shirt, and sitting in the House gallery in support of this bill.  This could be even bigger than the "Ban Democrat Chairs Red Shirt Day" in January. Get there as early as you can, to reserve a seat for yourself.  Let's make this epic!  The Republicans cannot afford to vote against this bill, so let's be sure we make the wrong people do the right thing!

For other updates during the remaining days of the session, we will post important action alerts on our Citizen Advocate Facebook page, so watch there for updates as they happen.

This past week we had a large group of TTP activists with us at the Capitol to do a mini training on testifying at hearings, distribute our gambling petitions (which had FIVE pages of signatures), and then joined the RPT for their rally to stop the sexualization of children.

Some of our activists ran into Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn.

Our TTP Citizen Advocates joined about 350 others to support
the Millstone Project (bills to stop sexualizing kids).

Fran's Friday Citizen Advocate message contains a bunch of information on what's happened the past week, and what needs to be done next week.  Please check it out and take action as you are able.  We weren't kidding when we said things are moving pretty fast!  There's only a short time left, so let's give it all we've got.

Read Fran's full Friday message here.

(except substitute the paragraph above about SB14 and Tuesday for the paragraph about HB1686)

Local Elections

Have you voted yet?  Our True Texans are working hard in local elections!  Some are working polls, some are election workers, and some are even candidates!  This is TTP in action all around the state. It makes my heart so happy to see this!!! Thank you to all who have jumped in!

Make sure to check our website for candidate recommendations... and share the list with others! Early voting continues til May 2.  Election Day is May 6.

Help Wanted!

I'm not sure why, but most people are a wee bit insecure about offering their help and need to be personally asked, "Sally, will you help me with..."  Unfortunately, I can't visit with you one-on-one via email, and I don't personally get to meet each of you at your meetings every month, but we still need your help!  It would be GREAT if you could just step up and offer!  The most successful groups are those with a complete leadership team.  Wanna grow the army?  Step up and lead! 

Here are some key volunteer positions we are looking to fill.

• A/V Lead - play videos and slides at meetings - needed in Lubbock, Ellis, NW Harris, Johnson County
  
• Co-Director - coordinate all the volunteers for your location & run the meetings - Tarrant, Williamson, Hill Country
• Registration - check people in at the door, give them nametags, log their attendance - needed in Ellis
• Social Activities Coordinator - plan fun events to draw in new faces (dinners, coffees, sports, happy hours, etc) - needed in Lubbock, Collin, Bexar, Dallas, Ellis, Erath, Longview, NW Harris, Williamson
  
• Venue Coordinator -liaison between TTP and the venue - Williamson
  
• Time Keeper - keep our speakers on schedule by holding up signs telling them how much time is left - Williamson
• Photographer - take pics/videos during meetings and post to our chat group - needed in NW Harris

But there are plenty more! (These are just the locations that responded right away when I asked what help is needed). Every location has positions open.  At your May meeting, don't be shy... Ask how you can help! 

This week at True Texas Project...

You can always see our upcoming events by checking the Events page at this link but below is a complete list of the week ahead. Click on the images to enlarge them, or right click to save them for sharing!  And remember, no matter where you live, you are welcome at any meeting or event.

Wednesday 5/3 - Saturday 5/6
True Texas Adventure: Top of Texas!

Sunday 5/7
Hill Country Book Club

Since we are kicking off a new month tomorrow, here is an overview of what's to come at our monthly meetings throughout May! (This doesn't even include our many social events!)

AND...  ANNOUNCING...

We have updated our website with a NEW calendar format.  Now you can search by satellite location or activity (meetings, trainings, social events), and it's all laid out in a month at a glance.  We think you'll like it!

Don't forget to tell friends about our latest launch!  We'll kick off in the Katy Area on May 18!

Worth Checking Out

• Fran and I were guests on a podcast for Revelation Nation.  We had fun schooling a "foreigner" (someone who doesn't live in Texas) on just how much Texas does NOT live up to its reputation.  You can watch it here.
• Our friends at Texans for Fiscal Responsibility have a great ad out about Speaker Dade Phelan.  It's just one minute.  Take a look.
• One of our Co-Directors recommends this read on "Christian Nationalism".  No, those are not bad words... it's a moral imperative!
• One of our leadership team members in Harris County had a word or two to say about local shenanigans.  Check it out here.