Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, September 20, 2023.

– Brandon Waltens 

Harris and Dallas County Republicans Support Phelan Censure

• Just days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted of the House’s impeachment charges, two county GOP’s are supporting the censure of Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan. 
   

• Emily Medeiros reports the Harris County GOP and Dallas County GOP both voted to support a resolution passed by the Orange County GOP in July to censure Phelan, citing his many failures and “abuse of power.”
   

• Harris County GOP’s resolution directed its attention at Phelan’s appointment of nine Democrats to committee chair positions.
   

• Dallas County’s resolution took aim at multiple instances where Phelan violated RPT’s legislative priorities, including allowing a crucial border security measure to die in the House and refusing to comment in support of school choice.
   

• Both counties also requested the State Republican Executive Committee concur with the Orange County Republican Party resolution and impose on Phelan all of the consequences of censure. The SREC is slated to meet this weekend.

Lawmaker Asks Abbott to Add Unfinished Conservative Priorities to Special Session

• With Gov. Greg Abbott expected to call lawmakers back soon for a special session on school choice and education, one House member is asking him to expand the call to address priorities left unfinished during the regular session earlier this year.
   
• In a letter to Abbott, State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) thanked the governor for his commitment to passing school choice but noted that more needed to be done.
   
• “Governor Abbott is right to call the legislature back for school choice, but that is not enough. I am asking he also demand action on other urgent items including border security, medical freedom, ’emergency power’ reform, and banning Communist governments from purchasing Texas land,” wrote Harrison. “Now is not the time for comfortable timidity. With the next generation literally on the line, Texas must lead, and lead now.”
   

• The special session is expected to begin in October. 

Parents Prepare for Special Session on Education

• An alliance of education advocates is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas lawmakers to focus on parent-identified solutions to fix the state’s troubled school system during an upcoming special legislative session. Erin Anderson has the story. 
   

• Texas Education 911 is a grassroots movement organized ahead of the 88th Legislative Session to promote parental rights, transparency, and accountability in government education.
   

• Lawmakers failed to pass most of the group’s proposed education priorities during the regular session.
   

• “The current model is broken, and we believe it’s time to turn to people with new ideas who care, very personally, what happens: PARENTS,” the group stated in a notice this week anticipating the special session. 
   

• Instead, lawmakers listened to special interest groups, school district superintendents, and state employees.
   

• Texas Education 911 says its parent-driven solutions do not require millions of taxpayer dollars in new spending, so vendors, districts, and special interest groups don’t stand to profit. But they believe “students will profit tremendously.”

Dan Patrick: Dade Phelan Needs to Be a Man

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says House Speaker Dade Phelan should apologize to members after championing the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton which was soundly rejected by the Texas Senate. 
   

• Since Paxton was acquitted on Saturday, Patrick has been critical of the House-led impeachment, blasting the House for rushing through the process and not following proper procedure in interviewing witnesses. 
   

• In an interview on The Salcedo Storm, Patrick said Phelan should admit to members he was wrong rather than create “a new conspiracy to cover up their tracks.”
   

• “He just needs to be a man. He just needs to step up and say, Look, we were wrong. We rushed this,” said Patrick.
   

• Listen to the full interview on The Salcedo Storm here. 

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