We have had four special sessions since the regular session ended in May. The Texas Senate and I stood firm on our $100,000 homestead exemption. We passed that in the second special. In the third and fourth special sessions, the Senate passed every bill the Governor put on the special session calls. Speaker Dade Phelan not only killed several of them, the House didn’t even give some a hearing.
At the beginning of the fourth special, we passed Senate Bill 1 and Senate Bill 2, school choice and teacher pay raises, to the House in the first few days. Thirty days later, they quit—never giving either bill a hearing.
Last Friday, we passed SB 5, a $800 million school security bill. We also passed a much-needed bill, SB 6, a safety net to ensure the constitutional amendments just passed by voters become effective as scheduled. Six individuals are suing the state over the election results. SB 6 would expedite the court process in the event the case lingered on. Governor Abbott issued a proclamation yesterday certifying the results of the constitutional amendments. SB 6 was our insurance policy to protect our amendments in the event the lawsuit continued.
Property tax cuts and retired teachers' checks could have been held up for a year or more if we had lost in court. If that happened, it would have been all on Dade Phelan.
Bottom line, Speaker Phelan did nothing the last six days, quit a day early, and killed teacher pay raises, school security funding and an insurance policy for our amendments.
For the record, Dade Phelan killed:
SB 1 — School Choice
SB 2 — Teacher Pay Raises
SB 5 — $800 million for school security funding
SB 6 — Plan to address the lawsuits that are stopping property tax cuts and retirement teacher checks in the event the lawsuits delay these amendments
The system is truly broken. Dade’s FAILIN’ Texans.
Here are some other priority bills Speaker Phelan has killed in the House:
Why would Speaker Dade Phelan kill these bills? Because the Democrats, by a large majority, oppose them, and they are the ones who keep him in power. He told me back in 2021 that if he didn’t pass certain Democrat bills and stop others, he would not be able to hold on to his Speaker position.
I try not to get involved in House races. But I am joining Governor Abbott and Attorney General Paxton, who are opposing a number of House members because they either voted against school choice or voted for impeachment. My ask is for every Republican primary voter to ask the incumbent if they are voting for Dade Phelan as Speaker again, and if they say yes, then that voter should vote for their opponent.
The House is more dysfunctional than at any time in history because they have no leadership. Remember, with six days still left in the special session, that’s 20% of the entire session, he said he had no time to pass these very important bills. That was a lie. He did nothing and quit a day early.
Catching up with Chad Hasty
I spoke about Speaker Phelan with Chad Hasty on Tuesday afternoon. You can click here to listen.
Anti-Semitism Has No Place in the Republican Party
I’ve Endorsed Brent Hagenbuch for Texas Senate
Candidate for Sen. Springer’s Open SD-30 Seat
I believe Brent Hagenbuch is, without question, the very best person to represent the people of Senate District 30. He is a Christian conservative, Naval Academy graduate and veteran, civil engineer, successful business owner, entrepreneur, community volunteer, and Denton County Republican Party Chair. He is aligned with the conservative values and policies of the district and President Trump’s MAGA agenda.
Dianne Edmondson, Denton County Commissioner, and legendary Republican leader was one of the very first to endorse Brent. Rick Perry and Governor Greg Abbott have endorsed him as well. We will build an army—or should I say navy in his case—of support for Brent, from the grassroots to the boardroom. I need Brent Hagenbuch in the Texas Senate.
I appreciate Senator Drew Springer’s service and wish him well in his future endeavors.
Click here to read my press release.
Sincerely,
Dan Patrick
Lieutenant Governor of Texas
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Matthew 20:26 (NLT)
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