Happy Friday TTP Citizen Advocates!

In our last message, we asked you if Democrats should choose the Speaker in a Republican Majority House.  I think we have all agreed they should NOT!  We then asked you to contact the 12 most likely to vote for Dade Phelan as speaker.  And you did!  Thank you for that.

Now we would like to approach the matter from a different angle.  Many of the current reps have said they will not support a speaker who will appoint Democrat Chairs.  But how will we know if they remain true to that promise?  Since the caucus vote is an anonymous ballot, we need to get them to sign their ballot in the caucus, so that the vote is on record, and they remain true to the promise.  The vote results will still be confidential to the caucus, but the members will know who did or did not vote for Phelan.

Many are saying there is no chance for Phelan.  But if Dade Phelan thinks he can't win, why is he still running for Speaker?  He must know something we don't.  We've seen before how easily some of these people say one thing and do another. This vote is a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Remember, this is not only about who is Speaker in 2025, or whether or not there are Democrat Chairs.  It's about real reform in House leadership.  That's what we as grassroots conservative citizens are demanding.

Phase two of the plan is to get the representatives who said they would not vote for a speaker who appoints Democrat chairs, to agree to sign their caucus ballot so that it will be known who kept their promise and who didn't.  They should proudly sign their name to the candidate they support, and make it public afterwards.

It's time to come out of the shadows and see who stands by their word.

Twenty two reps or future reps have signed the Contract With Texas, which calls for not only electing the Speaker from only Republican votes, and ending the practice of appointing Democrats to chairmanships, but also 10 other important reform measures. 

If your rep is one of those 22.  Contact them and ask them to be transparent in the caucus vote by signing their ballot.

If your rep is not one of those 22, you should be contacting them asking why they have not signed on to needed reform in the Texas House, and making the same request for them to sign their caucus ballot.

If they can't be transparent in a caucus vote for speaker, how can we expect them to deliver transparent elections for the rest of us?

The list of those who have signed the Contract with Texas can be found here along with their email addresses.  If you are not sure which district you live in or who your rep or future rep will be, please look up your representatives here.  It will tell give your district, and then you can find the district number on the google sheet with names and emails.  If your rep is not on the list of signers, you can look up their contact information at the Texas House website.

Here is a sample message for the ones who have signed - please put it into your own words.

Dear Representative __________,

As your constituent, I want to thank you for signing on to the Contract With Texas, pledging real reform in the Texas House.  I commend you for publicly supporting the reforms in the Contract, and applaud your commitment.

Since the caucus vote for speaker is traditionally a secret ballot, I would like to ask you to commit to signing your ballot when you cast your vote.  That way you go on record with your vote and it can be verified.  We need to know that the secret ballot will not be a mechanism to hide a broken promise.

This caucus vote is such an important one, we are counting on you to make it transparent and fair.  If you want real change as you indicated by signing the contract, then make your position known by signing the ballot.

Sample message for those who have not signed:

Dear Representative __________,

As your constituent, I want to know why you have not signed on to the Contract With Texas, pledging real reform in the Texas House.  Texas Republicans are expecting, even demanding, changes to House leadership and administration, including, ending the practice of appointing Democrats to chairmanships, and having a speaker that is dedicated to advancing Republican priorities and not cooperating with Democrats.

I would also like to ask you to sign your ballot in the caucus vote for speaker so that we know exactly where you stand.  This caucus vote is such an important one, and we are counting on the Republican caucus to make it transparent and fair.  Make your position known by joining the Contract with Texas, and then signing your ballot for Speaker in the caucus vote.

Include in your message that you expect and answer, and then I'd love to hear what responses you get.  If you don't get a response in a week or two, contact them again.  The caucus vote will happen in December, after the November election is settled.  Now is the time to be contacting them, and getting their commitment to a transparent vote for Speaker of the House.

On another subject - I'm planning to go to the Capitol on Monday the 12th to testify at the House Public Ed Committee hearing.  Little Red Car has 2 seats available, if you live in the DFW area and would like to ride with us. If you don't, we can meet you at the Capitol.  Just let me know!

Thank you for all you do for Texas!

Stay Engaged!

Fran Rhodes, President