Good morning, 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens 

Tuesday, June 23, 2020
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• Over the weekend, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission—the state agency that oversees and grants liquor licenses to establishments—shut down 12 bars across the state for failing to properly adhere to the state's reopening guidelines.
   
• Operation Safe Open, carried out by TABC, targeted establishments who violated certain rules laid out by the Governor's Strike Force to Reopen Texas, including overcapacity and lack of social distancing of at least 6 feet between groups of customers.
   
• Their liquor licenses have been suspended for 30 days, a serious blow to an industry already suffering major losses after over two months of closure. TABC warns that a second infraction would result in a suspension of up to 60 days.

• With less than a month to go until the Texas GOP primary runoff election is concluded, former Texas House Speaker Joe Straus is working to help establishment forces retake a seat in the Texas Legislature.
   
• Yesterday, Straus announced that his political action committee–Texas Forever Forward—would be endorsing Glenn Rogers in the HD 60 runoff, the seat being vacated by State Rep. Mike Lang (R–Granbury).
   
• Rogers has taken heat during the campaign for his opposition to grassroots initiatives, such as constitutional carry and banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
   
• He faces Jon Francis in the runoff election on July 14, with early voting starting next Monday, June 29.

• After a series of disastrous decisions from the Supreme Court, Metroplex Correspondent Robert Montoya writes in a blog piece at Texas Scorecard, "It’s way past time we tell Republicans that appointing 'conservative judges' is just not good enough anymore."

• In a commentary, True Texas Project President Fran Rhodes writes about Stories From the Dark Side of COVID-19, highlighting a project she recently took on to share stories from those who have witnessed suffering in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

As a reminder from last week, Michael Quinn Sullivan is focused on a special project, but feel free to hit me up with any questions, tips, comments, or concerns!

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