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Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Brandon Waltens

Monday, March 22, 2021

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We have now officially reached the halfway point of the 140-day legislative session. And while the first 70 days have been relatively slow compared to recent years, the process is starting to get moving with committee schedules filling up.

Here is a look at a few conservative priorities that have hearings or potential votes coming up this week:

Election Integrity

Senate Bill 155 [[link removed]] by State Sen. Charles Perry (R–Lubbock) directs the Texas attorney general’s office to regularly review lists of voters excused from jury duty because they attest they are not U.S. citizens or not residents of the county in which they’re registered, and investigate whether anyone on them has committed a voter registration offense. This bill was passed out of the Senate State Affairs committee last week, and could be voted on by the Senate this week.

Today, the Senate State Affairs Committee is scheduled to hear multiple election bills, including comprehensive reform proposal Senate Bill 7 [[link removed]] and several of the “Integrity Seven” bills [[link removed]] by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston).

In the House, State Rep. Briscoe Cain’s omnibus election reform measure House Bill 6 [[link removed]] is on Thursday’s Elections Committee agenda.

Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

On Thursday, House Bill 749 [[link removed]] by State Rep. Mayes Middleton will be heard by the House State Affairs Committee. The bill would ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, where government officials spend citizens’ cash on hiring lobbyists to influence state lawmakers—often toward legislative decisions that harm citizens.

Last session, a bill to ban the practice passed out of the Senate, but was voted down by members of the House. Ending the practice remains a priority of the Texas GOP.

“Up to $41 million per year has been spent on taxpayer-funded lobbying, even though 91 percent of all Texans oppose the practice. It’s time to defund this bureaucracy.” –State Rep. Mayes Middleton

Constitutional Carry

Also on Thursday, a slate of bills to allow citizens to carry firearms without permits from the state are up for hearings in the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. These include:

House Bill 1238 [[link removed]] by State Rep. Kyle Biedermann House Bill 1911 [[link removed]] by State Rep. James White (the chair of the committee) House Bill 2900 [[link removed]] by State Rep. Cole Hefner

Constitutional carry has been a top priority for the Republican Party of Texas and gun owners across the Lone Star State for over a decade, but efforts to eliminate the requirement of a state gun permit have repeatedly been defeated.

The replacement of Democrat Chair Poncho Nevarez with Republican James White, who has filed his own version of the bill, could be a more hopefully sign this session.

“Our Constitution was written to ensure certain rights of all citizens. Everyone has the right to life and to protect that life from harm. No one should have to pay a fee or get permission from the government before being able to do so legally.” –State Rep. Kyle Biedermann

Want to know what else is coming up this week? Check out Texas Scorecard [[link removed]] later today for This Week in Texas, where Jeramy Kitchen will preview what is expected to come ahead in the Texas Capitol!

🔒 Donate to Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Number of the Day

1/2

The legislative session is halfway done, with 70 days left in the 140-day session.

[Source: Legislative Calendar]

Today in History

On March 22, 1790, Thomas Jefferson became the first U.S. Secretary of State.

Quote-Unquote

“I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves.”

– Thomas Jefferson​

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PO Box 248, Leander, TX 78646 Produced by Michael Quinn Sullivan and Brandon Waltens, the Texas Minute is a quick look at the news and info of the day we find interesting, and hope you do as well. It is delivered weekday mornings (though we'll take the occasional break for holidays and whatnot).

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