Good morning –

Of course Democrats in the Texas Senate delayed a hearing on election integrity legislation... their party wants to steal elections. 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, March 23, 2021
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• A procedural move by Democrats on Monday delayed a scheduled hearing of multiple high-priority election reform bills in the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee, disappointing dozens of citizens who traveled to Austin so they could testify in favor of the bills. Erin Anderson has the story.
      
• The committee’s chairman, State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola), said five Democrats – Royce West (DeSoto), Beverly Powell (Burleson), Sarah Eckhardt (Austin), José Menéndez (San Antonio), and Roland Gutierrez (San Antonio) – had “placed what is called a ‘tag’ on the big election bills that were set for today.” Under the Senate’s rules, any state senator can “tag” a bill to request and receive at least 48 hours advance written notice of a hearing on that bill... even though notice for the hearing was publicly known well in advance.
      
• “This is not going to stop these bills.” – Bryan Hughes

• Citizens will have an opportunity Thursday morning to speak on a long-awaited priority for many Texans: banning taxpayer-funded lobbying. Robert Montoya reports House Bill 749 is scheduled to be heard in the House State Affairs Committee.
     
• “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.” – Bill author State Rep. Mayes Middleton (R–Wallisville)
       
• A companion bill in the Texas Senate, Senate Bill 234 by State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), was referred to the senate’s State Affairs Committee on March 3 but has yet to be scheduled for a hearing. Neither has the similar, though not identical, SB 10 filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) – despite being a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

• Gov. Greg Abbott’s top legislative priority – rural broadband access – is getting traction in both chambers of the Texas Legislature. Jeramy Kitchen explains the issue, while looking at what the proponents and opponents are saying.
      
• Since we’ve passed the halfway mark of the legislative session, with little in the way of legislation yet moving, you might be wondering what has consumed much of the oxygen in the legislature. Get the answer here.

• With a humanitarian crisis unfolding at the Texas-Mexico border, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is lambasting President Joe Biden for allowing the rapidly-worsening chaos. Jacob Asmussen has the details.
     
• “Biden’s immigration agenda swings the door wide open to allow already-deported, armed child-raping illegal aliens from Mexico onto Texas soil.” – Ken Paxton

• You might recall the 2020 Democrat primary when Joe Biden said people should “immediately surge to the border” if he is elected. Well, it’s happening.

• Meanwhile, Joshua Pierce reports two Texas lawmakers are pressing for legislation to build a border wall and end in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
      
• State Reps. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) and Jeff Cason (R-Bedford) wrote letters to House State Affairs Committee chairman Chris Paddie (R-Marshall), and Higher Education chairman Jim Murphy (R-Houston) asking for their respective bills to be heard.
       
• Slaton’s measure would instruct the Department of Public Safety to complete President Donald Trump’s planned wall along the southern border, securing it from further illegal alien incursions, and stemming “the tide of illegal crossings, human trafficking, and illegal drugs.”
      
• “In-state tuition pricing, subsidized by Texas taxpayers, is one of the few privileges afforded to Texas residents attending a state school in Texas,” argues Cason. “Why then, are illegal immigrants allowed to enjoy this privilege denied to millions of U.S. citizens?” 

• Rachel Bovard writes about a trove of leaked Federal Trade Commission documents showing that the agency bent to political pressure from the Obama White House – and in the process gave Google monopolistic powers.
       
• “Thanks in part to the FTC’s whiff on Google in 2012, the power of Big Tech has continued to grow, unchecked and largely unrivaled.” – Rachel Bovard

• On social media? Connect with me on Parler,  LinkedIn, and Gab, as well as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
      
• Texas Scorecard can be found on Parler, Facebook, Twitter, Gab, and Instagram. Facebook users should be sure to check out our Citizens’ Bureau group.
     
• Because Big Tech is censoring and de-platforming conservatives, update your record with us so we have your cell phone number.

Today in History 

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry gave an impassioned speech before the Virginia Convention in which he argued against the tyrannical rule Britain was exercising over the colonies.

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