Good morning,

Your Republican-dominated Texas House yesterday endorsed mask mandates, but said golf courses can’t be closed during a pandemic. Are those your priorities?

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tuesday, May 11, 2021
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• Looming over the 2021 legislative session since it convened in January was Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic executive overreach throughout 2020. He collected to himself powers not granted to the governor in the Texas constitution, imposing restrictions like those in New York and California. 
       
• The Texas Senate has worked consistently through the session to pass legislation restricting the power of the governor.
        
• The Texas House, meanwhile, has mostly ignored the issue… until last night.

• Texas grassroots activists were outraged by House Bill 3 several months ago, authored by Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) because it codified the governor’s power grab rather than restrict it.
      
• The measure languished until yesterday, when Burrows brought it to the floor. The measure was altered significantly. Jeramy Kitchen has the story.
     
• For example, HB 3 now requires the legislature be called into session if a pandemic emergency declaration exceeds 120 days. 
     
• However, lawmakers rejected an amendment from freshman Cody Vasut (R-Angleton) that would have prohibited mask mandates without legislative approval (see next bullet). House members did, however, adopt an amendment from Jeff Leach (R-Plano) prohibiting the closure of golf courses. Then, they adopted an amendment by Mike Schofield (R-Katy) curtailing the power of local governments to shut down businesses.
     
• In all, seven Republicans voted with Democrats to allow both the governor and local governments to be able to require the wearing of masks when responding to a pandemic. Including: Steve Allison (San Antonio), Travis Clardy (Nacogdoches), Drew Darby (San Angelo), Charlie Geren (Ft. Worth), Kyle Kacal(College Station), Lyle Larson (San Antonio), and Four Price (Amarillo).
    
• The mixed-bag final version of HB 3 passed the House 92-45.

• A particularly noxious corporate welfare program suffered a crippling blow at the hands of a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers and interest groups. Brandon Waltens reports an effort to vastly expand the “Chapter 313” program was killed in the Texas House yesterday.
        
• Despite the Chapter 313 program being specifically opposed by the platform of the Republican Party of Texas, the chairman of the House Republican Caucus (Jim Murphy of Houston) was the author of the legislation expanding it. He was trying to extend the program for a decade while also expanding the types of projects eligible for the subsidies to existing companies that are simply doing “renovations, improvement, and modernization.”
   
• So what is it? Chapter 313 of the Texas Tax Code allows school districts to offer large tax breaks for 10 years to renewable energy and other businesses. The tax breaks come at no loss to the school districts. Instead, the state supplements the lost revenue to the districts from sales taxes and other state-collected taxes.
      
• Many of the unreliable energy projects exist only because of the Chapter 313 corporate welfare program.
      
• Don’t rejoice just yet: the program isn’t dead. This past weekend lawmakers voted to let Chapter 313 live two more years in its current form.

• The 2022 Republican Primary just got a little busier, with Gov. Greg Abbott drawing opposition from former State Sen. Don Huffines (R-Dallas). Brandon Waltens has the story.
      
• Huffines was first elected to the Texas Senate in 2014, after defeating liberal Republican incumbent John Carona in the GOP primary. Sen. Huffines went on to be widely recognized as one of the most conservative members of the Senate.
          
• “For too long, Texas has been let down by politicians who offer nothing but excuses and lies. Our border is still wide open. Property taxes keep going up. And our election laws continue to be ignored. Plain and simple, our politicians aren’t getting things done, and Texans have rightfully run out of patience.” – Don Huffines
       
• The Republican primary election is currently scheduled for March 1, 2022, although delays in census data for redistricting will likely cause the elections to be delayed until April or May.
   
• Humorist and media personality Chad Prather has previously declared his candidacy.

• Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has received a 2022 endorsement from former President Donald Trump. 
   
• “He has stood up for up for Life, Liberty, the Second Amendment, Border Security, our Military and our Vets, and our God-given Freedoms. He has governed by conservative principles of LOW TAXES and careful spending, always doing what is best for his great State and for America. Texans should re-elect him! He is outstanding and has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” – Donald Trump

• Collin Strong’s president, Brian Newman, is equipping homeowners to fight their rising property tax bills. Robert Montoya attended a recent presentation.

• Will you give 60 cents a day to make sure Texas Scorecard and the Texas Minute get into as many hands as possible? 
       
• With a monthly contribution of $18.36, you’ll make a critical impact for the cause of liberty and self-governance in the Lone Star State. As the legislative session staggers to an end, lawmakers will be heading home eager to rewrite recent history by inflating – and even misrepresenting – their actions and achievements. Texans must be armed with the truth.
       
• After all, the only way citizens can hold lawmakers accountable is if citizens know the score.

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