Good morning –

National news reports indicate hundreds of Afghani nationals – including those who have not been fully vetted – will be relocated to Texas by the Biden Administration. Let me know what you think in the One Click Survey.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

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House Maintains Quorum… Barely After securing a quorum late last week, then promptly adjourning for a long weekend, it was uncertain if the Texas House would have enough lawmakers present to conduct business this week. The chamber had been scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. yesterday, but was delayed nearly two hours. With 100 members physically present, the House had the bare minimum to meet the constitutionally defined quorum.

Democrats, however, were quick to point out that a quorum was not “perpetual,” making demands under the implied threat that they would again bust the legislative process.

Jeramy Kitchen has the details [[link removed]]. Texas GOP Wants Consequences For House Democrats

Meanwhile, the Republican Party of Texas has indicated support for three measures in a response to Democrats obstructing legislative business:

1. Removing quorum-breaking Democrats as Committee Chairs.

2. Amend the rules to automatically revoke committee chairmanships of any member with 15 or more unexcused absences.

3. Enforce a call of the House and arrest absent members if a quorum is not maintained.

“Democrats have played this childish political charade for far too long. Now that House Republicans have the power of a quorum they should vote immediately to remove Democrat Committee chairs and take action to maintain a quorum in the future,” said Matt Rinaldi [[link removed]], chairman of the Republican Party of Texas.

The Texas House recessed until Thursday without taking action against those quorum-busting Democrats.

School Sports Later today the Texas House Public Education Committee is scheduled to meet and consider Senate Bill 2, a proposed law to ensure male students would not be allowed to compete on designated female sports teams in the state’s public schools. Jacob Asmussen has the details [[link removed]].

The legislation would forbid Texas public high schools from allowing “a student to compete in an interscholastic athletic competition sponsored or authorized by the district or school that is designated for the biological sex opposite to the student’s biological sex.”

The proposal comes as school-aged girls across the country face the threat of losing sports scholarships and opportunities to boys posing as girls. The NCAA currently allows biological boys to intrude on girls’ sports, and even threatened earlier this year to move championship games away from Texas if state lawmakers chose to enact laws that defend women’s sports. Crisis After Crisis… With Only One Real Solution Texas is facing many crises at once including confusing mask mandates, an ongoing border crisis, and crippling property taxes. Grassroots leaders tell Robert Montoya [[link removed]] that the way out of these messes is more citizen-involvement.

“We fell asleep at the wheel and took our Constitutional Republic for granted,” says Lori Gallagher of Williamson County. “We are responsible for the crisis and we are the only ones that can fix it.”

The list of recent crises facing the state seems unending: the unconstitutional shutdown of the economy, the influx of illegal aliens, an increase in human trafficking, and the vulnerability of the state’s power grid, to name only a few.

“We may be in crisis, but I believe we can get out of it,” said Chad Miller of Wise County Conservatives. ‘Misleading’ Ballot Language Conservative grassroots groups are challenging the ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment, calling the wording “misleading” and asking state officials to fix it before the November election. Erin Anderson has the story [[link removed]].

At issue is the description for what will be Proposition 2 on the November 2 ballot. The measure would allow counties to finance transportation and infrastructure projects in designated “reinvestment zones” by repaying borrowed money with property tax increases from new development within the zones—known as tax increment financing. But proposition language set to go on the ballot fails to tell voters that the borrowed money is repaid with property taxes.

A nearly identical proposition rejected by voters in 2011 did state that debt would be repaid with “increases in ad valorem taxes imposed by the county on property in the area.”

Three citizen advocacy groups—Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF), Grassroots America – We the People PAC, and True Texas Project—say the 2021 ballot language doesn’t fully inform voters, and they are prepared to challenge the election results if the language isn’t fixed by the Texas Secretary of State. Please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to our director of development, Elizabeth McClung! You know what she would really like for her birthday? For everyone to make a special contribution [[link removed]] to Texas Scorecard today! ONE CLICK SURVEY

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Number of the Day

100

Number of House members physically present on the chamber’s floor at 5:45 p.m. yesterday – securing the minimum number of lawmakers to meet the quorum requirements of the Texas Constitution.

[Source: Speaker of the Texas House]

Today In History

On August 24, 1814, British troops set fire to the White House.

Quote-Unquote

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

– James Madison​

Your State & Federal Officials

Click the office to find more contact information.

​ U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

John Cornyn - R

(202) 224-2934

U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

Ted Cruz - R

(202) 224-5922

Governor of Texas [[link removed]]

Greg Abbott - R

(512) 463-2000

Lt. Governor [[link removed]]

Dan Patrick - R

(512) 463-0001

Attorney General [[link removed]]

Ken Paxton – R

(512) 463-2100

Comptroller [[link removed]]

Glenn Hegar – R

(512) 463-4600

Land Commissioner [[link removed]]

George Bush – R

(512) 463-5001

Commissioner of Agriculture [[link removed]]

Sid Miller – R

(512) 463-7476

Railroad Commissioners [[link removed]]

Wayne Christian – R

Christy Craddick – R

Jim Wright – R

(512) 463-7158

U.S. House [[link removed]], District

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Speaker of the Texas House

Dade Phelan (R)

(512) 463-1000

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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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