Good morning, 

Legislators left town last week without putting in place real, broad-based property tax relief for Texans. That’s the topic explored in the One Click Survey. 

But first, here is today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Modify your email preferences.

• But first… donors have asked how they can get extra copies of the monthly Texas Scorecard print edition to place in their business’ reception and checkout areas. It’s easy: send me an email to get started!
        
• FWIW, the print edition goes to Scorecard’s donors.

Third Special Session Starts Sept. 20

• Gov. Greg Abbott has officially set the expected third special session of the Texas legislature to commence on Sept. 20 – with redistricting leading his agenda. Brandon Waltens has the details.
   
• Rounding out the rest of the governor’s agenda: protecting girls’ K-12 sports from intrusion by gender-confused boys; appropriating federal coronavirus relief money; addressing vaccine mandates (not banning)… and restrictions on dog tethering.
      
• Several conservative priorities are curiously absent. Perhaps most notable is his unaddressed (abandoned?) item from the last special session to prohibit school mask mandates.
      
• And what else is missing? Based on his agenda, Greg Abbott is more interested in protecting dogs from bad tethering than he is in protecting children from being forcibly coerced into gender transitioning. He’s more concerned with how dogs are treated, than providing Texans with real property tax relief. Amazing…

Democrats Skate Free

• Despite calls from conservatives, the Republican Party of Texas, and even Gov. Greg Abbott, the Legislature has adjourned without the House approving – or even considering – penalties for the Democrat House members who left Austin and froze progress on priority legislation for the past two months. Brandon Waltens has the details.
      
• “I want to be clear: I have never seen an issue that so firmly unites Republicans across the political spectrum as this one does,” said the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, Matt Rinaldi, pointing to calls for Democrats to be removed from leadership positions in the House.
       
• House Republicans have one more opportunity this year to act on the issue, when they return for the third special session.
      
• Of course, this also means House Republicans have one more opportunity to cave in to their Democrat-appeasing House Speaker, Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont)…

Property Taxes On The Rise

• City officials in Dallas and Fort Worth are considering higher property tax burdens for citizens who are just beginning to recover from the 2020 government-imposed economic restrictions and shutdowns. Robert Montoya has the details.
     
• The tax rates proposed in both Fort Worth and Dallas are above the state-defined “no-new-revenue” rate; that is, property tax rate that would keep tax bills more or less stable.
      
• “The continued rise in property taxes is concerning, as it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Sadly, the Texas legislature had a real opportunity this special session to begin the path toward property tax elimination,” said Tim Hardin of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. “Instead, they chose to pass minor relief and to carve [out] special classes, neither of which provided meaningful relief. I hope taxpayers will get a wakeup call this year as their bills continue to rise despite elected officials telling them they cut taxes. Hopefully we can bring this issue front and center going into the next legislative session.”

Leftwing Mob Targets Texas

• On September 1, the Texas Heartbeat Act officially took effect statewide. The law empowers citizens, rather than government officials, to sue abortion facilities and anyone who assists in executing a child with a heartbeat. Jacob Asmussen reports on the angry reaction from leftists activists and their corporate partners.
      
• Notably, Internet hosting companies GoDaddy and Epik have both blocked prolifewhisteblower.com, Texas Right to Life’s website that sought to provide Texans with an anonymous tip form to report abortions and help enforce the Heartbeat Act.
   
• Now, businesses and elected officials –including President Biden – are attacking the state. Ride-share companies Uber and Lyft both recently announced legal funds to oppose the law, with Lyft also donating $1 million to abortion-mill Planned Parenthood.
     
• And, the city council of Portland, Oregon, is expected to vote on Wednesday to ban travel and trade with Texas to protest the Heartbeat Act.
   
• Seriously, will anyone in Texas even notice a travel and trade ban by Portland?

Get A Job

• The mainstream media is apoplectic with “jobless” benefits expiring that have allowed millions to sit idle under the excuse of the COVID pandemic.
   
• U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas stoked those frustrations by tweeting his recommendation to those worried about how to make ends meet: “Um, get a job? There are millions of vacancies, and small businesses across the Nation are desperate for workers.”
     

• The senator is 100% correct. Seems like every single business I enter has “help wanted” signs on the doors. Like never before, unemployment is the fault of the unemployed.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

Despite a $7 billion budget surplus and plans that could have – if implemented – given Texans a 10 percent property tax cut and set the state on the path toward eliminating property taxes, the GOP-dominated chambers of the legislature adjourned without doing anything on the issue.

Will Republicans unwillingness to enact substantial and meaningful property tax relief this year affect your decision at the polls 2022?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

Today In History

On Sept. 8, 1900, a massive hurricane destroyed nearly a third of the city of Galveston; approximately 7,000 people died in the storm.