Good morning!

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, September 16, 2021
Modify your email preferences.

Lt. Gov. Patrick Makes Property Tax Relief A Priority…

• … But Gov. Greg Abbott hasn’t included it on the special session agenda.
   
• Yesterday, Patrick announced his priority legislation going into the third called special legislative session, which begins on Monday, Sept. 20. Notable is his inclusion of “property tax relief” – because that topic is one noticeably absent from Abbott’s agenda. Jeramy Kitchen has the details.
   
• Rather than put Texas on a path toward eliminating property taxes, though, Lt. Gov. Patrick wants to advance a one-time tax cut that would amount to approximately $100 in relief for a home valued at $300,000.
   
• Patrick’s other priorities – redistricting, addressing the shortfall in the unemployment fund, youth sports protections, and regulations on dog restraints – line up with those announced by Abbott.

Local Officials Stepping Up

• With the Biden Administration pushing COVID vaccination mandates, some local officials around Texas are stepping up to defend their citizens from what they see as an extreme overreach by the federal government. Robert Montoya has the story.
   
• In Brazoria County, Sheriff Bo Stallman (R) announced he will not enforce the mandate. “As a protector and defender of your individual liberties, I want you to know that you will not be required by the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office to adhere to any vaccine mandate or any other mandate that would attempt to infringe on your individual liberties or freedoms,” Stallman wrote, adding he neither supports nor opposes the COVID vaccines.
   
• Meanwhile, in Ellis County, the commissioners along with the County Judge, Todd Little, voted for a resolution opposing Biden’s mandate. “We oppose any use of county resources to enforce any government mandates regarding any COVID–19 vaccine or treatment,” their resolution reads.
   
• Last week Texas Scorecard wrote about Corsicana City Councilman Chris Woolsey pushing for his city to likewise oppose vaccine mandates.

Portland Backs Down From Texas Ban

• Two weeks after gaining national attention for proclaiming a ban on official travel in, and city government conducting business with, Texas, the mayor of Portland, OR, is backing down. The threatened action came in the wake of Texas’ “Heartbeat Law” taking effect, which allows civil lawsuits against abortion providers after a heartbeat has been detected.
      
• Jacob Asmussen reports the leftwing city council has backed down, voting instead to spend $200,000 of taxpayer money on “one or more organizations that deliver programs and services related to reproductive healthcare.”
     
• “A city led by depraved officials allows lawlessness, putting their citizens in grave danger. A boycott will hurt them, not us. Texas’ economy is stronger than ever. We value babies and police, they don’t.” – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
   
• He’s not wrong. While the nearly $35 million the City of Portland has spent in Texas over the past five years might be meaningful to them, the “loss” would have been insignificant to the world’s 10th largest economy.
   
• While some left-leaning companies – like ride-sharing services Uber and Lyft, and the business data service SalesForce – have vaguely attempted to virtue-signal their opposition to Texas’ new law, none have actually taken meaningful steps. It indicates the state’s law might not be as reviled among key Democrat constituencies as some on the far-left had hoped.

• Meanwhile, the Houston Pregnancy Help Center has stepped up its efforts to serve women and their babies.
   
• “That woman in crisis is our priority: the woman that’s in an unplanned pregnancy today, the woman who’s thinking about having an abortion today. That is our priority,” Sylvia Johnson-Matthews told Texas Scorecard. “That is who we want to reach. That is why we exist.”

HD Special: Harrison v Wray

• A special runoff election to fill the vacant Texas House District 10 seat is set for September 28. Early voting starts Monday, reports Erin Anderson.
   
• The runoff is between two Republicans, former Trump administration official Brian Harrison and former State Rep. John Wray. They were the top finishers in an expedited special election in August to replace former State Rep. Jake Ellzey (R–Waxahachie), who was elected to Congress in a July special runoff to replace the late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright.
   
• Ellzey has endorsed Wray – who held the state rep. seat prior to Mr. Ellzey, and left office under a cloud of ethical questions.
   
• Harrison is a former chief of staff to the Health and Human Services Secretary in the Trump administration. He’s endorsed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R–TX).

• Please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to our 1836 Studios producer, Drew Koch!

Your Federal & State Lawmakers

Click the office to find more contact information.