Good morning!

Texas Scorecard’s managing editor Brandon Waltens was in Mission yesterday to cover Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest border crisis press conference – the theme of which seemed to be ‘we hope Biden listens to us and fixes things.’

That leads today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, October 7, 2021
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More Border Talk… This Time With Nine Governors

• In a press conference held by the Anzalduas Bridge along the Rio Grande, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined nine other Republican governors in discussing proposed solutions to the invasion of illegal aliens along the southern border. As Brandon Waltens reports, the main target of the governors’ remarks were President Joe Biden and the federal government.
     
• Shortly before the press conference, the Republican Governor’s Association released a list of policy proposals directed at President Joe Biden, with whom the group of governors has unsuccessfully petitioned to hold a meeting.
      
• Despite illegal immigration being an ongoing problem in Texas since Abbott took office in 2015, Abbott has heightened his attention to the issue in recent months as some of his Republican primary challengers have taken him to task.
   
• When Gov. Abbott was asked by Texas Scorecard if he would consider closing ports of entry – as has been suggested by GOP challenger Don Huffines to put economic pressure on the Mexican government – the governor declined to commit. Abbott said he would take “any and all action that needs to be taken,” but said that “most, if not all” of illegal immigration was occurring between those ports – suggesting such closures weren’t currently on his list of priorities. 

• We are rapidly approaching the point at which transcripts from Gov. Abbott’s border press conferences can be used as a border wall. And maybe THAT is the plan? Threaten illegals with getting paper cuts from the stacks of briefing books?
   

• Yesterday’s border press conference theme was just more of the “ask permission” variety. The border crisis won’t be fixed by governors’ press conferences announcing their desire to ask Joe Biden (again) to do things. The states must just start exercising their sovereign authority, period. The states must stop asking permission, and instead get to work.

Senate Restores Penalties For Election Fraud

• A legislative fix to keep voter fraud a felony in Texas sailed through the state Senate this week, but it will stall in the House unless Republicans in charge agree to deliver what GOP grassroots demanded. Erin Anderson has the report.
      
• At issue is the GOP’s top-priority comprehensive election integrity measure that passed during the second special legislative session in August and is set to take effect in December. A last-minute House amendment to SB 1 actually weakened penalties for cheaters from second-degree felonies to Class A misdemeanors.
   
• Ten days after grassroots activists discovered the switch and demanded action to restore the felony penalties, Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick publicly supported the fix, with Abbott adding it to the current special session agenda last Thursday. House Speaker Dade Phelan has said he was not interested in “re-litigating” the election integrity bill by restoring the stronger fraud penalties. However, in a sign that Phelan may be relenting to grassroots pressure, the Senate’s “fix” was sent yesterday to the House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies.

COVID Vax Bans Stalled

• Among the items on the agenda for this third special session of the Texas Legislature is a charge from the governor for lawmakers to address “COVID-19 vaccine” mandates and “what exemptions should apply.” Jeramy Kitchen reports, however, legislation is stalled in both chambers.
     
• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick did not include anything about vaccine mandates on his list of legislative priorities. Several measures have been assigned to committees, but no hearings or other actions have been scheduled.
   
• In contrast, legislative initiatives filed in the Texas House by various lawmakers have been left to gather dust on Speaker Dade Phelan’s desk – none of them have even been assigned to committees for procedural work to begin.
   
• Just 12 days remain in the third special session.

School Boards: Parents Are Domestic Terrorists

• The National School Board Association wants the federal government to stop parents from protesting against mask mandates, critical race theory, and pornography in schools. Their solution, which has been endorsed by the U.S. Attorney General, is to classify political opponents as “domestic terrorists.” Sydnie Henry has the story.
      
• Recently, Round Rock ISD’s board refused to allow citizens into a public school board meeting about masking kids and increasing property taxes. (Taxpayers are now suing RRISD.)
      
• Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, said last week that parents are not the “primary stakeholders” in their children’s education.
        
• As an aside, U.S. A.G. Merrick Garland’s daughter is married to the co-founder of a company that sells “critical race theory” books and materials to schools.

Austin Uses COVID As Excuse To Pick Winners & Losers

• Please join me in wishing a very happy birthday to our Scorecard Fellow, Griffin White!

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