Good morning, 

As I noted yesterday, the third special session of the Texas Legislature to be called by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021 ended – to borrow a line from T.S. Eliot – “not with a bang but a whimper.” 

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, October 20, 2021
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Personal Aside: Real People Are Hurting

• Before getting into the day’s news, allow me to point you to one of the reader comments about property taxes arising from yesterday’s One Click Survey. The comment is from Deborah Harper, who notes that she was forced to sell her home because she couldn’t keep up with the property taxes. 
   
• Think about that. A Texan was forced from her home because our legislators would rather feed the leviathan of big government than protect the people.
   
• How many people like Deborah have been forced from their homes because Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, and 180 members of the Texas Legislature keep deciding the property tax problem can be delayed until “another time”? Kicking the property tax can down the road might be convenient for politicians, but it is destroying the lives of real people.

Unfinished Business

• Of the 10 total items on the agenda prescribed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, only six made it across the legislative finish line. And that doesn’t include the big items, favored by grassroots activists, that Gov. Abbott refused to even ask the legislature to consider.
   
• Jeramy Kitchen explains what was – and wasn’t – done by lawmakers.
   
• For example, late in the special session Gov. Abbott asked lawmakers to decide the circumstances under which COVID-19 shots could be mandated by employers. Though multiple legislative proposals were filed to address that issue, none were voted on by either chamber.
      
• Similarly, Gov. Abbott and the GOP-dominated Legislature weakened penalties associated with voter fraud. The duplicity was noticed and called out by grassroots activists, who demanded the change be reversed. Abbott relented and the Senate advanced a fix… that was stalled by House Speaker Dade Phelan.
   
• It is unclear if Gov. Abbott has the political courage to call lawmakers back to address issues left undone.

Coalition Calls For Special Session On Vax Mandates

• Following the close of the Texas Legislature’s third special session, where legislation prohibiting COVID vaccine mandates stalled out in both the House and Senate, the Texas Freedom Coalition is calling for a fourth special session to take up the issue. 

New Maps Quickly Turn Allies Into Rivals

• Just a few months ago, former Austin City Council member Ellen Troxclair and Austin Police officer Justin Berry were running a coalition campaign for overlapping Senate and House seats – going so far as to record a campaign video together in August. But, as Jeramy Kitchen explains, things went sour quickly because of redistricting.
   
• Troxclair was drawn out of the senate seat she was seeking and the GOP establishment threw their support to a former state senator instead of her. Meanwhile, Berry found himself drawn into a different House district. Now rather than supporting each other’s bids, Troxclair and Berry are at each other’s throats as both seek a seat in the Texas Legislature.
   
• It has turned nasty… fast. 
   
• Troxclair has accused Berry of feeling “entitled” to the seat. Berry, meanwhile, accused her of going back on her word.
   
• Lost in the politicians’ war of words and hurt feelings? The citizens.

Olcott Challenges Rogers

• Freshman State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R-Mineral Wells) will face a primary challenge from conservative activist Mike Olcott, who founded the Parker County Conservatives.
   
• Under the newly drawn district maps, reports Griffin White, the district in which Rogers lives now adds Parker County – and loses six counties. Besides Parker, the new district includes only Stephens and Palo Pinto counties.
   
• “I am running because despite Republicans holding a strong majority in Texas, we still have an open border, skyrocketing property taxes, and have not audited the 2020 elections here in Texas despite the fact that Donald Trump requested it,” said Olcott.

Biden Forced To Shift Border Policy

• The Biden Administration has been forced to reinstate President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, known officially as the “Migrant Protection Protocols.” Sydnie Henry has details.
   
• The Migrant Protection Protocols were enacted in 2019 under President Donald Trump as a means of processing illegal aliens requesting asylum. Joe Biden suspended the program in January of this year. A federal court in North Texas forced the program to be re-implemented.

• Early voting is still underway on the statewide constitutional amendments. Check out the brief guide prepared by Brandon Waltens before you go vote.

Y’All Answered

By all accounts, the Texas Legislature is done for 2021 – and so are hopes that Republican lawmakers would stop listening to government spenders and start listening to taxpayers by putting the state on a path to eliminating property taxes by 2033 without levying any new taxes. 

Yesterday we asked who readers blame for the state just tinkering around the edges of the Texas’ burdensome – even confiscatory –  property tax system. The choices were Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dade Phelan, the GOP majority, or all the above.

Overwhelmingly, readers said all of them are equally to blame. Here are the stats: “All the Above” were blamed by 82.3 percent of readers. Meanwhile, Dade Phelan was singled out by 11.7 percent and Greg Abbott by 4.1. Conversely, less than 1 percent of readers think Dan Patrick alone bears the blame while 1.8 percent see the rank-and-file GOP lawmakers as the singular source of the problem.

• “I had to sell my home because I couldn’t keep up with the property taxes.  It was my dream home and I’ll never get over having to sell it.  I’m a senior and don’t have any hope of ever buying another home.  This is wrong!” – Deborah Harper
     
• “The blame is ultimately Abbott’s because he let Phelan and the House shut down anything Patrick and the Senate proposed.” – Kevin Tucker
   
• “Too little too late. If your heart isn’t in something nothing will be accomplished and the proof is in our legislature led by Republicans, supposedly.” – Jan Goria
     
• “I'm sick and tired of all these politicians hanging the proverbial carrot out to gain support and do nothing but keep that carrot out there.” – John Underwood
     
• “It is time to get rid of the Uni-Party in Texas.  We retired to Texas 3 years ago and Gov. Abbott and the ‘Republican’ legislators have been our biggest (and only!) disappointment in this great state. They're no better than the ‘dirty Jersey’ politicians we fled to Texas to escape.” – Mika Ryan

     

• “While I think all of the above are responsible for the legislative mess this year,  I hold Phelan completely responsible.  He is totally controlled by lobbyists and should be thrown out of the Republican Party.” – Twyla Tranfaglia
     
• “Dade Phelan needs to be removed from his position of House Speaker! Electing him was a BIG mistake. Every candidate for the house needs to be asked pointedly if they will or WILL NOT vote to re-elect him going forward.” – John Randall
      
• “Abbott because he has weakened the Republican majority with his support of Phelan and the coalition of RINOs and Democrats to undermine all the conservative agenda.” – Wanda Dietel
      
• “I also blame the very powerful tax collection attorneys who lobby both the left and the right.” – Melissa Oldham
      
• “If we are serious about getting a REAL Republican majority that actually does the taxpayers’ will, we need to work on getting a lot of the current RINOs ‘primaryed-out’ in the coming election cycle.” – Mark Henley  
     
• “We only have a semblance of a two party system. Both parties are corrupt to the bone with the small exception of a few good Republicans ‘trying’ to make a difference.” – Sheila Domstead
      

• “The best argument for a third party is the refusal of current politicians to exercise the will of the people.” – Arthur Potter
      

• “It's past time to clean House, Senate, the Governor's mansion ... Our opportunity comes in 2022, to rid ourselves of these liberals-in-disguise.” – Randy Miller
   

• “A ‘savings’ of $175 is not going to make a difference when taxes are over $7200! I am morally opposed to what the public schools teach, which is one reason I homeschool. Yet, I am forced into giving about 2/3 of my taxes to these institutions.” – Cathy Blake
   

• “Throughout these series of special sessions, Phelan has demonstrated that he is not only the the head RINO, but the leader of the Quisling wing of the Republican Party.  He and his lieutenants must be replaced if our party is ever going to enact its platform issues!” – Rowland Greenwade
   

• “They are ALL to blame. They aren’t doing their jobs and they continue to pretend to work on the issue while simultaneously blatantly ignoring it and trying to placate us with crumbs. It’s disgusting.” – Lauri Helms

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