After Bonnen, will lawmakers reset power in the Texas House?

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Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

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Texas voters may be less surprised by what’s on their ballots this November than by what their ballots look like. Erin Anderson reports [[link removed]] dozens of counties across the state—including Collin, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Williamson, and Travis—are rolling out new “hybrid” voting systems that combine paper-based and electronic balloting.

With hybrid systems, voters use an electronic touch screen to mark paper ballots. The voters then confirm their selections on paper before scanning their ballots into a separate machine for electronic counting. As a benefit, election officials have a paper record to use for audits and recounts.

Early voting for the Constitutional Propositions continues through Friday; Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Be sure to check out the recommendations of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility [[link removed]] before you vote!

Writing in the Federalist [[link removed]], San Antonio entrepreneur Matt Beebe explains [[link removed]] how the “retreat” of Texas Republicans on cultural issues has been exposed in the case of a 7-year-old boy who might be subjected to gender transition by his mother over the objections of his father. Lawmakers have known about the issue for nearly two years but attempts to address it were “sidelined and portrayed as out of step with mainstream voters.” In the face of national criticism, Gov. Greg Abbott has now promised an investigation into the matter while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been silent.

In an all-too-common arrangement, a construction firm that appears only to do work for school districts is a large contributor to a political action committee urging Keller Independent School District voters to accept $315 million in debt. Robert Montoya reports [[link removed]] BTC, a construction company with offices in Fort Worth and El Paso, would stand to cash in on new projects with the school district if the bond is passed.

Bond debt is paid for with property tax revenues.

What’s happening in Keller is not unique. Out-of-town construction firms hoping to do business with a particular government entity contribute heavily to one-off bond-promoting political action committees that pretend to be local in nature. These political expenditures are geared to ingratiating the construction companies with the school district bureaucracy charged with spending the money.

The headquarters of Houston mayoral candidate Tony Buzbee suffered a break in last week, the campaign reported. Our friends at UrbanReform.org have the details [[link removed]]. The Houston Police Department has said they “cannot confirm this was a burglary or burglary attempt.” ​

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​ The scandal surrounding the unethical behavior of House Speaker Dennis Bonnen illustrates just how powerful the speakership has become in modern years. In a new commentary, legal expert and former Republican State Rep. Matt Rinaldi suggests [[link removed]] lawmakers should reset the balance of power in the Texas House.

“Traditionally a ministerial position, it was more common prior to 1977 for there to be multiple speakers in a single legislative session than for a speaker to serve more than one session. ... Texas has now had three consecutive Texas House speakers who have been widely criticized for wielding power in an overly authoritarian manner. It begs the question of whether the position of Speaker of the Texas House should be radically altered to return it to what it once was.” – Matt Rinaldi [[link removed]] Number of the Day

2,325,502​

Estimated population of Houston as of July 1, 2018, while the population of Harris County was estimated to be 4,698,619.

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

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Valerie Webb, Administrative Assistant

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A: The Hamilton Pool - west of Austin.

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A: Communicating with all the local patriots!

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“To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.”

– Theodore Roosevelt​​

Your State Lawmakers

Governor of Texas

Greg Abbott - R

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Lt. Governor

Dan Patrick - R

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PO Box 36875 | Houston, TX 77236 The Texas Minute is a quick look at the news and info of the day that we find interesting, and hope you do as well. It is produced on week days and distributed at 6 a.m. (though I'll probably take the occasional break for holidays and whatnot).

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