Good morning!

The One Click Survey reminded me to lead with what I don’t say nearly enough: THANK YOU for subscribing to our work, for offering your input, for providing tips, for submitting corrections, and – of course – for financially contributing. All of us at Texas Scorecard are deeply thankful for you.

See what your fellow readers are thankful for at the conclusion of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Wednesday, November 24, 2021
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Pressure On Abbott Grows For Special Session

• The list of lawmakers who have publicly called on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to call a fourth special legislative session to address a prohibition on employer vaccine mandates continues to grow. Jeramy Kitchen has the details.
   
• Two dozen Republicans from both the Texas House and Senate have now issued public requests following a push by the Republican Party of Texas.
   
• Gov. Abbott issued an executive order forbidding vaccine mandates, but it has proven toothless as major companies and even state agencies under his control have ignored it.
   

• The Biden administration is attempting to implement their vaccine mandate via the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which released their official rule requiring large employers to mandate that employees subject themselves to one of the COVID-19 regimens or face costly weekly testing, continued mask-wearing, and possible fines or penalties.
      

• The rule implementation has since been halted, albeit likely only temporarily, as the issue likely makes its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Concerns have been raised that there is still nothing to protect employees from “woke corporations” implementing their own vaccine mandates before the rule goes into effect. The governor has been reluctant to comment on the growing list of companies ignoring his executive order.

• The Texas Constitution only grants the governor the authority to call the legislature into session outside the 140-day regular session that occurs every other year.
     

• Lawmakers requesting a special legislative session to address vaccine mandates include:
  State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood)
  State Sen. Drew Springer (R-Muenster)
  State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney)
  State Rep. Keith Bell (R-Forney)
  State Rep. Kyle Biedermann (R-Fredericksburg)
  State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park)
  State Rep. Jeff Cason (R-Bedford)
  State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Waxahachie)
  State Rep. Cole Hefner (R-Mt. Pleasant)
  State Rep. Matt Krause (R-Haslet)
  State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Allen)
  State Rep. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston)
  State Rep. Candy Noble (R-Lucas)
  State Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Friendswood)
  State Rep. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound)
  State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler)
  State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano)
  State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City)
  State Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro)
  State Rep. Valoree Swanson (R-Spring)
  State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington)
  State Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands)
  State Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton)
  State Rep. James White (R-Hillister)

Child Mutilation Clinic Closes—But Their Work Continues

• Children’s Medical Center Dallas and the UT Southwestern Medical Center have quietly ended their joint “GENECIS” program—a controversial clinic within the hospital involved in administering disfiguring cross-sex hormones and puberty blocker drugs to minors. But as Jacob Asmussen reports, just because the clinic has closed doesn’t mean children are protected from life-altering procedures done to satisfy their parents’ political and social agendas.
      
• “Rather than helping a child heal whatever hurt is causing their distress, transgender ‘medicine’ actually harms a child’s body,” Cindi Castilla, president of Texas Eagle Forum, told Texas Scorecard. “Children who are experiencing gender dysphoria need real help. Every cell in their body affirms their birth sex, so we do well to help them discover why their developing body feels uncomfortable. Providing a child with hormone blockers and cross-sex hormones could be likened to giving them tools for self-harm.”
       
• “When pro-family advocates get active and get organized, good things happen,” said Chris Hopper, Texas director for pro-family group American Principles Project and one of the activists who recently protested the North Texas clinic. “The shutdown of the GENECIS program is fantastic news for Texas families, and there’s no doubt that the pressure campaign played a big role. But we can’t celebrate yet.”

SBOE Challenge Set

• Republican businessman Aaron Kinsey has thrown his hat into the ring to challenge a recently elected member of the Texas State Board of Education, Jay Johnson, in the GOP primary. Thomas Warren has the story.
     
• There are 15 SBOE districts in Texas; for comparison, there are 31 state senate districts and 150 house districts. Candidates have until Monday, Dec. 13, to file for the ballot. The primary election day is scheduled for March 1, 2022.

Y’All Answered

Yesterday’s One Click Survey asked readers what they are most thankful for, and by the numbers… for your friends (.6%), family (6.9%), health (3.5%), country (1.3%), faith (12.5%) and “All of These” (75.3%)! 

Here’s a sampling from the ol’ Texas Minute inbox:

• “As someone who immigrated (legally) to this great country, I am very thankful for that privilege, but even more so, for being honored with a citizenship of a country that is second to none.” – John R. Makow
   
• “I’m beyond grateful for our Founding Fathers that found the courage to fight for freedoms against a tyrannical government that led to the formation of our great nation & I’m grateful for those in our current times still willing to stand against the evil in our country despite what appears to be an uphill battle! Stand strong, keep the faith and NEVER give up!!” – Cindy Kelley
   

• “Although it seems we face many things that seem terribly Unamerican and seem to threaten ‘all of these’ in one way or the other, we still have ‘all of these’, else there would be no threat.  For this reason, we should be all the more thankful!” – Roger Taylor 
   

• “Even though our Country is filled with evil, we still live in the greatest country in the world! I treasure my friends, family, country, but most of all I treasure our freedom and that we are allowed to openly worship our God! We must continue to fight for this freedom!” – Maggie Clopton Wright
     

• “While it is hard to be thankful for where our country is, I am thankful for the emergence of conservative voters who are waking up, organizing, and pushing back against the unconstitutional, unfair, and un-American direction the Democrats are pushing for. ” – Jane Anne Sellars
   

• “I am thankful and hopeful that the overreach of the Biden administration has opened the eyes of the so called moderate voters and they will help us take our country back.” – Wanda Dietel
   

• “I am most thankful this year for family, including my church family, as well as good friends who are as close as family. I wish you all a very blessed and safe Thanksgiving.” – Gary Eulenfeld
   

• “As crazy and upside down as our country and world are, I am so thankful to the Good Lord for all that I have. I am eternally grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and for brave Patriots that speak out about man-made injustices that woefully fall short of God's word.” – Jennifer Herr
   

• “We here in the Vargha family are most thankful for salvation in Jesus Christ. Without it, everything else is ultimately meaningless. Have a happy Thanksgiving!” – David Vargha
   

• “How can you not be grateful for all of these?  We live in the greatest country in the world!  We have been blessed beyond measure. Family, friends, a Christian faith with belief in eternal life through Jesus Christ, and health enabled by the best healthcare system in the world.” – Debbie Harper
   

• “While the past year has been difficult to say the least, it also brought an opportunity for a newly embraced love of God and heightened faith, as well as a resurgence of love of Country and the realization of how easily it can be taken from us and the conviction of what we are willing to do to keep it.” –Lesha Roberts 

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