Good morning,

There is another scandal and apparent coverup in the Texas House involving House Speaker Dennis Bonnen. This time involving cocaine.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, November 14, 2019
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• Last week Democrat State Rep. Poncho Nevarez of Eagle Pass unexpectedly announced he would not seek reelection, raising eyebrows. He was Speaker Bonnen‘s chairman of the powerful Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety. Now, thanks to a tip provided to our friends at Direct Action Texas last night, we know why Nevarez is leaving office... and more questions are being raised.
          
• Back in September Nevarez apparently dropped an official State of Texas envelope bearing his name and office address when getting into a car at the Austin airport. That envelope contained a substantial amount of cocaine.
     
• Yes, you read that right... the cocaine was apparently in an envelope bearing his name, title, and legislative office address. That’s either gross stupidity or supreme arrogance. Or both. The arrogance is telling; it goes to the corrupt culture that has been allowed to fester in Austin by Republicans and Democrats alike.
          
• Despite an official complaint, affidavit, and arrest warrant being on file with the Texas Department of Public Safety – the agency he oversees as Bonnen’s committee chairman – for some reason Nevarez has apparently yet to be arrested and publicly charged. The affidavit is known only because it was provided to Direct Action Texas by an anonymous source. 
       
• When were Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Bonnen made aware of Nevarez’s criminal issue? Was the Democrat allowed to “not seek re-election” in exchange for not being publicly arrested and charged? How many more unethical and illegal actions involving Speaker Bonnen and his leadership team will Texas have to endure before he leaves office?
        
• In his role as committee chairman, Nevarez was Bonnen’s hatchet man in killing the Texas GOP platform priority “constitutional carry.” So while Bonnen and Nevarez wouldn’t let law-abiding citizens carry firearms without government permission, Nevarez was apparently carrying around cocaine in a State of Texas envelope.
      
• Constitutional carry is the permitless carrying of firearms by law-abiding citizens. It is now the law in Oklahoma. Cary Cheshire reports the Sooner State joins an ever-growing number of states that do not require licenses for the open carry of handguns – it’s a list that does not, however, include Texas.
     
• The issue being a top priority for Texas gun owners and the Texas GOP, but legislative efforts sputtered and failed during the recent legislative session. A House bill allowing constitutional carry was killed by Bonnen and Nevarez. No one in the Texas Senate even filed a constitutional carry measure.
     
• In a new commentary, former State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving) wonders why Republican elected officials in Texas are promoting gun control while the rest of the nation is swinging in favor of expanded Second Amendment Rights.
      
• “Everywhere but Texas, the tide has turned in favor of gun rights.” – Matt Rinaldi
      
• According to the chairman of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, pro-life legislation didn’t pass because pro-life groups didn’t support pro-life bills. Maybe State Rep. Mike Lang (R-Granbury) hopes Texans won’t notice it was the House leadership that refused to let the measures on the floor for legislative action? Besides, only legislators have votes in the legislative chambers.  
        
• “I joint authored abolish abortion and one of 60 co-authors on the House Heartbeat bill. Not filed in Senate and No support from pro-life groups on either bill,” tweeted Lang in response to a prolife constituent. 
   
• FWIW, the Republican Party of Texas specifically supported those bills. 
      
• If explicit support by specific groups is required for passage, why did so many widely-supported legislative initiatives (pro-life, Second Amendment, and others) get deep-sixed in the Texas House?

• Earlier this week Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick admitted to supporters in a blast email he was “frustrated” by the results of the 2019 legislative session. No wonder. Texas still has among the highest property tax burdens in the nation and is no longer leading on election integrity, Second Amendment rights, or taking on the abortion industry. It should be easy to understand why grassroots activists are unified in demanding a special session to get real results.
           
• UPDATE:  Deferring to a horrendous Texas Supreme Court decision from several years ago, the Texas Attorney General’s Office is currently allowing a North Texas water district to keep contracts related to a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign hidden from taxpayers. Robert Montoya has the details. The Tarrant Regional Water District has been mired in a slew of scandals estimated to cost more than a billion dollars.