Good morning!

In less than 19 minutes, the independence so hastily declared on March 2, 1836, was gloriously achieved less than two months later on the fields of San Jacinto.

Today is April 21, 2022 – the 186th anniversary of the victory at San Jacinto.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Vax Mandate… In Fort Worth?

• The left-leaning Texas Library Association is requiring “proof of full vaccination OR a negative COVID-19 test (administered within 72 hours of attendance) of all registered attendees; sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, TLA staff and speakers” for their conference next week in Fort Worth. Sydnie Henry has the story.
   
• The problem? The conference is being held at the Fort Worth Convention Center that is taxpayer-owned, with Mayor Mattie Parker and the city council ultimately serving as stewards of the property. The city allows event organizers to set their own COVID rules, city staff told Texas Scorecard.
     

• Although the city says it has no intention of enforcing draconian COVID-19 measures, if a disturbance occurred due to someone showing up without being fully vaxxed or COVID tested, that person could receive a citation due to the TLA’s entry guidelines. The TLA did not respond to Texas Scorecard’s request for comment on how they intend to enforce their COVID-19 policies.
     

• The association is already under scrutiny for the heavily political nature of their program, featuring drag queens and advocacy for school librarians to be left-wing social justice warriors.

Is Greg Abbott Opposing School Choice?

• It has been a mainstay of the Republican platform for years, but comments from a left-wing activist are raising questions about whether or not Greg Abbott is actively working to kill school choice legislation in the Lone Star State. And, as Brandon Waltens reports, the governor’s response only further confused his stance.
     
• As defined by the Republican Party of Texas, school choice refers to legislation that would “empower parents and guardians to choose from public, private, charter, or homeschool options for their children’s education using tax credits or exemptions without government restraint or intrusion.”
     
• After first being elected in 2014, Abbott would headline School Choice Week rallies on the Texas Capitol steps, donning the movement’s signature yellow scarf. As the years went on, Abbott’s embrace of the plan appears to have dwindled.
     
• Charlie Johnson is the executive director of Pastors for Texas Children, an anti-school choice group that supports pro-abortion, liberal Democrats and opposes reform in education. He claimed on social media that rural lawmakers, worried by the new push for school choice by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, assured Johnson that Abbott told them he “ain’t gonna push a voucher bill.”
     
• The governor confusingly responded, saying he had not ever spoken to Johnson – despite that not being Johnson’s claim, or even the most important part of the claim. What is the governor’s stance on school choice measures? Has he made the assurances described by Johnson?
     
• “Are you colluding with liberals to block school choice efforts or not?” asked Wade Miller of Citizens for Renewing America… without a response.
     
• Texas Scorecard asked Abbott’s office if the governor or anyone on his staff had spoken with any state lawmakers about the issue – but there hasn’t been a response.

Speaking Of Public Education…

• If a Christian public school teacher spent class sharing her faith, extolling its benefits, distributing tracts, and encouraging students to explore it with her, the left would destroy her.
     

• But a queer teacher can groom kids for his sexual gratification and be celebrated.

Liberty And Free Markets

• In the latest edition of Liberty Cafe, Bill Peacock explains why a free market is necessary for liberty.

How You Can Impact Property Taxes

• Taxpayers have two powerful, tangible tools at their disposal to keep property taxes in check, but – as Chris Woolsey writes in a new commentary –  many people forget about them.
   
• “The first is to participate in local elections for city council and school board elections. These are traditionally low turnout elections in May that have a greater impact on your daily life than Congress or the President. The second is to protest your appraisals, and exercise your right to check the appraisal district’s assessment.” - Chris Woolsey

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If It Is, Here Are Your Federal & State Lawmakers

The districts displayed here should reflect those recently redrawn by the Legislature. Though the new lines do not take representational effect until 2023, they will appear on the 2022 ballot. Please note that your incumbent legislator and/or district numbers may have changed.