Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Monday, June 13, 2022.

– Brandon Waltens 

• This week, the Republican Party of Texas  is holding its biennial convention in Houston. Texas Scorecard will be there, as will nearly 10,000 delegates and grassroots activists from across the state.
   
• But what exactly happens at the convention?

Electing Party Leadership

• Like any large organization, leadership is important as it helps set the tone for the party—how it will operate and what issues it will prioritize.
   
• Matt Rinaldi, a former state representative, was chosen to lead the Texas GOP following Allen West’s departure from the role last July ahead of his unsuccessful gubernatorial bid. 
   
• Rinaldi will be running for his first full two-year term as chairman. Currently, he is unopposed, though that is subject to change in the coming days. Last month, Texas Scorecard sat down with the RPT chairman in an exclusive interview to discuss his approach to leading the party and how he sees the future for Texas Republicans.
   
• In addition to the chair, all delegates will have the chance to vote for a vice chair. Currently, there are three candidates vying for the position: Alma Jackson, Dr. Dana Myers, and Adrienne Peña-Garza. All three participated in a recent forum held by Grassroots America - We The People. 
   
• Lastly, delegates in each of the state's 31 state Senate districts will elect one man and woman each to serve on the State Republican Executive Committee, which serves as the party's governing body. 

Legislative Priorities

• Part of the business of the convention will be selecting a group of around eight legislative priorities. These priorities are meant to be a directive to Republican lawmakers, expressing what the grassroots of the party would like to see accomplished during the upcoming 140-day legislative session.
   
• Priorities from the last session included:
  • Election Integrity
  • Religious Freedom
  • Child Gender Modification
  • Abolition of Abortion
  • Constitutional Carry
  • Monument Protection
  • School Choice
  • Taxpayer-funded Lobbying
     
• Some potential new priorities being floated have included banning vaccine mandates and abolishing property taxes.

Party Platform

• While the legislative priorities are a relatively short list, the party's platform is much longer.
   
• This 33-page document consists of 337 planks outlining the party's official position on a large swatch of issues from education to elections to healthcare.
   
• While it is unlikely the document will be massively changed, delegates usually add, delete, or tweak some of it during each convention.

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.