August 23, 2019 4:14 PM 31 Texas House Republicans request caucus meeting to elect vice chair List includes a broad cross section of GOP members The letter including the names of
those asking for a caucus meeting can be downloaded
here. |
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August 23, 2019 12:09 PM People on the Move Big promotions, agency news, business award winners and more That’s enough of this week isn’t it? More stories about who said what about who
said what about members of the Texas House. It’ll all wear you
out if you let it. My phone was broken but it’s fixed now if you need to text
all weekend about it. I might not text back until Monday, though. Meantime, kick back and enjoy the latest
career moves in the Texas Capitol community. Your news is always welcome at ksbraddock@gmail.com and be sure to use
POTM in the subject line so I can keep it all organized. Thank you. Here’s the latest edition of People on the Move The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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August 23, 2019 9:17 AM Abbott begins talks to form state response in the wake of El Paso mass shootingUnlike his initial response group formed after the attack, the Safety Commission includes quite a few members of the minority party who saw hate and violence visit their community Gov. Greg Abbott’s
first Texas Safety Commission Roundtable opened with vague
promises of progress and closed with no substantive recommendations on gun
control. That’s despite
the fact that prior to the initial meeting of the Commission – a closed
door session including a wide variety of stakeholders and state agencies –
Abbott implied the task force might be ready to consider some aspects of gun
control. "In roundtables we
had in the aftermath of Santa Fe, we took what we thought were big steps to
address the challenges of violence in the state of Texas," Abbott said.
"Obviously in the aftermath of that, there was a different type of gun
violence. There are unique issues about what happened in El Paso that need to
be addressed in addition to the type of violence we saw in the aftermath of
Santa Fe." The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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August 22, 2019 8:04 PM Chair Murphy clashes with Empower Texans attorney, says any misconceptions could be erased by releasing audio of Bonnen Sullivan meeting “You and I (and a few others) know that Mr. Sullivan was not given a list, but he created a list. That fact is missing from most accounts,” said Murphy, who heard the audio After he was accused by Empower
Texans’ attorney of misrepresenting the audio recording of the controversial
June 12 meeting between Speaker Dennis Bonnen and the group’s spokesman Michael
Quinn Sullivan, Chairman Jim Murphy, R-Houston, on Thursday night
said the whole thing could be cleared up if the audio was released publicly. That is something Empower
Texans has so far refused to do. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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August 22, 2019 5:06 PM Texas House Democratic Caucus sets Fall Fundraiser for one day before House GOP Caucus retreat Per Save the Date that just went out, the House Democrats will hold there fundraiser Wednesday, October 16th |
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August 22, 2019 12:31 PM Burrows breaks his silence: On West Texas radio, Chair Burrows talks about the MQ Sullivan meeting and moreBurrows told KFYO radio host Chad hasty that was no physical "hit list," but that the names came from an off the cuff discussion of opposition to the taxpayer lobbying bill. Listen below |
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August 21, 2019 7:38 PM Amid scandal and after resigning from leadership post, Rep. Burrows will seek reelection to the Texas House
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August 21, 2019 1:58 PM Gary Gates announces run for Zerwas seatFormer state senate and Railroad Commission candidate running to replace Zerwas in special election |
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August 20, 2019 4:36 PM Updated: Empower Texans is denied in request to include information about Bonnen meeting in lawsuit over House media credentials Attorneys for Empower argued the June 12 meeting with the speaker should be considered in their case, the Fifth Circuit disagreed Editor’s note: The
story has been updated throughout – SB Attorneys for Empower
Texans were denied after asking the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans to allow the courts to hear arguments about the
alleged quid pro quo offer by Texas House Speaker Dennis
Bonnen of media credentials in exchange for targeting specific GOP members
in their primaries next year. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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August 20, 2019 4:33 PM Chair Coleman and Rep. James Talarico announce reelection bidsFor Talarico, it ends speculation he might seek a seat in Congress |
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August 20, 2019 4:23 PM Plumbers ask board to reverse course on rule changes“What this will create is a path to prison…now how come I have to have a high school diploma or GED when I can drop out and become a plumber’s apprentice. I think it’s something that the board should reconsider and put back into the rules.” A state agency decision to strike a high school diploma from the requirements to be a plumber has not been well received by the industry, as the board of the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners learned at their meeting earlier this month. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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August 19, 2019 4:31 PM Lt. Gov. Patrick declines to take sides in Bonnen vs Sullivan controversy, asks for release of audio recording of meeting Patrick suggests the infighting could be a drag on the GOP in a tough election year: “I really think that everyone needs to hear the tape,” Patrick said In what appeared to be his
first public comments on the controversy, Lt .Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday
declined to take sides in the dustup between Texas House Speaker Dennis
Bonnen and Empower Texans spokesman Michael Quinn Sullivan.
But he said an audio
recording of their meeting should be released as soon as possible. Appearing on the
conservative Mark Davis radio show in Dallas-Fort Worth, Patrick said he
was uncertain where the controversy would go after Texas Rangers
were asked last week to investigate the June 12 meeting of Bonnen, Sullivan,
and former Texas House GOP Caucus Chairman Dustin Burrows.
The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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August 19, 2019 4:09 PM Texas Water Development Board urged to support funding local flood projectsStakeholders support an even mix between the loans and grants and the use of state funds to offer buyouts; about half said the need for rehabilitation of existing infrastructure was as important as new mitigation measures Texas forges ahead into flood planning, putting together initial regional stakeholder groups and taking feedback as to how $973 million appropriated last session should be spent. Flood planning is fairly new to the Texas Water Development Board, which was formed in the 1950s to combat long-term drought in the state. Most of TWDB’s work has focused on long-term availability and, more recently, on the revolving SWIFT fund. Prior to 2015, TWDB’s involvement in flooding was primarily centered on distributing federal grants and coordinating the National Flood Insurance Program. But as the rounds of Texas flooding have become more intensive, lawmakers have additional duties: expanding flood gauges and hardening stream gauges against major weather events; taking a state flood assessment; and calibrating river models to avoid a recurrence of the Wimberley flood. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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August 19, 2019 4:06 PM Braddock on radio: The Bonnen scandal takes a key argument for Texas GOP leadership off the table Editor Scott Braddock and KFYO radio host Chad Hasty discuss the news of the day |
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August 19, 2019 3:45 PM Gov. Abbott sets special election for Nov 5 to choose successor to retiring Rep. Farrar, filing deadline Sept 4 Possible Democratic candidates include HISD Trustee Elizabeth Santos and John Chapa Gorczynski, a longtime aide to Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston |
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August 19, 2019 1:34 PM In wake of El Paso shooting, Abbott announces Texas Safety CommissionMeetings coming up August 22nd In Austin, August 29th In El Paso You can see the full list
of commission members by downloading it
here. |
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August 19, 2019 11:38 AM Abbott appoints Ruth Ruggero Hughs as the Texas Secretary of State
Here's the
announcement from the Office of the Governor. |
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August 19, 2019 9:04 AM Despite inclusion on alleged speaker hit list, Rep. Steve Allison announces for reelection "Serving the citizens of Texas House District 121 is a genuine honor and responsibility, which I take seriously and hold in the highest regard. It is with this dedication and humility that I announce I will seek re-election," Allison said. |
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August 16, 2019 5:42 PM People on the MoveA subdued ALEC, agency news, lobby moves, and appointments So great to see all your
smiling faces at ALEC and the associated events this week. Even ran
into a Democrat or two – and not just the protesters outside. Someone joked
that any officeholders or candidates protesting ALEC better not have taken any
contributions from various companies’ PACs. Would not be a good look. Some of the folks on “the
list” looked to be in good spirits at the Four Seasons bar, which
I still just don’t like. And apparently one of the wives of an “B lister” (“Bonnen
lister”) didn’t mind heckling Speaker Dennis Bonnen as he was speaking
at the Texas dinner. Awkward. Meantime, there’s some
agency news, lobby moves, and appointments to pass along this week. If you have
career news to share with the Texas Capitol community, you can send
it anytime at ksbraddock@gmail.com
and please use POTM in the subject line. Many thanks. Here’s the latest edition
of People on the Move. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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August 16, 2019 5:36 PM In general, school district ratings rise throughout Texas this year The “C” and “D” categories did shrink. On campus grades, about a quarter of all campuses were “C,” another 37 percent were “B” and almost one in five campuses in Texas were rated with an “A” this year. Commissioner Mike Morath spent part of this week celebrating the success of districts like Aldine ISD, while news outlets were focused on the future of nearby Houston ISD. Both Morath and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick both emphasized a theme that “poverty is not destiny” during an appearance at Stephens Elementary in Aldine. Stephens moved from a “D” to an “A” in the course of one year, with a “The educators at Stephens Elementary start the day with the belief that all children can learn, they can achieve at high levels, they can learn reading, writing and math,” Morath said. “And when they say all, they mean all. They don’t mean unless you’re a foster child. They don’t mean unless you’re homeless. They don’t mean unless you’re poor, or you don’t speak English or unless you’re in special education.” The rest of the story, subscribers only By Kimberly Reeves |
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August 16, 2019 5:03 PM New York Times: A Texas-Size Political Scandal Threatens Powerful House Speaker
After rumblings earlier this week that the RNC is unhappy about the situation and awkward moments at ALEC in Austin, the story goes national: "Except there was a tape..." The story plays dramatically
in the pages
of the Times: AUSTIN — In Texas, they’re
calling it the case of “The Speaker and the Creeper.” The political imbroglio
started last month, when Michael Quinn Sullivan, a conservative pit-bull
who routinely antagonizes establishment politicians, accused the Republican
House Speaker, Dennis Bonnen, of offering his organization coveted House
media credentials if it would work to defeat 10 incumbent House members from
Mr. Bonnen’s own party. Mr. Bonnen denied it, and
the bombshell was initially greeted with some skepticism. Why would one of the
state’s top politicians court a back-room deal — to undermine his own bench —
with a man Texas Monthly recently described as “one of the biggest snakes in
Texas politics?” Except there was a tape…. |
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August 16, 2019 3:32 PM Rep. Farrar retiring Sept. 30, asks Gov. Abbott to call special election for Nov. 5th
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August 16, 2019 12:09 PM Rep. Dustin Burrows resigns as Chairman of the Texas House GOP Caucus, sources tell Chad Hasty in LubbockKFYO radio in Lubbock cites sources close to Burrows. |
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August 16, 2019 11:05 AM Denton County GOP executive committee calls on Speaker Bonnen and Burrows to resign over Sullivan meeting, alleged quid pro quoNot an insignificant county GOP; the executive committee also asked the Republican Party of Texas to condemn the alleged actions "and assure the public that the organization will not tolerate anything that compromises the conservative principles and standards we hold ourselves to." The adopted resolution also asks the House GOP Caucus to select a replacement speaker |
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Copyright August 23, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 