Following the conclusion of the 86th Texas Legislature, grassroots activists across the Lone Star State have been making their frustrations with the state’s elected leaders known.
Since the end of May, activists and donors have been arguing Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, and other Republican leaders’ failure to deliver on conservative policy priorities is jeopardizing Republicans’ ability to win the state in 2020.
Today, Don Dyer, a conservative donor and businessman, announced a plan to unify the state’s Republican leaders and voters behind the Lone Star Agenda.
“Texas is now a Purple State,” writes Dyer. “To turn it Royal Blue, Democrats plan to inspire, excite and ignite Democratic voters. What’s our plan? It’s evident Republican leaders don’t have one that inspires confidence in their grassroots supporters.”
The Lone Star Agenda, as Dyer puts it, is a “common sense plan to unite Texas Republicans and keep Texas Red.” He also describes it as “a legislative package that will inspire, excite and ignite the base.”
The tenets of the Lone Star Agenda read as follows:
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1. Allow families to make mental and physical health decisions for themselves.
2. Stop wrongful removal of children from families by restoring due process rights for parents.
3. Stop local ordinances that interfere in private employer-employee relationships.
4. Increase protections for unborn Texans.
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5. Improve election integrity (paper ballot backup audit trail; citizenship verification).
6. End taxpayer funded lobbying.
7. End union dues withholding from public sector paychecks.
8. Protect Texas monuments.
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9. Secure the southern border (interior enforcement to end the “magnet” effect).
10. Stop human trafficking.
11. Protect the rights of Texans to bear arms.
The grassroots-supported Lone Star Agenda largely reflects the conservative reforms that activists wanted their lawmakers to accomplish in the 86th Texas Legislature. Their failure to do so has demoralized and frustrated those same activists and voters who will be expected to fight on the frontlines to protect the state’s Republican majority in 2020.
