House District 84 encompasses part of Lubbock County, with State Rep. John Frullo (R–Lubbock) currently representing HD 84. Frullo chose not to run for re-election. The runoff election will see either attorney David Glasheen or former Lubbock County Republican Party...
Most Tuesday mornings, the Texas Minute—our weekday email publication—includes the One-Click Survey. It’s almost always a question about policy or politics, oftentimes tinged with a bit of humor. We ask readers to not only “click” an answer, but to then reply with...
On Thursday afternoon, State Rep. John Frullo (R–Lubbock) joined a growing list of Texas lawmakers in announcing he will be leaving the Legislature after the duration of his term and not seeking re-election. First elected in 2010 to Lubbock’s House District 84,...
More than a week after voters in the city of Lubbock (population 264,000) voted to outlaw abortion in a landslide city-wide election, the cities of Abernathy (population 3,005) in West Texas and Poynor (population 314) in East Texas became the 27th and 28th cities in...
Update: State Sen. Larry Taylor (R–Friendswood) and State Rep. Lyle Larson (R–San Antonio) confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that they were among the lawmakers in attendance. While citizens are being told to stay home and contend with shutdowns and mandates in...
NOTE: Since this article was published, yet another Republican –Geanie Morrison of Victoria – reportedly filed for the speakership. It has been updated. What GOP insiders hoped would be a quiet race for Speaker of the Texas House got suddenly heated on Thursday, with...
Yesterday, the Office of the City Secretary announced the results of their verification process of the “Citizen Initiative Petition Declaring Lubbock a Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” The petition was determined to be valid. According to a press release...
Dear Reader, I want to share with you our New Year’s Resolutions at Empower Texans. Communications experts say you should never repeat an accusation that is made against you. I hold to that as a good practice, but let me this one time repeat the accusation many in the...
In the final days of the legislative session, lawmakers were hustling to reach a compromise on legislation to expand the eligibility of a corporate welfare program. But because they couldn’t stop bickering over which cronies should get the cash, the bill suffered...
The proposed Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine has received a funding boost, which supporters are calling a “major victory” for the project. Last week, the state’s House Budget Conference Committee voted to allocate $17.35 million to the effort by...
After promoters of Formula One’s Grand Prix squealed past a deadline to obtain a state subsidy for their event, state lawmakers are racing to give them another chance to win the cash. According to The Associated Press, the Grand Prix depends heavily on state cash to...
A bill some say would lead to gun control appears to be gaining traction and Republican support in the Texas House and has law-abiding gun owners on red alert. Last week, lawmakers voted House Bill 545 by State Rep. Poncho Nevarez (D-Eagle Pass) out of the Criminal...
Republican lawmakers should be very concerned. Come November 2020, Texans will be showing up to vote for the greatest promise-keeping politician in modern U.S. history. Love him or hate him, President Donald Trump has been a man of his political word. Taxes cut,...
We’ll be releasing the 2017 Fiscal Responsibility Index this week. While the public release is set for 2pm on Wednesday, we thought we’d share the “top-lines” with you today. All votes included on the Index were announced in advance, and focus – as the name implies –...
On the 140th day of the legislative session, the last day for work to be completed under Texas’ constitution, we generally start gearing up for the release of the Fiscal Responsibility Index, which measures lawmakers’ records on fiscal and governance issues. Not this...
With just hours left in the 85th regular session of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers will be heading home with tales of their governing prowess. For members of the Texas House, that’s exactly what it will be: tall tales. The House failed to deliver on key reforms...
In a stunning move, the Texas House voted overwhelmingly to support Democrat efforts to hamstring the state’s economy by raising the minimum wage. Earlier today, State Rep. Hugh Shine (R–Belton) moved to suspend the rules and fast track a proposed constitutional...
In an interview with KVUE News looking back on his first year as Governor, Greg Abbott unloaded on the legislators who killed his ethics reform agenda, calling their obstruction “reprehensible” and “shameful.” The chief obstructions were House Speaker Joe Straus...
Did you hear the one about how Texas House Republicans chose to fund diversity training over border security? No, it’s a true story – not a bad joke. During the debate on the budget in the Texas House, State Rep. Tony Dale (R–Cedar Park) offered an amendment to...
Over the past two sessions, State Rep. Byron Cook (R–Corsicana) has pushed a legislative proposal so bad that it has not just harmed his political future, but the future of any representative voters perceive to have supported it. In 2013 and again in 2015, Cook pushed...
