Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan (R–Beaumont) bragged on social media about attending a fundraiser event with quorum-busting Democrats in the Rio Grande Valley—just one mile from where the Republican National Committee was hosting an event. “Couldn’t wrap up 2021...
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...
Half of the Rio Grande Valley’s eight state representatives joined their fellow Democrats in fleeing Austin on a private jet, choosing to lobby Congress in Washington, D.C., rather than perform their elected duties. Two others also participated in denying the quorum,...
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...
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...
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...
After every session, a number of groups come out with “scorecards” grading how lawmakers performed in the Texas Legislature. And that’s a good thing. By using tools like Texans for Fiscal Responsibility’s aptly-named Fiscal Responsibility Index, Texas Right to Life’s...
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...
After more than 16 hours of debate, the Texas House voted in the early hours of the morning to approve legislation to ban sanctuary cities and remove officials that refuse to cooperate in the enforcement of immigration laws. The legislation passed by a vote of 93-54...
Anti-School Choice Authored by State Rep. Abel Herrero (D–Corpus Christi), this amendment would prevent any state funding from going toward school choice. Expanding parental choice in education is an area in which Texas lags desperately behind many states who have...
A perennial enemy of conservative reform, State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) is diluting serious sanctuary city reforms strongly backed by both Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Authored by State Sen. Charles Perry (R–Lubbock), SB 4 would defund...
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...
Which is the bigger sacrilege for a Aggie Republican state representative? A) Raising money at the UT-OU game. B) Raising money at the home of a disgraced former legislator. C) Raising money with a Democrat. D) All the above. Liberal GOP State Rep. John Raney of...
Say NO to Expansion! Despite numerous repudiations by the GOP rank and file, leadership in the Texas House continue to move closer to Medicaid expansion. A bill authored by a key Straus lieutenant pushing for a “Texas Solution” will now see the light of day on the...
With more than 84 percent of Republican primary voters saying they wanted more academic freedom and parental choices in education, GOP members of the Texas House decided to maintain the status quo … and explicitly forbid any efforts to expand options for students and...
