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...
One year ago, I pulled back the cover on the cronyism and corruption that pervades Austin and the highest levels of the Republican Party. In revealing a corrupt offer House Speaker Dennis Bonnen presented to me at a private meeting, I hoped the GOP would clean house –...
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...
State Rep. Rick Miller (Sugar Land) is a Republican lawmaker with a subpar voting record. He’s someone who originally ran on a conservative platform, decided to play by the rules of a corrupt system, governed as a moderate, made an idiotic statement to a reporter...
It happens every two years. All 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives, as well as around half of those in the Texas Senate (barring sessions after redistricting), must decide whether they will file again for re-election or if they will hang it up and move...
In the wake of the scandal surrounding one Texas House Democrat committee chairman—his recent arrest for possession of cocaine—some state lawmakers are suggesting implementing the drug testing of legislators, while some Texans are wondering why drug testing for...
Episode 112: Brandon Waltens tells listeners about yet another scandal in the Texas House, and Reagan Reed explains why some are concerned about ethics in Montgomery County government. Matt Beebe stops by to discuss the highly publicized Rodney Reed case and why some...
After a Democrat Chairman in the Texas House was charged with possession of cocaine, Speaker Dennis Bonnen claims he doesn’t have the power to remove him from his committee, despite interpretations to the contrary. On September 6 a DPS affidavit affirmed two Texas...
A prominent Texas lawmaker announced last week he is no longer seeking re-election after law enforcement officials caught him on surveillance footage dropping an envelope with official state letterhead stuffed with cocaine as he was leaving an Austin airport....
Speaker Dennis Bonnen and Chairman Poncho Nevarez (D–Eagle Pass) were by far the two biggest blocks to constitutional carry in the Texas House this past session. It looks like neither one of them is coming back. Bonnen is leaving after being disgraced by his, well,...
A Democrat chairman in the Texas House, appointed by Speaker Dennis Bonnen, suddenly announced last week that he would not seek re-election. New information reveals the reason why. According to an affidavit obtained by watchdog group Direct Action Texas, on September...
Texas politicians are starkly opposed in their reactions to the recent shootings in El Paso and Odessa. From statewide elected officials down to lawmakers in the state Capitol, politicians of every stripe are sounding off online, making known their would-be public...
With the conclusion of the Texas Legislature’s session fast approaching, Republican activists across the state have been fighting for a number of conservative priorities. But as recalcitrant lawmakers continue to side with lobbyists and bureaucrats over citizens, most...
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...
NOTE: This article has been updated with additional information since it was initially published. Nearly two-thirds of the members of the Texas House believe government should have the ability to take your DNA and input it in a criminal database before you’re...
Earlier this month, Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen made waves by declaring constitutional carry legislation “dead” after alleging that a gun rights activist attempted to visit his home in a threatening manner while he was away. Now new body-cam footage obtained...
Gun owners have almost universally trusted Republicans in the Texas Legislature to oppose efforts to restrict gun rights in the Lone Star State, but one GOP lawmaker’s decision to vote with Democrats to advance an anti-Second Amendment campaign may place gun rights at...
Is the window for constitutional carry closing in the Texas Legislature? According to the bill’s author, it may be. State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) took to Facebook last week to sound off on the stalling of House leadership as it pertains to his legislation,...
Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen made the highly anticipated announcement of each state representatives’ respective committee assignments today. The announcement comes less than one week after the announcement of the Texas Senate’s committee assignments and...
Ex-lawmaker Jason Villalba is now Dallas mayoral candidate Jason Villalba, raising the number of entries in the race to eight. “I am announcing that I am running to be the next mayor of the great city of Dallas,” Villalba told a small group of supporters and media on...
