Legislative Update: March 2023 Vol 1

Since March is the month, we celebrate Texas Independence. I thought it would be nice to reflect on this founding day of Texas.

On March 2, 1836, Texas’ Founding Fathers were gathered at Washington on the Brazos. Even suspecting the Alamo would soon fall and the Mexican army would be on the prowl, they nonetheless issued their Declaration of Independence. They asserted that the Mexican government had “ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people.”

In the following weeks, those Texians lost more battles than they won – but they were faithful to the fight. Just six weeks after issuing the declaration, on April 21, 1836, a decisive victory at San Jacinto secured Texas’ independence as a constitutional republic.

Texas Declaration

“When a government has ceased to protect the lives, liberty and property of the people, from whom its legitimate powers are derived, and for the advancement of whose happiness it was instituted, and so far from being a guarantee for the enjoyment of those inestimable and inalienable rights, becomes an instrument in the hands of evil rulers for their oppression.”

– Texas Declaration of Independence​

Abbott Campaigns For School Choice Push

After naming it one of his top priorities, Gov. Greg Abbott is touring the state to promote school choice, holding rallies in key areas to garner support from potential Republican holdouts in the Texas Legislature.

Calling them “Parent Empowerment Nights,” Abbott has held three such events so far in Corpus Christi, Temple, and Corsicana, with more slated to be held in the coming weeks. Abbott has embraced Education Savings Accounts, individual state-funded accounts that families can use to pay for education expenses—including private schooling or homeschooling.

“Many public schools in Texas are excellent, but we must do more to ensure every student has the best possible education available to them,” Abbott told the crowd in Corsicana earlier this week. “Ultimately, no one knows what is best for a child’s success than their parents. This session, we will empower every parent with the ability to choose the best high-quality education option for their child. Together, we will chart a course toward brighter futures and bigger opportunities for young Texans across our state.”

While school choice has had the support of more than 80 percent of Republican voters, lawmakers in the Texas House have repeatedly rejected proposals for years.

In the past, school choice proposals have been blocked by teacher unions and school administrators who fear school choice will result in parents leaving their schools – and taking the money with them. Other opponents suspect creeping regulations could be attached to the dollars, reducing the effectiveness and independence of private and home schools.

Proposals Give Power To Taxpayers

In an effort to address what he describes as an unfair and unethical property tax system, State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midilothian) has filed two pieces of legislation putting more power in the hands of voters. Emily Wilkerson has the details.
House Bill 2220 would require taxing entities to hold elections for any tax increase above the no-new-revenue rate, a property tax rate calculated to produce the same amount of tax revenue this year if applied to the same properties taxed last year, enabling the public to compare year-to-year tax burdens.

House Bill 2221 would require any voter-approved tax increases to receive 60 percent of the vote

Quote-Unquote

“We must all either wear out or rust out, every one of us. My choice is to wear out.”

– Theodore Roosevelt​

How to Create a Resolution

Registered Republican voters in Montgomery County may submit a resolution to the County Executive Committee (CEC) for consideration through a Precinct Chair. Precinct Chairs will collaborate with constituents to submit resolutions to the CEC. Below is the information needed prior to submission.

A printed copy of the constituent’s voter information page;

Date of submission.

Phone number.

Email address; and

Written resolution with title.

The Precinct Chair will submit the resolution for review. Once the review is completed the Precinct Chair will notify the author of the status. Accepted resolutions will be referred to the County Executive Committee (CEC) for a vote. CEC members have the option to debate, amend, adopt, or reject all resolutions. All decisions by the CEC are final.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Guidelines for All Resolutions
  2. How to Write a Resolution

III. How to Present a Resolution

  1. Submitted Resolutions

Procedures

What happens after submission?

  1. Non-submitted Resolutions

Guidelines for All Resolutions

Resolutions must follow the correct format as described under “How to Write a Resolution.”

Resolutions must not conflict with the United States or Texas Constitutions, the ten (10) Republican Party of Texas Principles, or the Montgomery County Republican Party of Texas (MCTXGOP) Bylaws.

Resolutions shall contain no obscenities, derogatory statements, personal attacks, or threats.

Complies with submission requirements.

How to Write a Resolution

Resolutions are made up of “Whereas” clauses and “Resolved” clauses.

“Whereas” clauses are the introductory lines that explain and justify your resolution.

“Resolved” clauses set forth the action you wish to be taken.

Grammar, spelling, concise drafting and clarity of thought are extremely helpful in the successful consideration and adoption of your resolution.

The resolution must include the following:

  1. A title (see link to samples below)
  2. WHEREAS: State the problem, issues, or concerns.
  3. WHEREAS: Include supporting documentation, corrective action/objectives.
  4. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: State your resolution and benefits/solutions.

View sample resolutions

Submitted Resolution

Procedure

Check the calendar for the date of the next scheduled CEC meeting.

Submit resolution to the Resolutions Committee Chair at mctxgop108@gmail.com with “Resolution” in subject line at least fourteen (14) calendar days prior to the next scheduled CEC meeting.

What happens after submission?

  1. The resolution will be forwarded to the committee members for review.
  2. The Resolutions Chair will notify the Precinct Chair of the status of the resolution and will submit the resolution to the Party Secretary three (3) calendar days prior to the scheduled CEC meeting provided it is compliant with the guidelines. Resolutions found to be in violation of the Guidelines will be returned to the author for correction and re-submission.
  3. The Party Secretary will then forward it to all members of the CEC for review prior to the CEC meeting.
  4. Submitted resolutions will be listed as a line item on the agenda.

Raise your hand to be recognized by the presiding officer.

State your business (e.g., I wish to present a resolution for consideration).

Read the Resolution.

Make a motion to accept the resolution as read.

Motion must receive a second.

Robert’s Rules of Order will be followed to the conclusion of the discussion and vote.

  1. The resolution requires a majority vote to pass.

Non-Submitted Resolution

Use this method only if you are unable to submit a resolution as instructed above. The resolution will be considered non-reviewed when you attend the meeting.

Procedure

  1. Check the calendar for the date of the next scheduled CEC meeting.
  2. The author must provide each Precinct Chair in attendance with a copy of the resolution prior to the start of the meeting. Click here for the current list of Precinct Chairs.
  3. The author must provide a digital copy of the resolution to the CEC Secretary prior to the “Call to Order” of the CEC meeting. It may be on a thumb drive or sent via email to slearnes@me.com.
  4. You will present your non-reviewed resolution during the New Business portion of the CEC meeting agenda.

Stand and be recognized by the presiding officer.

State your business (e.g., I wish to present a resolution for consideration).

Read the Resolution.

A motion must be made to accept the resolution as read.

Motion must receive a second.

Robert’s Rules of Order will be followed to the conclusion of the discussion and vote.

  1. The resolution requires a majority vote to pass.

Questions?

Contact the Resolutions Committee Chair at mctxgop108@gmail.com.

Abbott Doubles Back, Doubles Down on Outlawing Government Pandemic Restrictions

The governor has thrown his weight behind tweaks of state disaster law to prohibit business closures and mask and vaccine mandates during pandemics.

BRAD JOHNSON

The most surprising component of Gov. Greg Abbott’s largely unsurprising slate of emergency items this session is a prohibition on COVID-19 restrictions and directives — not because of what the governor hasn’t done, but because of what he did.

During the pandemic’s height, Abbott, like many other GOP governors across the country, issued his own executive orders closing businesses, restricting the ingress and egress of persons, and mandating masks — the lattermost of which was announced only weeks after the office’s official position stated that “no jurisdiction can impose a civil or criminal penalty for failure to wear a face covering.”

A similar instance occurred in 2021 relating to vaccine mandate bans when Abbott’s spokesman stated that “private businesses don’t need government running their business.” A couple of months later, the governor expanded his vaccine mandate ban to include private companies along with governmental entities.

Abbott is now embroiled in a legal fight — to be featured at the Texas Supreme Court this week — with school districts who tried to preserve their own mask mandates well after the state ended its own.

The goalposts of pandemic policy across the country have moved constantly over the last three years, including in Texas — attributable in part to the giant uncertainty about the situation, especially early on. Mixed messages from officials were a common theme in the first few months.

“People didn’t know what we were dealing with COVID, so there’s some grace that has to be extended,” state Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), a frequent critic of the governor’s emergency response, said at The Texan’s 88th Session Kickoff in January. “I think there’s some grace that is extended to our leaders for getting through a chaotic period of time.”

Schaefer then said the emergency powers must be reformed, so as to eliminate a precedent for future governors to make similarly sweeping dictates on other issues — a common argument by Abbott’s critics from the right during the pandemic closures.

Now, Abbott too is settling in the posture that disaster powers need reform, especially as it pertains to COVID-19 and pandemics broadly.

In his State of the State, Abbott said, “People have been coming to Texas in search of liberty for almost 200 years. We must protect that liberty.”

“That’s why I’m announcing an emergency item to end COVID restrictions forever,” he asserted. “We must prohibit any government from imposing COVID mask mandates, COVID vaccine mandates, and from closing any business or school because of COVID. These actions will help Texas close the door on COVID restrictions.”

Back in January, Abbott again renewed the COVID-19 disaster declaration almost three years after it was first issued in 2020. When questioned, Abbott justified the move by saying that without his declaration and subsequent executive orders banning vaccine and face mask mandates, other entities could re-implement their directives. He added that the disaster declaration will remain in place until the Texas Legislature bans those mandates in law and rewrites a portion of the Texas Disaster Function as it pertains to pandemics.

In his speech last week, the governor also called on the Legislature to pass a law “requiring the legislature to convene if another pandemic is ever declared” — something he could have done but didn’t throughout 2020, despite some lawmakers calling for a special session. Under current law, only the governor may convene the Legislature for a special session.

But since Abbott rolled back the state’s pandemic restrictions, he’s maintained opposition to local or private restrictions that violate his directives. The collection of lawsuits in front of the Texas Supreme Court this week will likely set the tone for whatever the Legislature does on this issue in the next few months.

His speech leaves even less uncertainty on the table over where the governor currently stands, notwithstanding his actions and statements from almost three years ago.

University of Texas System Announces Pause on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

Tackling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies is a priority issues in the Legislature, as DEI seems to be present at multiple Texas schools.

CAMERON ABRAMS

The University of Texas (UT) System will pause all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, the board of regents announced last week.

The board chairman Kevin Eltife stated at the start of the meeting he had a comment that was “not an action or discussion item.”

“The topic of DEI activities on college campuses has received tremendous attention nationally and here in Texas,” Eltife said.

“We welcome, celebrate, and strive for diversity on our campus with our student and faculty population.”

“I also think it’s fair to say in recent times, certain DEI efforts have strayed from the original intent to now imposing requirements and actions that, rightfully so, raised the concerns of our policymakers,” he added.

Eltife went on to announce that all DEI policies would be paused on UT campuses and he will be asking for reports on any current policies still operating.

“We will await any action from the legislature for implementation by the University of Texas system at the appropriate time, and if needed, the board may consider a uniform DEI policy for the entire UT system,” Eltife said.

This announcement follows many reported incidents of DEI policies on UT campuses.

In 2021, Texas Tech University announced it was hiring four new assistant professors for its Department of Biological Sciences. Its social media posts made clear the department’s commitment to DEI hiring.

The department released a rubric for evaluating new faculty candidates’ diversity statements about how well they understand and have knowledge of “dimensions of diversity.”

Texas Tech has already released a statement about its steps toward ending DEI hiring and its desire to “always emphasize disciplinary excellence.”

UT Austin has been accused of using DEI policies to “espouse a clear ideological agenda,” and other reports have shown the pervasiveness of DEI in multiple Texas medical schools.

A medical school applicant, George Stewart, has filed a lawsuit against six Texas medical schools for alleged willingness to “discriminate on account of race and sex when admitting students by giving discriminatory preferences to females and non-Asian minorities, and by discriminating against whites, Asians, and men.”

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office recently made comments about how DEI policy “has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”

Pew Research Center shows that the majority of Americans across racial, ethnic, and partisan groups say race or ethnicity should not be a factor in the college admissions process.

That includes 79 percent of white, 68 percent of Hispanic, 63 percent of Asian, and 59 percent of black respondents who said race or ethnicity should not be a factor, as well as 87 percent of Republicans compared to 62 percent of Democrats.

In recent polling from Gallup, 61 percent of American adults rated their feelings on race relations in the nation as either “somewhat dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied.” That is up from 35 percent in 2014.

The same polling showed that nationally, 23 percent of adults rated the relations between white and black people as “very bad,” which was at just 7 percent in 2001.

The deterioration of relations among different groups in the country has been examined on multiple levels of analysis, and some see DEI initiatives as a solution.

In an article in Harvard Business Review, researchers stated, “Your organization will become less diverse, not more, if you require managers to go to diversity training, try to regulate their hiring and promotion decisions, and put in a legalistic grievance system.”

DEI services have become increasingly lucrative as the global market for Diversity and Inclusion is estimated to reach $15.4 billion by 2026, a 50 percent increase from its $9.3 billion value in 2022.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that education-related issues, like the elimination of “critical race theory” from institutions of higher education, will be a top priority for the Senate this legislative session.

The elimination of DEI practices is a priority for some Texas legislators and has led to a variety of bills being filed.

Rep. Terri Leo-Wilson (R-Galveston) filed a bill that would give protections to Texas educators who refuse to participate in an LGBT inclusion training program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State Rep. Carl Tepper (R-Lubbock) filed three bills — House Bill (HB) 1006HB 1033, and HB 1046 — in an effort to eliminate DEI practices on college campuses.

“Diversity on college campuses is in itself a noble mission, but so-called DEI initiatives are not welcome in Texas,” said Tepper in a statement.

 Quote-Unquote

“No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. It is at the bottom of life we must begin, and not at the top. Nor should we permit our grievances to overshadow our opportunities.”

– Booker T. Washington

KARW
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