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Email information to
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or text us a 512-431-5385
Texas Politics Today is designed to keep people who work in and around the Capitol informed about their colleagues -- elected officials, capitol staffers, lobbyists, association people and others who work there.
If you missed a previous newsletter or want to go back and refresh your memory about someone go to our Texas Politics Today
website where we have the newsletter archived by date.
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Photos of the Week
Senator Royce West and Senator Don Huffines during debate on the Senate Floor this week
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Quote of the Week
"You don't think it's important for children and family to
have liberty from lice?"
Rep. Larry Phillips to Rep. Jonathan Stickland this week as they debated a law regarding school districts reporting incidents of lice.
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Video of the Week
Rep. Senfronia Thompson takes on a few members of the Freedom Caucus on human trafficking in a personal privilege speech
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Texas Politics Today
Sponsored By
An Austin, Texas based lobby firm specializing in public affairs and advocacy work in Texas for both corporate and non-profit organizations
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People on the Move
Former Texas Senators and former US Representatives
Jim Turner and
Kent Hance have joined forces to lobby
. They will be working together at Hance's law firm, Hance Scarborough. Turner will be of counsel, and will open the firm's first Washington office.
Former Sen.
Kay Bailey Hutchison
has been rumored to be a candidate for US ambassador to NATO in the Trump Administration.
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Texas Star Alliance has announced the addition of
Marshall Coover as a principal at the firm. Coover is an environmental attorney with a background in regulatory policy.
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Michael Kanin, the publisher of the
Austin Monitor, will be moving on to serve as the publisher for the
Texas Observer.
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Shout Outs
Upcoming Birthdays:
May 6 --> Grover Campbell, Sabrina Midkiff, Rich Parsons; May 7 --> Sandy Hentges Guzman; May 8 --> Bech Bruun; May 9 --> Jennifer Sims, David Courreges; May 10 --> Corbin Casteel, Crisy Cates; May 11 --> Rep. John Kuempel; May 12 --> Carrie Rogers Prysock, Eileen Smith; May 13 --> Malika Te, Eric Opiela; May 16 --> Wendy Davis; May 17 --> Hunter Hughes, Jeff Norwood, Rep. Cecil Bell; May 18 --> Gavin Massingill, Worth Farabee, Rep. Sarah Davis; May 19 --> Lindsey Howe Parham; May 22 --> Rep. Tan Parker; May 23 --> Rep. J.M. Lozano;
May 29 --> Sen. Kel Seliger; May 30 --> Rep. Hubert Vo
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In Our Thoughts
Joseph Ray Perry passed away in late April at the age of 92. Perry, a WW II veteran, was a tailgunner and flew missions over occupied Europe during the war. He was the father of former Governor and current Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and
Milla Perry. Our condolences to his wife Ameila and the entire family.
We offer our condolences to the friends and family of former Rep. Charlie Howard. He passed away after a long fight with cancer. Howard, from Sugar Land, began serving in the legislature in 1995 and chose not to run again after the 2011 legislative session.
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Former Rep.
Anna Mowery, who served the Fort Worth area from 1988-2007, passed away in late April, at the age of 86. Our thoughts are with her friends and family.
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Former Rep.
Gary Thompson passed away at the age of 80 last month. Thompson represented the Abilene area for four terms. Our condolences go out his friends and family.
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Our thoughts are with Gene Acuña, the Director of Communications at the Texas Education Agency, whose father Jessie Acuña recently passed away. Mr. Acuña, a decorated verteran, served in WW II and was captured and held prisoner by the Germans until the end of the war.
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Our thoughts are with the family of
Marisol Rodriguez
, who recently passed away. Marisol served as a staffer for former Sen. and current Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.
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Condolences to the family of Larry Zamora, who worked and ran the Capitol Grill years ago. (h/t Brie Franco)
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Politics
Bryan Slaton announced that he will run against
Rep. Dan Flynn for HD-2 again next year, after losing a primary to Flynn last year. (h/t The Blast)
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Businessman and Army vet
Steven Kling will run next year for Sen.
Donna Campbell's seat. Kling previously served two tours in Afghanistan and Iraq as a member of the Army reserves. (h/t The Blast)
Former State Rep. and current U.S. Rep
Joaquin Castro announced that he will not run for the U.S. Senate in 2018 against Rep. Beto O'Rourke and incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz. Castro previously served in the Texas Legislature from 2003 - 2013, and has served in Congress since 2013.
Rep.
Jeff Leach announced he will run for reelection in his current House seat
in 2018 and will not run for the Texas Senate seat currently held by Sen. Van Taylor. Taylor is widely expected to run for a congressional seat. Phillip Huffines, brother of current Sen. Don Huffines has announced he is running for the the Texas Senate seat and Rep. Matt Shaheen is considering running for the Senate seat. (h/t The Blast)
Thomas McNutt, who challenged Rep.
Byron Cook in a primary last year has announced he will challenge Cook again in the 2018 primary.
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Events
In honor of Global Employee Health & Fitness Month, Ryan Sitton and Commissioner George P. Bush are hosting an exercise class on the Capitol lawn on Wednesday, May 10th at 12 pm.
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Texas Data Demo Day will be on Wednesday, May 10th at the Trinity Hall here in Austin. The event is, "an opportunity to bring together agencies, legislators, and open data enthusiasts to explore the benefits of open data." Find out more information
here.
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John T. Montford
is hosting a book review and signing of his new book
Board Games
.
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Sign up for the
Campaign Bootcamp, which will take place from
Friday, May 26 - Sunday, May 28
Belo Center for New Media
The University of Texas at Austin. Find out more info
here.
Register now
for the TX Conference for Women, an event on
Nov. 2nd in Austin featuring Viola Davis and Sheryl Sandberg.
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Engaging Stories
From
Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star Telegram:
Muddying the water over Ken Paxton's felony trial, and in Tarrant board election
"Money and mail from mysterious sources outside Tarrant County flowed into local elections and mailboxes this weekend, with six days to go before a low-profile election that might turn on a handful of votes.
Somebody sent an unsigned attack mailer against
State District Judge George Gallagher
, an Arlington Republican who isn't even on the Saturday ballot." Read more here
From Austin 360:
Dripping Springs wedding capital of the state, Texas House says
"On Thursday, the House voted 139-9 to designate Dripping Springs "the wedding capital of Texas" for the next 10 years...The resolution, authored by Rep. Jason Isaac, touts Dripping Springs as an "ideal setting for joyous celebrations of matrimony" and states that "countless couples have selected Dripping Springs as the perfect spot to exchange the vows of matrimony and embark on a new life journey together." Read more
here.
Radio jingle tells lawmakers to take it easy on pot smokers
"Flip on the radio in North Texas and you may hear a
jazzy little number urging you to call your lawmaker about weed.
"Don't fill up jails with folks who like the weed. Give them folks a civil penalty," a singer croons in an ad that hopes to spur people to support House Bill 81, a measure that would make possession of small amounts of marijuana a civil offense instead of a crime."
From the Star Telegram:
"Dozens of bills protecting animals - measures that range from getting them out of locked hot cars to preventing bestiality - are weaving through the Texas Capitol in a race to the governor's desk before the session ends May 29." Read
more.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article148815254.html#storylink=cpy
From KUT:
'The Broken Spoke: Austin's Legendary Honky-Tonk' Honors A Country Music Haven
"When James and Annetta White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, South Lamar Boulevard had barbed wire fences and rolling pasture - a far cry from the condominiums, restaurants and traffic you see today. But a walk inside the honky-tonk dance hall today doesn't feel much different than it would have 50 years ago." Read more
here.
From the Alcalde:
The Way Back: Garnering Gavels
"Among UT's collections are 160 gavels that once belonged to former Speaker of the House and Vice President John Nance Garner. After he had shattered his own, people nationwide sent in gavels, including one allegedly made with the same wood "with which Noah built his ark." Read more
here
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Miscellaneous
From the
Texas Tribune:
How to kill a bill in 140 days (or less)
"A brief guide to the legislative dark arts as the scramble to pass - and kill - bills reaches its height." Read more
here.
Texplainer: How do you navigate the Senate intent calendar?
"At this point in the session, there are a lot of bills on the Senate's 'intent calendar.' How can you tell which bills will be considered on a given day?"Read more
here.
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Check out the
Texas Politics Project for internships with state reps, senators, the governor, lobbyists, and other organizations.
Follow these Twitter accounts to keep yourself updated on bills being considered and other news. @TXLegeBills and TXLegeBot
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Record Votes provides an in depth look at members' voting history. See the
Below are links to several
podcasts
on Texas politics and what's happening at the Capitol:
The
Legislative Reference Library
puts out a weekly report on topical issues (besides being the quietest place to do work in the Capitol). The latest is on their
website
.
Various lists of staff/committee information that has published in earlier newsletters can be found in the Archives section of the Texas Politics Today
website. Or view some of our past lists below:
House and
Senate Office Numbers for the 85th Legislature
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| Contact us at txpoliticstoday@gmail.com or text me a 512-431-5385 to let us know of other moves, birthdays, lobby sign ups, birth announcements, events, and happenings that you and your Capitol colleagues would like to read about. |
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