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Election Audits and Election Integrity with Senator Paul Bettencourt
TOMORROW
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We have got another packed line up for our Call to Action Zoom tomorrow! I'm always talking about how lucky we are to have Republican leaders willing to spend time with us and provide the inside scoop, and this week is exceptional. Senator Paul Bettencourt is a leader in the State Senate and is once again serving as Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee. He has been an outspoken advocate for Election Integrity and will be speaking with us about those efforts and Election Audits.
Representative Stephanie Klick is serving as chair of the Public Health Committee in the House this session. She's also a former Caucus Chair for House Republicans. Rep. Klick is joining us to talk about a couple of bills that you need to know about!
Sen. Bettencourt and Rep. Klick are going to be joined by Call to Action veterans Sen. Bryan Hughes and Rep. Jacey Jetton to help flesh out all you need to know about the legislative session so far.
Looking forward to speaking with everyone TOMORROW!
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Call To Action
88th Texas Legislature Zoom Series
Friday, February 17th
7:00 a.m. CST
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Ranked Choice Voting, National Popular Vote, and Changes to Redistricting Among Proposals
By: Mark McCaig
| Coming off yet another unsuccessful election cycle for Texas Democrats, some Democratic legislators have filed bills that would radically change Texas elections. While these bills have no chance at passage during the current legislative session, they signal the measures that may be seriously pursued should Democrats hold positions of power in the future. | HB 259 by State Representative Vikki Goodwin and SB 359 by State Senator Sarah Eckhardt would allow cities and school districts to institute ranked-choice voting in their elections. Goodwin and Eckhardt have also filed legislation, HB 1792 and SB 637, requiring ranked choice voting to be used in special elections to fill a vacancy in a public office. | |
Organizations that support the implementation of ranked-choice voting in Texas include the Texas Civil Rights Project, which recently hired former Democratic Attorney General nominee Rochelle Garza as its new President. The Texas Civil Rights Project has played an active role in litigation challenging election integrity laws passed by the Texas legislature. Ranked choice voting is also a priority of Arnold Ventures, which is the single largest donor to the Texas Tribune.
Described by conservative legal scholar J. Christian Adams as “a scheme to keep politicians in power,” forms of ranked-choice voting have been used in elections in places such as Alaska, Maine, and New York City.
Redistricting is also a target of Democratic legislators. HB 21 by State Representative James Talarico, HB 693 by State Representative Vikki Goodwin, HB 731 by State Representative Donna Howard, SB 69 by State Senator Judith Zaffirini, and SB 115 by State Senator Jose Menendez would all implement some form of an appointed redistricting commission to handle redistricting instead of the elected legislature.
The creation of an appointed redistricting commission would require the passage of an amendment to the Texas Constitution.
Disregarding the Electoral College in favor of an interstate compact to elect the President of the United States by popular vote has also gained acceptance among Texas Democrats. HB 237 by State Representative Vikki Goodwin and SB 95 by State Senator Nathan Johnson would have Texas join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
According to Ballotpedia, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact has been approved by 15 states and Washington, DC. Critics of the Compact, such as Andy Craig of the Cato Institute, have described it as “fatally flawed” and “an invitation to a constitutional crisis.”
Members of the Texas House have until March 10th to file bills. It is expected that additional proposals from Democrats regarding elections will be filed before the deadline.
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EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW AHEAD OF MARCH 10TH
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The 88th Legislative Session is in full swing - Just this week, House Speaker Dade Phelan appointed House Committees, the final calendar for the 88th Legislative Session was published and our members were working on connecting with constituents and preparing for the 60 day filing deadline. Make sure you check out all the information below to stay up to date on everything #TXLEGE. | |
88TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS | |
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Yesterday, Speaker Phelan announced committee assignments for the 88th Legislative Session. We would like to congratulate our GOP Representatives who were appointed to Chair and Vice Chair positions. We know you will champion conservative policies through your committees!
If you didn't catch the announcements from the House Floor yesterday, make sure to click the button below to see what committee your Representative is on.
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WHAT IS A COMMITTEE AND WHAT DOES A COMMITTEE DO | |
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Committees are a vital part of the legislative process in Texas - But what is a committee and what does it do? As we approach the 60-day bill filing deadline and to prepare ourselves for committee assignments, it is important that we educate ourselves on what committees are and their role in passing legislation.
Committees consider bills before they are sent before the full House. But that’s not all they are responsible for.
Make sure to check out our graphics and blog post below to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of committees in the Texas House.
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TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE RESOURCE | |
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Make sure you save the Texas Legislature Online (TLO) to your bookmarks to stay up to date on everything that is happening in the House and Senate during the 88th Legislative Session.
You can set up alerts on specific bills that can notify you as a bill is progressing through the legislative process. You can also set alerts for committees and calendars, helping you keep track of everything happening in your areas of interest. Check out our latest blog covering the need-to-know features of TLO.
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IMPORTANT #TXLEGE DEADLINES | Mark your calendars with these critical dates of the 88th Legislative Session. From the bill filing deadline to the last day the Governor can sign a bill into law, we have you covered. |
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*The full RNC Pundit Prep will be posted on my website.
For more information, please click here.
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With the debt ceiling crisis looming, the Biden administration is refusing to work with Republicans, saying there will be no negotiation over it, and knowingly lying about Republicans' position on Social Security and Medicare.
What you need to know:
The bottom line:
Biden is trying to distract from his total hypocrisy on the debt limit and the fact that his inflationary agenda has forced 1 million seniors into poverty.
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Biden's State of the Union Recap | |
Biden continues to tell the American people that the state of our union is strong, but polling tells a different story and shows Americans believe Joe Biden is dragging our country further into economic turmoil.
What you need to know:
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Polls from Washington Post/ABC News, AP-NORC, and CBS News/YouGov all have Biden’s disapproval rating in the mid to high 50s.
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A Washington Post-ABC News Poll shows 62% of Americans think Biden has accomplished “not very much” or “little or nothing” during his presidency.
- 41% of Americans say they’ve become worse off financially since Joe Biden took office.
- 60% say Biden has not made progress improving roads and bridges in their community.
- 60% say Biden has not made progress creating good jobs in their community.
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Even the majority of Democrats don’t want Biden to seek re-election.
- In Biden’s economy, despite what he said on Tuesday night, not everything is fine and Americans are poorer:
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Since Biden took office, real wages are down, incomes are down, and savings are down;
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166 million Americans say they’re living paycheck-to-paycheck;
- Inflation has outpaced wage growth for 21 months;
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Gas prices were $2.39 per gallon when Biden took office – and they’ve only gone up since;
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Americans have lost $9,300 on average paying for the increased cost of living since Biden took office.
- The American people deserve better than Biden and Democrats’ runaway inflation, surging crime, open borders, and failing schools.
- Republican-led states are the ones creating jobs, leading the economic recovery, and are supporting our children and their education.
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Through December, 9 of the top 10 states for jobs recovered since the coronavirus pandemic began are led by Republican governors, and all 10 states have Republican-controlled legislatures.
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Out of the top 15 states with the lowest unemployment rates, 13 are led by Republican governors.
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19 of the top 20 states for getting kids back for in-person learning during the 2020-2021 school year were led by Republicans; 18 of the bottom 20 states were led by Democrats. We’re still seeing the devastating consequences of Democrat-sponsored lockdowns on children.
- Republicans believe in an America where strong families thrive in safe community and where jobs are abundant, and paychecks are rising.
The bottom line:
The GOP, under the leadership of Speaker McCarthy, Leader McConnell, and Congressional Republicans, is not only fighting to hold Biden and the woke mob accountable, but also for safe communities, jobs, and freedom across our country.
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Thank you for allowing me to continue to serve you as your Texas Representative to the RNC! As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions you might have at tad@toniannedashiell.com, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter at the links below. Thank you for being a strong Texas Republican, and together, let us work to Keep Texas RED!
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Paid for by Toni Anne Dashiell RNC National Committeewoman for Texas
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