✯ MONTGOMERY COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY ✯
DECEMBER 2022
IN THIS EDITION

Take Action
Pray for America
Lobbying Elected Officials
Legislative Refresher
Contact Your Precinct Chair

Legislative Issues
Engage in the Process
Legislative Alerts
Legislative Priorities
Ban Democrat Chairs
Lame-Duck Congress

Welcome
Get Involved
Upcoming Events
Precinct Chair: Elected by Republican voters on the primary election ballot to represent each precinct at the county executive committee.

County Executive Committee (CEC):
The decision-making body of county Republican Party chapters, made up of the county chairman and one chair from each county election precinct.

State Republican Executive Committee (SREC): The decision-making body of the Texas Republican Party, made up of two representatives from each state senatorial district.
County Executive Committee moves forward despite resistance from Chairman

The Montgomery County Republican Party County Executive Committee (CEC) came together for a Special Meeting on Dec. 6 to discuss and settle disputed issues. It was the first properly called meeting attended by Chairman Bryan Christ since July.
 
The CEC had adopted a resolution on Sept. 6 to compel Chairman Christ to fulfill his duties as County Chairman of the Montgomery County Republican Party. Along with the requirement to preside over properly called meetings, the resolution demanded that he file newly elected Precinct Chairs with the Secretary of State as required in Texas Election Code 171.024 (e) and 172.118.

The CEC reached out to the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) for guidance, and participated in mediation on Sept. 30, led by Republican Party of Texas Chairman Matt Rinaldi.
 
Unfortunately, mediation ended in a stalemate. Chairman Christ was unwilling to agree to the CEC's requests that he (1) chair CEC meetings according to the rules set by the Republican Party of Texas and the bylaws of the county party and (2) respect the majority vote of the CEC members.

Chairman Christ's attendance at the Dec. 6 meeting looked like a step in the right direction, and attendees were hopeful that reconciliation could be achieved through a properly conducted meeting, but the Chairman refused to recognize the duly elected Party Secretary so that roll call could be conducted.

Ultimately, the meeting resulted in a resolution to censure the Chairman for failing to fulfill his duties as County Chairman and refusal to fulfill his statutory duties to report all duly elected Precinct Chairs to the Secretary of State.

The CEC has filed complaints with the Secretary of State. In the meantime, the immediate focus remains on working with elected officials to pass legislation supporting the Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities.

✯ TAKE ACTION
Pray for America
The Montgomery County Republican Party is committed to honoring God in all that we do. Join us in praying for a return to the Biblical values on which our nation was founded. We would be honored to pray for you if you are in need of intercessory prayer.
Lobbying elected officials
Join our team of volunteers who will be communicating with elected officials on priority issues during the new Legislative Session. The first step is attending training on Jan. 14, 8 am - 12 pm, in The Woodlands.
Refresh yourself on the legislative process
The Montgomery County Republican Party County Executive Committee (CEC) voted on Oct. 4 to replace our old website with an updated site focused on informing voters. The new site includes a Legislative tab to help you get ready for the Texas Legislative Session beginning in January!

Contact your Precinct Chair
Precinct Chairs are elected by Republican voters on the primary election ballot to represent each precinct as the voting members of the Montgomery County Republican Party County Executive Committee (CEC).

Precinct Chairs were on the frontlines of the Midterm Election, organizing block walking all across Montgomery County. If you have questions about the legislative process or how to get involved, your Precinct Chair would love to hear from you!

Click here to read about Precinct 98 Chair, Stephanie Cox, who serves in East Windvale in The Woodlands.

✯ LEGISLATIVE ISSUES
Did you know?
The Texas House of Representatives is composed of 150 members, each elected for a two-year term.

The Texas Senate is composed of 31 members who serve four-year terms.

MCRP Legislative team explains how to engage in the legislative process
On Dec. 1, a team from the Montgomery County Republican Party (MCRP) and True Texas Project addressed the Montgomery County Eagle Forum (MCEF) on how to engage in the legislative process and voice opinions to elected officials.

MCRP Legislative Chair Bonnie Lyons spoke to the group, along with Legislative Committee member and MCEF Vice Chairman Bob Bagley, and True Texas Project Representative Olivia Fitzgerald.

Among the topics discussed were the importance of alternative sources of news and commentary (such as Revolver News, Just the News, The Epoch Times, and American Thinker), ways to engage with other Republican voters, and how to mobilize the conservative vote.

Upcoming legislative issues
The eight Legislative Priorities for the upcoming Texas Legislative Session were explained, along with congressional legislation anticipated for the 117th session and the early days of the 118th Congress. Among the congressional issues being followed that may be addressed before the end of the year are a government funding bill, a call to raise the debt ceiling, an energy permit reform proposal, and reform of the electoral college system of electing presidents.

Opportunity to take action
Montgomery County Eagle Forum's Jan. 5 meeting will expand on the information presented in December. Participants will have the opportunity to vote on their top three Legislative Priorities with MCEF Vice Chairman Bob Bagley walking them through the process of writing postcards to their legislators and following the progress of bills that are filed. Potential travel dates to Austin to lobby legislators also will be discussed. The meeting is open to the public.

Sign up for Legislative Alerts
Subscribe to receive alerts from the Montgomery County Republican Party when action is needed on important bills. The Republican Party of Texas also sends email alerts.
Learn how to lobby your legislators
The Montgomery County Republican Party will offer a Citizen Advocate Training class, conducted by the all-volunteer True Texas Project, on Jan. 14, 8 am - 12 pm. This free course will train voters on how to interact with and voice their views to elected officials.

Republican Party of Texas Legislative Priorities
★ Ban Democrats from Chairing Committees
★ Election Integrity/Closed Primaries
★ Border Security
★ Ban Gender Modification of Children
★ Stop the Sexualization of Children in Schools
★ Abolish Abortion in Texas
★ Defend Gun Rights
★ Parental Rights in Education/School Choice
Republican Party of Texas focuses on first Legislative Priority
The decision whether to ban Democrats from chairing Texas House committees will likely receive a vote in the first few days of the Legislative Session via an amendment to the proposed House rules. Currently, the Speaker awards chairmanships to Democrats as well as Republicans and has shown no interest in supporting the ban.
Why is it important to ban Democrats from chairing legislative committees?

For starters, committee chairs have the power to unilaterally kill legislation. Democrat chairs have a track record of doing so, even when the legislation supports the priorities of the Republican Party that otherwise controls the legislature.

Additionally, the power that accompanies committee chair positions attracts lobbyist money used to defeat Republican challengers during election seasons.

While Republican voters overwhelmingly support banning Democrat committee chairs, only five lawmakers supported the ban in the last session. At the most recent accounting, 19 lawmakers had agreed to support this Legislative Priority during the upcoming session.

If your state representative is not on this list, please call and insist that they follow the wishes of their voters.

Additional action steps
The Republican Party of Texas has partnered with a Texas small business to sell shirts that say, "Ban Democrat Chairs." Take action by purchasing a "Ban Democrat Chairs" t-shirt and posting a picture of yourself wearing it on social media with the hashtag #NoDemChairs.

Time running out for the lame-duck Congress
The clock is winding down on the 117th session of Congress, but Democrats are pushing their agenda while they still control the House of Representatives. The two issues that are most pressing are a bill to fund the government and the National Defense Authorization Act.
The stopgap measure passed in September to temporarily fund the government expires on Dec. 16. Congress must either pass another stopgap measure or an omnibus spending bill to fund the government for the coming year.

Logic would dictate that Republicans stand together against passing a year-long spending bill under a Democrat-controlled House; however, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made waves when he suggested he might be willing to deal with Democrats to support an omnibus spending bill.

The National Defense Authorization Act, with a record $858 billion in spending, is typically handled at the end of the year. It has passed the House and is headed for the Senate.

Congress is expected to remain in session right up until Christmas weekend.

✯ WELCOME
Every donation makes an impact. With your financial support,
we can continue to defend conservative values in Montgomery County.
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