Phelan Prioritizes Border Security, Democrat Histrionics Ensue
Keeping promises made earlier in the legislative session to further prioritize border security, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan unveiled a package of priority border security bills last week. Among the bills announced as priorities by Speaker Phelan are HB 7 by State Representative Ryan Guillen, HB 20 by State Representative Matt Schaefer, and HB 1600 by State Representative Cole Hefner. HB […]
Harris County Attorney Refuses to Release Records About Rep. Thompson’s $391k Payday
Several weeks ago, I discovered that a Court overseeing opioid litigation brought by numerous governmental entities across Texas had approved a recommendation to award State Representative Senfronia Thompson $391,061.34 in attorneys’ fees for her purported work representing Harris County in the opioid litigation. I’ve been following the opioid litigation for several years now, which struck me as […]
Lawmaker, Groups Tied to Major Donors Promoting Secessionist Agenda
A network of self-styled “grassroots” organizations and a state lawmaker who have received financial backing either directly or indirectly from a small group of wealthy political donors have made it their mission to promote the unconstitutional idea that Texas should secede from the United States of America. The issue of Texas secession, often referred to […]
Houston Journalist Accuses Texas Scorecard of Ripping Off Her Work
In a thread posted to Twitter this past weekend, independent journalist Merissa Hansen accused Texas Scorecard and its reporter, Robert Montoya, of publishing an article based almost entirely on her original research without any form of credit or attribution. Hansen publishes a website (http://merissa.substack.com) that focuses on questionable dealings and potential corruption in the Harris County government […]
FULL CONTEXT: Texas GOP Ignores Work on Border Security, Protecting Elections
In a legislative priorities update disseminated by e-mail and posted to their website earlier this week, the Republican Party of Texas pushed a narrative that Republican lawmakers and leaders were doing little on the issues of border security and protecting elections. However, a review of legislation filed so far during the legislative session as well as public […]
Democrat Judge Juan Magallanes Disciplined by State Commission on Judicial Conduct
Judge Juan Magallanes of the 357th District Court in Cameron County was recently disciplined by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for his endorsement of Democratic Congressional Candidate Dan Sanchez in the special election for Congressional District 34 that occurred on June 14, 2022. In addition to receiving a private admonition, Magallanes was also ordered to undergo additional […]
“Boss” Rinaldi? Texas GOP Chair Opens the Door to Disenfranchising Grassroots Primary Voters, Nominating by Convention
Texas Republicans have nominated candidates for public office in primaries since the GOP became a relevant force in Texas politics. However, Republican Party of Texas State Chairman Matt Rinaldi has signaled his willingness to support changes to the way Republican Party nominees are chosen in Texas that would disenfranchise grassroots primary voters and transfer the […]
Democratic Legislators Propose Sweeping Changes to Texas Elections
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 […]
FULL CONTEXT: Tinderholt’s Speech on Legislative Adjournment
This is the first in an occasional series of articles by The Texas Voice that will provide full context on misinformation or misleading information disseminated by legislators or advocacy groups concerning activities in the Texas legislature. On Tuesday, the Texas House and Texas Senate considered a routine resolution, SCR 18, granting the legislature permission to adjourn […]
Quorum-Busting Democrats Lose Big in House Committee Assignments
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan announced House committee assignments yesterday, with Republicans holding the chairmanships of the highest-profile committees. Phelan appointed 8 Democrats to chair standing committees, down from 13 last session. There are currently 34 standing committees in the Texas House. It is a longstanding practice in both the Texas House and Texas Senate […]