- State Rep. Daniel Alders Says Narrative that Texas House Members Haven’t Been Working is a “Straight-Up Lie”
- Texas GOP Meets Behind Closed Doors to Discuss Audit Report
- Harris County Democrats Want Taxpayers to Foot Bill for More Public Art
State Rep. Daniel Alders Says Narrative that Texas House Members Haven’t Been Working is a “Straight-Up Lie”
Over the last several weeks, State Representative Brian Harrison has taken to the internet and media interviews to allege that the Texas House has not been working- a narrative debunked by many of his Republican colleagues.
Republican State Representative Daniel Alders is the latest lawmaker to publicly oppose this narrative, describing it in a tweet posted Tuesday afternoon as “disingenuous” and “a straight-up lie.”
Alders wrote:
“Most if not all members of the Legislature have been working nonstop throughout the first 60 days of session. Over 5K bills have been drafted and filed. Half of those have been referred to committees. Hearings are being conducted and now bills are being heard in committee.
We are constantly meeting with constituents and other members to ensure we are tackling the GOP Priorities and the needs of the state of Texas.
We are constantly digging into budgets and policies to discover ways in which we can ensure Texans receive greater transparency and accountability in their government and its agencies.
The Texas House has been working constantly, and almost all of that work needs to be done OFF the floor of the House.
I get it that we needed to have taken action on emergency items by this point. I agree and I’ve made my case for doing so.
But it’s not only disingenuous to say we’re not working, that we’re a joke, and we’re just taking long weekends … it’s a straight-up lie, and I’m going to call a spade a spade.
Conservatives should and must hold their own accountable just as much as they work to hold the “establishment” accountable. We all should be held to the same standard.
I came here to represent my district, to tell the truth, and to work hard for conservative policies for the betterment of the state of Texas.”
More than 5,500 bills have been filed in the Texas House this session, more than 3,450 of which have been referred to a committee. As of this week, 106 committee hearings have been held in the Texas House, and over 1,000 witnesses have testified.
Texas GOP Meets Behind Closed Doors to Discuss Audit Report
The State Republican Executive Committee held its quarterly meeting in Austin on Saturday. Party leaders discussed the Texas GOP’s most recent audit report. Although the Republican Party of Texas is required by law to report contribution and expenditure information to the Texas Ethics Commission and the Federal Election Commission, the decision was made to discuss the audit report in executive session—a move that raised the eyebrows of some longtime Party activists.
“There is absolutely no reason for this to have happened. Transparency, transparency, transparency. If it can’t be then we need new leadership. We never in the 10 years I was involved been closed on any of these reports. Let’s take back our party!!!,” said Jan Duncan, a former member of the State Republican Executive Committee.
During the 2024 election cycle, the Republican Party of Texas fell short of fundraising and organizational goals set by State Chairman Abraham George and lacked the funds to open field offices in South Texas that George told members of the State Republican Executive Committee that he hoped to open.
Harris County Democrats Want Taxpayers to Foot Bill for More Public Art
Although Democrats on Harris County Commissioners Court have voted to raise taxes and have struggled to find funding for priority flood control projects or address the backlog in Harris County’s criminal courts, they have supported numerous public art projects in recent months. The Texas Voice previously reported on a $250,000 expenditure for graffiti art at the County’s Juvenile Detention Center in October, and Commissioners Court approved $272,727 sought by County Commissioner Lesley Briones last month for four murals to reduce violent crime.
Briones is seeking more funding for public art in her precinct. Commissioners Court is set to consider spending another $272,727 to implement two sculptures in the Alief neighborhood. The request is on the agenda for Thursday’s Harris County Commissioners Court meeting.
According to the project’s description, “The Alief Median Sculptures Project is an exciting public art initiative led by Harris County Precinct 4 and managed by Metalab as the primary consultant. The project aims to create 1-2 community-driven public sculptures for the Alief neighborhood, fostering local engagement and artistic enrichment.”
