(C) Texas Tribune This story was originally published by Texas Tribune and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Blast: Squeezing every ounce from 88(4) [1] [] Date: 2023-12 Dec 1, 2023 | View in browser By Renzo Downey and The Texas Tribune Politics Team 5 days until sine die, 10 days until the 2024 candidate filing deadline WHO SAYS IT’S TOO LATE FOR NEW BILLS? (PHELAN DOES) As the #txlege novelty Twitter account 3 Several Days put it this morning, there’s still some juice left to squeeze out of this special session. That juice came in an unexpected throwback to the first special session fight of the year: property taxes. A spate of lawsuits based on misinformation about last month’s election risks delaying the implementation of several constitutional amendments approved by voters, including measures to lower property taxes and cost of living increases for retired teachers. To prevent the six right-wing legal challenges from holding those benefits hostage in the courts, the Texas Senate today introduced, heard and passed Senate Bill 6, which would require those challenges go to trial no later than 50 days after the election date. This year, that’s Dec. 27. “Because this is so time sensitive, because those constitutional amendments affect so many people all across this state, it's our intent to speed up the process,” Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, explained while laying out the bill in committee. However, House members, who were expected to meet on the floor at 1 p.m. today, instead did nothing, milling about the chamber as they waited on the Senate to do its business. With the clock ticking on the special session, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick expressed his frustration at House Speaker Dade Phelan. “Dade Phelan back at it again, blaming his inability to lead as speaker by blaming everyone else for his failings,” Patrick tweeted. “Dade Phelan says he has no time to pass these issues … If he can’t get his members back to do so, [it’s] another example of a dysfunctional House and his failure to pass important legislation.” In his own statement, Phelan railed against Patrick and the Senate for passing a new school safety bill today, Senate Bill 5. “The Senate has proposed an entirely new bill with only five days left of session — knowing full well there is not enough time to get it passed and sent to the Governor’s desk — so that Dan Patrick can take to social media, pretending to care about adequately funding school safety while blaming others for the ramifications of his own actions,” Phelan said. “This is nothing more than a played-out political stunt that we’ve seen from him time and again.” Phelan remained quiet on SB 6. However, Patrick’s main frustration is still the House Republican majority’s inability to pass school voucher legislation. House Public Education Committee Chair Brad Buckley, R-Killeen, today told The Blast that negotiations are still “right where they were,” i.e., going nowhere. Based on the time constraints with sine die happening no later than Wednesday, he predicted lawmakers were looking at another special session, to the surprise of no one. As of now, the House plans to return Tuesday, the penultimate day of the special session. We’ll see then whether the special session truly has any juice left to squeeze. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. HIDDEN AD GREG ABBOTT STUMPS AGAINST HIS FIRST INCUMBENT Gov. Greg Abbott held his first campaign rally today for a primary challenger to a Texas House Republican who has opposed his “school choice” crusade. Abbott visited Temple this afternoon to appear with Hillary Hickland, an activist mother who’s running against state Rep. Hugh Shine, R-Temple. Shine is one of 21 House Republicans who voted last month to strip a school voucher provision out of a broad education bill, a major blow to Abbott. Speaking alongside Hickland, Abbott noted 89% of primary voters in Shine’s district supported a pro-voucher ballot proposition last year. “Your current state representative went not only against those 89% of the Republicans that wanted school choice, but he did so by joining with all of the Democrats, voting against a Republican priority,” Abbott said. “I know that Hillary Hickland will represent the Republicans who will elect her to go to Austin, Texas, and have a seat at the table.” Over 100 people filled a downtown event space to see Abbott and Hickland, who already had campaign materials available touting Abbott's endorsement from three days ago. Anti-voucher protesters could occasionally be heard chanting outside. Hickland offered a broader criticism of Shine in her speech, saying he started his political career in the 1980s and his “time is up.” Shine has announced for reelection next year and is set to hold an event marking his filing Tuesday in Belton. — Patrick Svitek BOB HALL SAID WHAT? While covering today’s State Republican Executive quarterly meeting, Tribune politics reporter Robert Downen ran into state Sen. Bob Hall, who attended the meeting as the Senate met four miles up the road for its flurry of late-session action. With votes today on censoring Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan and addressing the ballot initiative to ask Republican voters in March whether the state should TEXIT, Downen was too busy to write up the exchange for today’s Blast. However, he gave us permission to share how the conversation unfolded, as he detailed in his tweet thread on the day’s events. In their brief conversation, Downen said, Hall compared the Defend Texas Liberty controversy to the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying he’s seen “no evidence” that ties the organization to antisemitism. When asked about Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s statement confirming that white supremacist Nick Fuentes met with the organization’s then-leader, Jonathan Stickland, Hall said, “People make mistakes all the time.” Downen then noted Fuentes’ public comments praising Hitler. “I’ve had meetings with transgenders, gays and lesbians. Does that make me a transgender, gay or a lesbian?” Hall countered. Asked about the comparison he just drew between Hitler and LGBTQ people, Hall responded: “I’m talking about people who are political hot potatoes.” Today was just the first of three days of the quarterly meeting. Be on the lookout for more news this weekend, including on Phelan’s potential censure by the Texas GOP. HOW TEXANS VOTED ON THE GEORGE SANTOS EXPULSION While things remained surprisingly busy on what would normally be a quiet Friday, the U.S. House voted 311-114 to expel Rep. George Santos, R-New York. The Texas delegation voted 19-17 to expel him, with Republicans voting 17-8 against. Here’s how Texas Republicans voted: To expel: Reps. Michael Burgess , Dan Crenshaw , Monica De La Cruz , Jake Ellzey , Tony Gonzales , Kay Granger , Nathaniel Moran and August Pfluger . , , , , , , and . To not expel: Reps. Jodey Arrington, Brian Babin, John Carter, Michael Cloud, Pat Fallon, Lance Gooden, Wesley Hunt, Ronny Jackson, Morgan Luttrell, Michael McCaul, Troy Nehls, Chip Roy, Keith Self, Pete Sessions, Beth Van Duyne, Randy Weber and Roger Williams. Eleven Texas Democrats voted to expel Santos. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who is campaigning ahead of the Houston mayoral runoff, was absent. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, voted present, calling it a mistake for the House to throw out a member before the courts work through the accusations against him or her. He suggested the precedent could set the stage for expelling some of the more “vulnerable” members. “I think people of color are going to regret having cast that vote, because we are the most vulnerable,” Green said on the House floor after the vote. Republicans also issued statements on the vote. A couple examples: Gonzales: “We have a duty as Members of Congress to put aside our political stripes and uphold the integrity of our institutions first.” Self: “While I urge Representative Santos to consider resignation in light of the serious findings from the report, our Constitutional standards maintain an individual is innocent until proven guilty.” HIDDEN IMAGE The House stands at ease but is expected to convene Tuesday. The Senate is recessed until 9:45 a.m. Tuesday. Watch online here. Join us for a one-on-one conversation with University of Austin founding president Pano Kanelos , Wednesday, Dec. 13. The University of Austin was established two years ago to support an atmosphere of free speech and civil discourse and counter what its founders say is a culture of censorship across colleges today. The liberal arts university, whose board of advisors includes nationally known writers and academics, has already raised $200 million to fund scholarships for an inaugural 100-student class in fall 2024 and has the state’s go-ahead to award degrees. Join us in downtown Austin or online at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, to hear from Kanelos about the road to creating the university, why he believes higher education needs a transformation, why Austin was the right place for a university like this one and much more. RSVP today! campaign roundup TX-SEN: U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, endorsed U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Dallas, in the Democratic primary to face U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Murphy’s endorsement message undercut primary rival state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, whose district includes Uvalde, by thanking Allred for helping to pass the bipartisan federal gun law. HD-14: Gov. Greg Abbott endorsed Paul Dyson in the race to succeed retiring state Rep. John Raney, R-College Station. Raney has also endorsed Dyson, the only Republican in the race. But while Raney led the most recent anti-school voucher charge, don’t expect the same from Dyson, as Abbott is endorsing Dyson because of his pro-“school choice” stance. HD-60: Abbott yesterday waded in against his second House incumbent, endorsing Mike Olcott over state Rep. Glenn Rogers, R-Graford. HD-106: The governor yesterday endorsed state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco. Abbott had previously thanked Patterson for supporting school vouchers but left him off his wholesale endorsement of incumbent pro-voucher Republicans because Patterson had been considering a run for Senate District 30. HD-121: Democrat Andres Lopez suspended his campaign against incumbent state Rep. Steve Allison, R-San Antonio. Dallas County GOP: Former Texas GOP Chair, Texas gubernatorial candidate and Florida congressman Lt. Col. Allen West today filed yesterday to challenge Dallas County GOP Chair Jennifer Stoddard Hajdu. HIDDEN IMAGE The Blast can confirm that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has endorsed both Chuck Branch and Keresa Richardson in the Republican primary against incumbent state Rep. Frederick Frazier , R-McKinney, after Frazier voted to impeach the attorney general. Michelle Smith , senior adviser to Paxton, confirms both endorsements are still live. “Knows them both and considers them both to be excellent leaders,” Smith told The Blast. has endorsed both and in the Republican primary against incumbent state Rep. , R-McKinney, after Frazier voted to impeach the attorney general. , senior adviser to Paxton, confirms both endorsements are still live. “Knows them both and considers them both to be excellent leaders,” Smith told The Blast. Austin-based personal injury lawyer Adam Loewy announced this evening that he will be “doing a PAC” for the 2024 City Council election cycle. “I’ll be investing in candidates who support policies which help create a safe and prosperous city,” Loewy tweeted. “We must do everything we can to prevent going back to a Casar/Adler type Council.” announced this evening that he will be “doing a PAC” for the 2024 City Council election cycle. “I’ll be investing in candidates who support policies which help create a safe and prosperous city,” Loewy tweeted. “We must do everything we can to prevent going back to a Casar/Adler type Council.” The State Republican Executive Committee failed to immediately advance the TEXIT question to the Republican primary ballot for March. Because the Texas Nationalist Movement has collected the requisite number of ballots, those ballots will now be counted instead of going the expedited route. “This isn’t a setback — this is a mistake by the Texas Republican Party,” TNM president Daniel Miller said in a statement. “The party will be forced to verify our petition signatures one by one at their own expense.” HIDDEN IMAGE Cassi Schredder , press secretary for House Speaker Dade Phelan , left her job at the speaker’s office today to commit full-time to raising her baby boy. Schredder, who previously went by her maiden name, Pollock, previously worked at the Tribune and was your esteemed Blast writer. , press secretary for House Speaker , left her job at the speaker’s office today to commit full-time to raising her baby boy. Schredder, who previously went by her maiden name, Pollock, previously worked at the Tribune and was your esteemed Blast writer. Kim Carmichael will replace Schredder. Carmichael previously served as administrative and legislative coordinator in the speaker's office from 2019 to 2021 and most recently worked as deputy press secretary in the governor’s office. She previously led advocacy communications for the Texas Hospital Association and was a news editor at Fox News. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. HIDDEN AD HIDDEN IMAGE HIDDEN IMAGE HIDDEN IMAGE (Dec. 1) U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell (Dec. 2) State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills SPONSOR MESSAGES The Texas Almanac 2024–2025 is out now! Buy your copy today. Texas 2036 - Building long-term, data-driven strategies to secure Texas’ prosperity through our bicentennial and beyond. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Inspiring breakthroughs to save lives and shape the future of health Discover more at TTUHSCfuture.com. 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