Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

Dear fellow Democrat,

Please sign our new petition to tell Rick Perry and the Republicans “Don’t Mess with Texas Jobs.” Visit the petition here.

For months, the casualties of Rick Perry’s political agenda have been discussed in detail. Nursing homes will be closed, classrooms overcrowded and victims of abuse ignored. Last week, the Republican-controlled Legislative Budget Board estimated that the proposed Texas House budget will cost our state over 335,000 jobs by 2013. Perry has claimed Texas added 230,800 jobs in 2010, but his head-in-the-sand budget policy would cost us over 100,000 more jobs than we added in 2010.

These job losses are the direct result of a permanent structural deficit caused by Perry’s out of balance 2006 tax swap plan. Not only are cuts to education and health care a real threat to our economic future; cuts that kill over 335,000 jobs are a threat to our economy right now. It’s time to fix the structural deficit so that future budgets don’t require use of the Rainy Day Fund and find a reliable revenue stream to ensure schools are funded and basic needs of Texans are met.

The Texas economy would be better served by losing a few Republican politicians’ jobs than by killing over 335,000 Texans’ jobs.

Please sign the petition today!

Your fellow Democrat,

Boyd L. Richie
Chairman
Texas Democratic Party

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie issued the following statement on the passing of Rep. Alma Allen’s husband, Lawrence Allen Sr.:

“Through a lifetime of selfless public service and devotion to family, Rep. Alma Allen has lived the principles she fights for on behalf of all Texans. More than ever, our hearts are with our dear friend and colleague during this difficult time and there is no doubt countless thoughts and prayers are going out to the entire Allen family. I extend the most heartfelt sympathies on behalf of myself, my wife Betty and the entire TDP staff.”

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This week in the Texas Legislature:

• House Bill 1, the 2012-2012 state budget, was voted out of committee along a party line vote with all Democrats voting against it and the Draconian cuts Republicans included. HB 1 has been posted for debate on the House floor on Monday, April 1^st.
• House Bill 4, the 2010-2011 state budget, was also voted out of committee. HB 4 has been posted for debate on the House floor on Thursday, March 31^st.
• Senate Bill 14, the Voter ID Bill, was debated and voted upon on the House floor on Wednesday. House Democrats made a valiant effort and fought to attach amendments that would have genuinely made the bill better by they were almost all voted down along party line votes. The bill will now head to a conference committee work out differences between House and Senate versions.

Texas Democratic Party in the News:

• Anthony Gutierrez, TDP Deputy Executive Director on Voter ID and the Hispanic Republican Conference:

When voter ID was before a committee that includes Pena and another member of the Hispanic Republican Conference, the Texas Democratic Party sent a news release entitled “Voter ID: A Moment of Truth for Hispanic Republicans.”

“This Hispanic Republican group is first Republican and then, perhaps, Hispanic,” said Anthony Gutierrez, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party. “The Hispanic constituents are not the people they’re thinking about when they’re voting on these bills.”

From Reuters – First test for newly-elected Texas Hispanic Republicans

• Anthony Gutierrez, TDP Deputy Executive Director on Voter ID and Democratic efforts to address voter fraud:

Anthony Gutierrez, deputy executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said Democrats have not been absent in submitting voter fraud legislation. He points to two bills dealing with the penalties associated with voter fraud – SB 1283 by Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and HB 3103 by Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas.

“Our bill makes it a first-degree felony to impersonate a voter, provide false information to a voter about procedures, and has other penalty enhancements for tampering with the vote,” said Tim Dickey, Anchia’s communications director. Their bill is the companion to Watson’s Senate bill.

Also, Gutierrez also drew attention to numerous amendments filed by Democrats to SB 14.

“Which is to say nothing of all these amendments filed by Democrats throughout the voter ID debate which addressed fraud but which were almost all voted down along party lines,” he added.”

From KXAN – Voter ID clears House on final passage

While House Democrats were fighting the Republican vote suppression legislation in Austin, our Democratic Party officers across the state were working to make sure everyone in their communities knew what this Voter ID bill was really all about. Here’s Cameron County Chair Gilberto Hinojosa doing a great job on KGBT explaining the many ways in this legislation is bad for Texas.

There two must-read reports were issued by the Legislative Budget Board this week. In them they detail the painful job losses that will result from the budget bills the Republicans are trying to put forth.

Report on committee substitute for House Bill 1, the 2012-2013 state budget

Report on committee substitute for House Bill 4, the 2010-2011 state budget

Here are some of the media reports that resulted from their analysis.

Help! Help! There’s a pig in this room! Quick, get the lipstick! - Texas Monthly’s BurkaBlog

Analysis of Texas House budget divides lawmakers – Texas Tribune

If you were wondering who the Republicans are pandering to with these severe budget cuts, the Republican Chairman of the House Appropriations committee answered that question in this piece by the Dallas Morning News.

But Pitts, R-Waxahachie, the House’s chief budget writer, said Texans alarmed at the budget’s deep cuts in spending will need to change some minds in the House, which has an unusually large number of freshman, many elected with tea party support.

“There’s a lot of members of the House, this is as far as we can go,” Pitts said. Asked to elaborate, he said, “They don’t like anything else put in this bill. They feel like they were elected to make cuts.”

And in other news:

• The Texas budget: A blow to the model – The Economist
• Ethics panel fines Perry $1,500 over rental site – Houston Chronicle
• Hispanic students attain majority in Texas schools – El Paso Times
• Capitol Digest: Senate backs tougher human trafficking penalties; airport pat downs may go away sans legislation – Austin American Statesman

Dear fellow Democrat,

This Friday, the King Street Patriots (KSP), a Republican Tea Party group, will hold a national summit in Houston to continue their efforts to export their voter suppression scheme across the country. The King Street Patriots made national news during last year’s elections after multiple documented cases of their poll watchers trying to intimidate voters and infringing upon their constitutionally protected right to a secret ballot surfaced.

The Texas Democratic Party’s ongoing legal battle with the King Street Patriots was initiated when TDP discovered KSP were illegally conducting political activities to benefit Republicans. As a 501c4 nonprofit corporation, KSP are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activity. Any actions the group takes to benefit a single party or candidate constitutes an illegal corporate contribution. Currently, the lawsuit is in the discovery stage.

Will you make a contribution today to support our legal efforts? We believe every Texan has the right to cast a ballot free from intimidation by a process they know and understand. A contribution of $10, $25, $50 or any amount you can afford will help us continue our fight to protect the right to vote.

The Republican assault on voting rights is not limited to King Street’s activities. Late last night, House Republicans voted unanimously for their Voter ID bill, which will make it harder for Texans to vote. If it becomes law, this bill will drastically change the voting process Texans are accustomed to, but will not provide nearly enough funding to make sure all Texans know about those changes.

Despite the end result of the voter ID debate, we remain inspired by the tireless determination of our Democratic lawmakers, and are very proud of their efforts. At the TDP, we are committed to protecting the voting rights of every Texan, whether it’s legally, legislatively or by working to elect Democrats who will honor voting rights.

Your contribution today will help us continue our fight for voting rights. Please visit our website and make a donation in any amount that fits your budget.

Thank you very much for your support.

Your fellow Democrat,

Boyd L. Richie
Chairman
Texas Democratic Party

P.S. – The Voter ID bill is still going through the legislative process and could be changed. Once a final bill is signed we will work to ensure that all Texans know exactly what changes have been made to voting procedures.

(Austin, TX) – Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie has filed a Motion to Dismiss in the suit filed by Kaaren Teuber et al in the United States District Court Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division.

Chairman Richie has argued that the Court lacks subject matter jurisdiction because the matter in dispute is not yet ripe for consideration. In summary, the plaintiffs have filed suit challenging the would-be redistricting plans that may or may not be adopted by Texas authorities, prior to Texas officials having considered or adopted redistricting plans.

“TDP filed the Motion in response to a suit relating to a matter – redistricting – that was not yet ripe for consideration at the time of its filing,” said TDP General Counsel Chad Dunn. “In short, there are numerous steps to Texas adopting redistricting plans and that process is barely underway.”

“This lawsuit represents the paranoia of Tea Party groups regarding the process their Republican officeholders may use in deciding upon legislative and congressional districts. Though Texas Republicans have shown time and again that legal action is necessary to ensure fair districts that comply with the Voting Rights Act, there is ample time for courts to have their say after plans have been considered and adopted. The Texas Democratic Party will be aggressive in ensuring Texas districts are not gerrymandered in such a manner that undermines the Democratic process,” concluded Dunn.

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“This bill is about making sure that the right people

show up on Election Day”

(Austin, TX) – During the State House debate on SB 14, the Republican voter ID bill, Republican State Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano) made a revealing slip in an exchange with Rep. Richard Raymond (D-Laredo). Their exchange (at around 1:02:15 in the House Chamber broadcast) was as follows:

Raymond: “Anytime you deal with a law as comprehensive and as big as this you have to take into account people’s voting rights. You would agree with that, right?”

Taylor: “I think it is important to remember that this bill is about making sure that the right people show up on election day and vote.”

Raymond: “That the right people show up on election day? Who are the right people?”

“We knew that Republicans would rather certain Texans stay home on Election Day, but rarely have they been so blatant about the aims of this politically-motivated, discriminatory legislation,” said TDP Communications Director Kirsten Gray. “The GOP’s voter ID bill threatens to take our great state back to the days when some citizens had a voice in the electoral process and others were denied that right.”

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Pressed on using the Rainy Day Fund to help close of the state’s massive budget shortfall and avoid dramatic cuts, particularly to school funding, Gov. Rick Perry earlier this month pointed to another source of money he believes should be tapped first: the reserves held by many Texas school districts. (more…)

Rep. Jim Pitts said he’d like to see House-Senate budget negotiators massage the budget his Appropriations Committee approved Wednesday — and even “make it better.”

(more…)

This week in the Texas Legislature:

• Budget mark-up hearings continued this week in the House Appropriations Committee.
• On Tuesday the Select Committee on Election Contest issued a ruling in favor of Democratic State Representative Donna Howard.
• House Bill 70, the bill that would allow firearms on college campuses passed out of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.
• Rick Perry, Comptroller Susan Combs and House Speaker Joe Straus announced an agreement under which they would all agree to use $3.2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund for the deficit in the current 2010-2011 budget.
• At the same time Perry announced he will not sign a budget for 2012-2013 that uses any of the Rainy Day Fund.

The biggest event of this legislative session was Saturday March 12^th when 11,000 people rallied at the state capitol to protest the Draconian budget cuts being proposed by Republicans. Here are a couple of the news stories generated by that rally and a great slideshow from the Texas Tribune.

• Thousands rally at Capitol to protest education cuts – Austin American Statesman
• Parents, teachers rally in Austin against school funding cuts – Dallas Morning News

Photo Credit: Thousands Rally at Capitol to Protest Education Cuts – Austin American Statesman – March 14, 2011

And in other news:

• Fikac: Democrats look to flex muscle on rainy day fund – Houston Chronicle
• Democrats seek to remove school districts from ’sanctuary city’ bill – Austin American-Statesman – March 14, 2011
• California, Texas take different courses on plugging fiscal holes – Dallas Morning News – March 14, 2011
• Special Adviser at UT System Sparks Concern – Texas Tribune – March 14, 2011

Republican Dan Neil dropped out of the race today for the Texas House seat in District 48.

Neil lost to Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, on Election Day by 16 votes. After a recount, Howard’s margin fell to 12 votes. (more…)