Texas GOP Goes On Offensive Against House Speaker
A week after the floor fight on House Rules which concluded without any provisions banning or restricting the appointment of Democratic committee chairs, the Republican Party of Texas took the public relations fight to Speaker Dade Phelan’s (R-Beaumont) neighborhood.
Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi announced the airing of a radio ad in the speaker’s district.
“We voted Republican all the way down the ticket, but House Speaker Dade Phelan thinks Democrats should still run the show,” the ad states. “That’s why he’s planning to put Democrats in charge of nearly half the committees in the Texas House.”
“That’s right, Dade Phelan is teaming up with Democrats to kill our Republican priorities. This has to stop. Call Dade Phelan today. Tell him to be a Republican [and] stop empowering Democrats.”
The speaker’s office declined to comment on the ads.
Phelan has not wavered on the issue. “A lot we do in the House is not Republican versus Democrat. It could be rural versus urban,” he said the day after the Rules fight.
“And so there are some committees that aren’t partisan, so I see no reason why I can’t give some of my Democratic colleagues [some of those].”
Conservative Think Tank Adds Former Lawmakers
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) announced the addition of two former members of the Texas Legislature.
Former Sen. Larry Taylor and former Rep. Matt Krause have both joined TPPF, the organization announced this month.
Both join as senior fellows; Taylor will focus on education issues during the current legislative session, while Krause will cast a wide net on “criminal justice reform, protecting minors from gender modification, parent empowerment, and property tax reform.”
“[Larry’s] consistent and tireless work on reforming our education system makes him the right person at the right time to fight for empowering parents and ensuring they are the primary decision makers in their child’s education,” TPPF CEO Greg Sindelar said.
Sindelar said of Krause, “He has the institutional knowledge and issue expertise to help us fight on just about any topic. His advice and help will be an important key to the foundation’s success this session.”
The organization also added former Congresswoman Mayra Flores this month.
George P. Bush Joins Law Firm After GLO Term
Former Commissioner of Texas’ General Land Office (GLO) George P. Bush announced his next career move this week, joining national law firm Michael Best.
“Bush will lead efforts to bolster the firm’s corporate, litigation and consulting practices in Texas,” the firm’s release reads. “He will serve as a strategic advisor on a variety of issues, including commercial real estate; investment fund formation and compliance; administrative law, public-private partnerships, and economic development.”
Bush stated, “I’m thrilled to continue my work in service to fast-growing and dynamic clients in Texas and the rest of the nation as part of Michael Best’s team.”
“Michael Best’s focus on the critical issues facing Texas and the nation at large combined with their exceptional team of talented lawyers and advisory experts make for the perfect platform to continue serving the American people.”
Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of former President George W. Bush, ran the GLO for eight years. Last year, he challenged Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP primary but lost in the runoff.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
