Tuesday morning brief 11.26.19

Interim charges & bizarre blunder

Nov 26

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On to today’s stories.

Interim charges were released yesterday by outgoing Speaker Dennis Bonnen. In this lame-duck interim, the charges focus primarily on the past, making sure the legislative intent of measures passed in 2019 is followed.

Interestingly, in a memo attached to the charges, Bonnen announced he would be announcing several Select Committees in the coming weeks. The composition of these committees will be scrutinized.

Further, there are two critical committees with leadership deficiencies. The Appropriations Committee doesn’t have a chairman following Rep. John Zerwas’ retirement after the session, and the Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee is chaired by Rep. Poncho Nevarez recently in the news for dropping cocaine at the Austin airport.

Republican 2020 plan (a term used lightly) “in a bizarre political blunder” was leaked to Democrats and then passed along to the Dallas Morning News. The document lists 12 seats that the GOP will target in 2020 and tactics to be used, including building negative microsites on Democrats.

Cook Children’s Hospital continues to lash out as it works to terminate the life of a 10-month old infant. Last week Direct Action Texas reported that the hospital was trying to have Judge Alex Kim recused. Now, according to social media postings, the hospital is issuing subpoenas to conservative activists for reporting on the case.

Edinburg’s newly elected officials are cleaning house. The city has been embroiled in one of the most significant election fraud cases of 2019, with the mayor, his wife, business partner, and over a dozen others been charged in the alleged scheme.

After new members were elected to the city council in November, the city secretary (also caught up in legal net) was cut loose along with four members of the Economic Development Corporation Board, and two municipal court judges.