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September 5, 2024      5:29 PM

Democrats ramp up attacks on Cruz by tying him directly to Texas abortion restrictions

Democrats argue Cruz and Trump “have to own the ban in Texas” while pro-life organizations argue “Kamala Harris’ dire claims about Texas’ protective abortion laws are completely baseless”

Reproductive rights have taken center stage during the 2024 election after Democrats across the country saw their numbers grow from statehouse all the way to the U.S. Senate since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

According to the Texas Politics Project, 45 percent of Texas voters say abortion laws in Texas should be made less strict versus 27 percent who said they should be stricter and 21 percent they should be left as they are now.

Seizing on the debate, two groups on different sides of the issue amped up their messaging on Thursday.

The rest of the story, subscribers only

By James Russell

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September 5, 2024      10:04 AM

Former Gov. Perry becomes senior advisor to Speaker Phelan

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September 3, 2024      7:31 PM

Rep. David Cook announces bid for speaker

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September 3, 2024      4:25 PM

In defiance of Paxton, Bexar County Commissioners move forward with plan to mail out voter registration forms

Paxton has said he’ll explore all legal avenues to shut it down

Taylor Goldenstein at the Houston Chronicle has the update:

Attorney General Ken Paxton is warning Bexar and Harris counties that he will sue if they move forward with proposals to mail out voter registration forms en masse to residents.

Despite the threat, Bexar County commissioners voted on Tuesday to move forward with the effort, saying they disagreed with Paxton's legal assessment.

In letters addressed to county commissioners on Sunday, Paxton cautioned that the distribution of forms could include people who are ineligible to vote, which would confuse residents about whether they can legally vote in November.

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September 3, 2024      8:35 AM

Survey underscores demand for investment in Texas water infrastructure

The 2024 survey of water districts done by the Texas Water Infrastructure Network and the Collaborative Water Resolution finds, among other things:

- 92% reported that their current or projected revenues were stable or increasing.

- 81% responded that the current state of the economy and inflation rate had not impaired their ability to access affordable financing through the private sector, and that their current water rates were sufficient to fund their current and future capital programs.

- 76% had increased their budgets for construction costs due either to inflationary or supply chain issues.

- 63% had delayed projects.

The executive summary of the survey is here. The full results are here.

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August 30, 2024      10:21 AM

People on the Move

Lobby moves, staffer changes, and more

Well by now you already know Rep. Shawn Thierry is on the move from the Democratic Party. She announced her departure this morning, saying she was “leaving the left” and joining the GOP. Texas House Democratic Caucus Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer said “Adios!” and had a few other choice words.

Former Gov. Rick Perry, perhaps Texas’ best-known party switcher historically, has privately told lawmakers a version of this whenever they make the jump: “You just made everybody happy. The party you just left is glad your ass is gone and the party you just joined is glad to have a new member.”

Moving on.

Some programming notes: The Quorum Report News Clips will be off for the holiday weekend. James Russell has more than earned it. He’ll be back in your inbox with News Clips on Tuesday morning. Enjoy your Labor Day plans. We’ll be on the lookout as always for any breaking news that needs to be passed along to you. Also, the Texas Take Podcast will return next week.

Meantime, there were some significant staffer and lobby moves to share this past week as we head into the holiday. People on the Move is the most efficient way to let everyone in the Texas Capitol community know about those career changes so pass them along anytime at ksbraddock@gmail.com. Use POTM in the subject line, please and thank you.

Here’s the latest edition of POTM:

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By Scott Braddock

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August 30, 2024      9:03 AM

After losing in the Democratic primary, Rep. Thierry announces she is switching to the GOP

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