Blog Article
Big doin’s in Texas next week.
Yep, sometimes I lapse into the speech of the ranch kid I once was. Particularly for one of my favorite pieces of Texas slang such as the contraction of the past participle of the word “do.”
“Doin’s” usually denotes important events and “big doin’s” means something important as “all git-out.” Our legislators meet for 140 days every two years and they are “fix’n” to start next Tuesday to “git’r done.”
I can still hear by rodeo-cowboy father using the exact words when I was 4 years old spending the day out with my Dad on ranch business. We had just finished a pre-dawn breakfast at the local café in Handley with his cousin Jesse who was also the ranch’s long-time attorney and a Texas Senator. After breakfast, Cousin Jesse was driving for Austin for the 53rd Regular Session and my Dad and I were headed to a cow sale to buy some stock. Both men had spent most of the breakfast talking about politics because the legislative session started in the next day.
Back in the parking lot, before we all went our respective ways, Dad rolled down his driver-side car window, leaned out and shout out in his big booming bulldogger voice, to implore Jesse, “Big doin’s! Git’r done!”
Even though the ranch had no legislative issues in that session, to these old Texans, the meaning of my Dad’s imploration was crystal clear, “This is important. Get it done and do it right.”
There is a lot of important work to be done in the upcoming 88th Legislative Session. There will be many bills filed, debated, and voted. Some will be big legislation, some small. All will be important because it is the State’s business.
To put the focus on our priorities, there are the eight legislative priorities of the Republican Party of Texas.
These priorities were chosen by over 5,000 voting delegates at the state convention on June 13-18 in Houston Texas. Delegates were presented with a list of 15 topics selected by the Legislative Priorities Committee after a comprehensive review of resolutions passed at the precinct and senate district levels of the convention process. Delegates were allowed to vote on 8 topics, which became the official Legislative Priorities of the Republican Party of Texas.
The Legislative Priorities for the 88th Session (2023-2024) of the Texas Legislature are:
Protect our Elections: Restore felony penalties and enact civil penalties for Election Code violations, which shall be enforceable by any Texas jurisdiction, including the Texas Attorney General. Require citizenship verification of each voter. Restrict the distribution of mail-in ballots to only disabled, military, and citizens that are out of county. Reduce the time allowed for early voting and eliminate the three-day gap between early voting and election day. Establish closed primaries in Texas. As technology evolves, we encourage the passage of legislation that ensures the security of our elections.
Ban Democrat Chairs: To ensure all legislative Republican priorities are given a fair opportunity to become law, the Republican-controlled Texas legislature shall adopt a rule that would end the practice of awarding committee chairmanships to Democrats.
Abolish Abortion in Texas: Abolish abortion by ensuring the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all preborn children from the moment of fertilization, including adopting effective tools to ensure the enforcement of our laws to protect life when district attorneys fail to do so.
Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids: Repeal Texas Penal Code “Obscenity Exemption” 43.24(c), which allows children access to harmful, explicit, or pornographic materials and 43.25(f)(2 3), which allows sexual performance by a child. In addition, prohibit teaching, exposure, and/or discussion of sexual matters (mechanics, feelings, orientation, or “gender identity” issues), and prohibit use or provision of related books and other materials using criminal, civil or other enforcement measures.
Ban Gender Modification of Children: Texas must ban chemical castration, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, genital mutilation, bodily alteration surgery, psychological/social transitioning, and any other methods applied to or performed on children.
Secure the Border and Protect Texans: Texas shall immediately deny all taxpayer-funded services and subsidies to illegal aliens. We call upon the Governor to assert his duty under Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 of the US Constitution to declare an invasion on our Texas border and do everything in his power to protect Texans from this invasion. The legislature shall direct the Governor to enter into an Interstate Compact with one or more states for Border Security.
Parental Rights and Educational Freedom: Parents are the primary decision-makers for their children in all matters. This authority shall be protected as an inalienable right. This shall include the choice of schooling where the money follows the child without strings attached, and enforcement and penalty mechanisms when parents’ rights are violated. The right to education shall be free from any social theories.
Defend Our Gun Rights: Protect our gun rights against threats, such as red flag laws, federal, state or other restrictions, by strengthening and preserving our inalienable rights under the second amendment to protect our life, liberty and property. The Texas Legislature should eliminate gun-free zones.
Okay, Texas Representatives and Senators, git’r done! “Texas are ready and rarin’ so go right quick
