Texas GOP Vote

The Texas Senate moved the state one step closer this week to giving craft beer makers more freedom to sell their brews in more places.

Under a package of pushed by Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, brew pubs would be able to distribute their beer to retailers, and microbreweries like Saint Arnold's in Houston would be able to legally sell beer on site. The bills were the result of a deal brokered by Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, who worked closely with Eltife and Sen. Letica Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, to move the bills through the Business and Commerce Committee.   Read more »

Republican Party of Texas - Under the bylaws of the Texas Republican Party, a vacancy of the position of Committeeman or Committeewoman shall be filled at a specially called meeting of the State Republican Executive Committee to take place within 20 to 30 days of the vacancy. The bylaws specify that the State Chairman set the date of such a meeting. Chairman Steve Munisteri called a meeting of the Officials Committee on Friday, March 22 to discus potential dates as well as potential rules. It was unanimously agreed on by members of the Officials Committee to recommend to the Chairman that Saturday April 6 be the date of the election, as that was the only Saturday available during the time period allowed by the bylaws.   Read more »

Republican Party of Texas - The Texas Federation of Republican Women and the Republican Party of Texas, on behalf of the Family of Borah Van Dormolen, announce memorial arrangements honoring and celebrating Borah’s life

Burial services will be held on Thursday, March 21st at 11:00 AM Texas State Cemetery, 909 Navasota St Austin, TX 78702

A celebration of Borah’s life will be held at the Austin Club, 110 E 9th St Austin, TX 78701, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. following the cemetery services.

Click here for her full obituary. Details regarding how to donate to a scholarship fund in her honor will be posted shortly: http://www.broeckerfuneralhome.com/obits.html

We all know that Borah has been so loved by so many. Here is a sample of just some of the touching memories we have received about Borah in the last few days.

Republican Party of Texas - The Texas Federation of Republican Women and the Republican Party of Texas, together, with heavy hearts, have been asked by the family to inform those in Borah’s Republican family of the tragic passing of our beloved friend, Lt. Col. Borah Van Dormolen. Borah passed away at 2:00 pm this afternoon as the result of a serious heart attack she suffered last week. All of us who are members of the TFRW and are active within the RPT are devastated by the loss of such a wonderful woman who devoted so much of her life to the betterment of her country.

After serving her country in the US Army and achieving the rank of Lt. Colonel, Borah continued to commit

Efforts to pass a worker misclassification bill are moving forward after what was called "the big stakeholders meeting" on Monday. Sen. John Carona, Chairman of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee, brought groups like the Texas Construction Association, AGC Texas Building Branch, some individual companies and others to hash out the best way to deal with the growing problem that has often been referred to as "payroll fraud." One longtime observer of the legislature said that this kind of meeting of the minds is part and parcel of the way Sen. Carona operates when he's on board with something and thinks he can win on an issue.   Read more »

Congressman John Culberson (TX-07), Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10), Congressman Gene Green (TX-29), Congressman Pete Olson (TX-22), and Congressman Bill Posey (FL-08) reintroduced the Space Leadership Preservation Act (H.R. 823), legislation that will change business as usual at NASA and result in a more stable and accountable space program. The Space Leadership Preservation Act will help preserve and protect our leadership in the exploration of outer space and the high ground of the future.   Read more »

For 140 days every two years, lawmakers, their staffs, armies of lobbyists, activists, journalists, and others descend on the Texas Capitol for the regular session of the legislature. 

The legislative issue we're watching closely is worker misclassification. The problem, sometimes called "payroll fraud", has been a real scourge in the construction industry.

After talking about it for months, Sen. John Carona filed a bill that he believes will help stop the problem of worker misclassification, also known as payroll fraud.

The bill could still be substituted and amended, but this is a framework for dealing with the problem that is said to be more in line with what the industry would like to see than the bill filed by State Rep. Joe Deshotel. This comes after a study from University of Texas researchers showed more than 40 percent of construction workers in the state are misclassified.   Read more »

AUSTIN – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today joined Senator Kel Seliger and Representative Charles “Doc” Anderson to express support for legislation to help strengthen Texas’s right-to-work laws. Attorney General Abbott made the following statement about the proposed legislation:

“The State of Texas weathered the national economic downturn and became the nation’s job creator thanks to a reasonable regulatory environment that fostered job growth, economic opportunity and individual freedom – including the right to choose whether to join a labor union. Legislation proposed by Senator Seliger and Representative Anderson seeks to strengthen our State’s right-to-work protections by ensuring that workers are guaranteed

One of the trends we've been watching closely is the shift in attitudes when it comes to the "college for all" mentality that has dominated public policy in recent decades. Now, a plan in support of that shift is picking up steam at the Texas Legislature.

Workforce Commissioner Tom Pauken, who has been sounding the alarm about the need for more skilled workers, says the plan "is clearly going to pass the House. There's a recognition in the importance of multiple pathways to a high school diploma and the value of career and technical education."   Read more »