Over two dozen University of Texas students have tested positive for the Chinese coronavirus after returning from spring break trip in Mexico, Austin public health officials announced Tuesday.
The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election for the next session. The statement follows crumbling support among top Republican leaders and the release of a recording from a meeting that seems to confirm allegations of wrongdoing in June.
A political writer released the long-awaited recording of a meeting he held with the two top Texas Republican House leaders. The tape replays what has been alleged to be a quid pro quo offer from the Speaker of the Texas House in exchange for political action against certain legislators by the writer’s political action committee.
The Brazoria County, Texas, district attorney reportedly joined the investigation into allegations made against House Speaker Dennis Bonnen regarding a June meeting with political activist Michael Quinn Sullivan. Brazoria County is Speaker Bonnen’s home and under a new Texas law, would be responsible for investigating and prosecuting any potential criminal case against him.
The Texas House General Investigating Committee voted to request an investigation into allegations made against the Speaker of the House and the Republican Caucus Chairman. The accusations stem from a June 12 meeting in the Capitol where the House Speaker and Republican Caucus chairman allegedly made a quid pro quo offer to an activist in exchange for political action against fellow House members.
The Texas Democratic Party and a Democrat State Representative reportedly filed a lawsuit against the man who accused the Texas Speaker of the House and Chairman of the House Republican Caucus of misconduct and bribery. The lawsuit seeks to protect records and force the release on a recording from a meeting between the three parties.
At least three Texas state representatives said they believe the House Speaker has not been truthful about a meeting with a political activist where an alleged bribery attempt took place. The comments come after the legislators listened to a purported recording of the meeting captured by the activist.
A Texas Republican legislator reportedly listened to a recording of a meeting between a Texas political activist and two leaders of the House in which an alleged bribery attempt took place. The legislator said the recording confirms the allegations of wrongdoing by the speaker and the chairman of the House Republican Caucus on June 12.
The Texas Speaker of the House flatly denied an unsubstantiated allegation of bribery made by a political blogger last week. The accuser quickly responded and doubled down on his allegations of misconduct by the speaker and the chairman of the House Republican Caucus but offered no proof.
The Texas Speaker of the House, implicated in an alleged quid pro quo scheme by a Texas blogger, sent an email to his fellow House Republicans offering an explanation of the meeting, but not a denial of the allegation. The speaker is accused by the blogger of offering to deliver an official government action in exchange for political campaign expenditures against targeted House Republicans.
Two key Republican leaders are largely remaining silent on allegations of serious legal and ethical improprieties leveled by a conservative political organization’s leader. The allegations involve promised use of official power from elected officials in exchange for political favors to include government-issued media credentials.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered 1,000 National Guard Troops to the Mexican border Friday. The troops are tasked with supplemental staffing for new detention facilities being built by the Department of Homeland Security to free up Border Patrol agents.
“Texas will not flinch in our resolve to keep Texans safe,” Governor Greg Abbott told a joint session of the Texas Legislature during his State of the State Address.
Two key congressional leaders told Breitbart Texas the federal government should reimburse the Lone Star State for border security expenditures. The comments from two committee chairmen follows a request from Texas House Republican leadership requesting reimbursement of $2.8 billion spent by the state on defending the state’s southern border with Mexico.
AUSTIN, Texas – Members of the Texas Senate passed a border security measure that significantly raises the level of spending in the state’s effort to secure the Texas border with Mexico. The bill (SB 3) by Senator Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) passed with massive bipartisan support in a vote of 26-4.
Fireworks erupted on Wednesday in the Texas capitol building between the Lt. Governor and the House Speaker Pro Tempore over tax reform legislation. The verbal exchange between the two leaders began after State Representative Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton), who also serves Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, unveiled his plan for a $4.7 billion tax cut.
The Texas Senate appears to be moving slowly on a pair of border security bills, one of which has already passed the House. Border security legislation was set as an “Emergency Item” by Texas Governor Greg Abbott during his State of the State Address where he laid out his legislative agenda for the 84th session of the Texas Legislature. Approximately thirty days later, the Texas House passed HB 11 relating to border security and forwarded that bill to the Senate.
The Texas Senate has passed a package of bills that would enact substantive changes to the state’s franchise tax. Not a single bill related to franchise tax reform has received a public committee hearing in the Texas House.
