Family Freedom Fest
A JOHNSON COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY FUNDRAISER
MEET AND GREET WITH YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller
EATS AND TREATS WITH
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT THROUGHOUT THE DAY!
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
**Protector of Election Integrity**
$1500
Enjoy reservations for two at the exclusive Dinner With My Congressman event scheduled in September—a $350-a-plate private dinner with a maximum of 20 guests.
4x8 advertisement banner featuring your company name and logo
Listings on the Republican Party website (optional) and two non-partisan websites for 1 year.
**Champion of Democracy**
$1000
4x8 advertisement banner featuring your company name and logo
Listings on the Republican Party website (optional) and two non-partisan websites for 1 year.
**Election Advocate**
$500
2x4 advertisement banner featuring
Your company name and logo.
Listing on the Republican Party website (optional).
**Community Supporter**
$250
Your name or company name will be displayed on the main event banner.
Points Of Interest
89th LP Bill List - Republican Party of Texas
Senate Floor Report for 04/16/2025
Filed Legislation Summaries (All Bills Filed In The 89th Legislature)
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Announces Top 40 Priority Bills for the 2025 Legislative Session
Texas Senate Weakens Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying Ban Proposal
Texas Senate passes hemp ban, a Dan Patrick priority
Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer tainted with “forever chemicals” poisoned their land and killed their livestock
Lawmakers want to give schools more leeway to suspend Texas’ youngest and homeless students
89th Legislature – Texas House Standing Committee Appointments
Legislative Bills To Watch
If there is a bill that you would like to have watched please email us at johnsoncountyrepublicanparty@gmail.com. Be sure to give us the bill number.
Senate Bill: SB 2
Author: Creighton | Bettencourt | Campbell | Hagenbuch | Hinojosa, Adam | King | Middleton | Parker | Paxton (School Vouchers) Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.
SENATE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
House Bill: HB 3 Article School Choice Bill Secures Majority Support in Texas House
Author: Buckley (School Vouchers)Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senate Bill: SB 4
Relating to an increase in the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district and the protection of school districts against certain losses in local revenue.
Senate Journal / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
House Bill: HB 2611
Relating to an increase in the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district and the protection of school districts against certain losses in local revenue.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senate Bill: SB 985
Relating to the combination of certain election precincts.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senate Bill: HB 811
Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senate Bill: SB 239
Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senate Bill: SJR 2
Proposing a constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district.
Senate Journal / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Helen Kerwin Bill: HB 2220
Relating to the repeal of or limitations on certain state and local taxes, including school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes, the enactment of state and local value added taxes, and related school finance reform; imposing taxes.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Helen Kerwin Bill: HB 1952
Relating to the composition of county appraisal district boards of directors.
HOUSE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Senator Phil King Bill: SB 567
Relating to the use of a building owned or controlled by a public school as a polling place.
SENATE JOURNAL / BILL ANALYSIS / LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD / COMPANION BILLS
Congressman Roger Williams Bill: HR 825
Assisting Small Businesses Not Fraudsters Act
Congressman Roger Williams Bill: HR 832
Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2025
The Texas Legislature is currently deliberating Senate Bill 1, proposing a historic $336.1 billion state budget for the 2026–27 biennium. Despite a $24 billion surplus from the previous biennium and a Rainy Day Fund nearing its $28.5 billion cap, the budget allocates only $6 billion for new property tax relief, opting instead for increased spending across sectors like education and healthcare. Notably, state funds have surged by 42.7% since the 2022–23 budget, and total funds have risen nearly 27% during the same period.
As Texas continues to see historic revenue surpluses, lawmakers are considering new guardrails to keep government spending in check. Several proposals under the spotlight aim to strengthen the state’s existing spending limit by tying it more strictly to population growth and inflation—an approach designed to keep government growth aligned with taxpayers' ability to pay. These reforms reflect a growing sentiment among conservative lawmakers and fiscal watchdogs that without stronger limits, surplus funds risk being funneled into unsustainable programs.
Ever wonder why the Texas Legislature seems to start at a crawl before picking up speed? The first 60 days of each session are bound by constitutional rules that limit what lawmakers can actually do, delaying most bill debates and votes. But why does this happen, and how can some bills bypass the delay? Understanding this process is key to knowing when real legislative action begins—and how the Governor’s emergency powers can shake things up.
We have read through all of the filed legislation for the 89th Legislative Session. We’ve already compiled summaries of each piece of legislation to give you a head start. These summaries are just the beginning as we gear up for our next round of in-depth policy analysis and prepare our more comprehensive floor reports as the session continues to ramp up.
Time To Vote
A Johnson County Voters Guide with everything you will need from candidate information to voting locations and times.
What Does A Precinct Chair Do
DROP DOWN
Precinct Chair: what is it?
● Structural support for a political party
● Soil in which the grassroots grows
● A volunteer — elected or appointed — who coordinates political involvement in his own neighborhood within his own party.
A Precinct Chair can affect . . .
● Election integrity
● Voter turnout
● Candidates winning
● Party brand
● State policy
● The area’s influence with lawmakers
Political Party: what is it?
A political party is a group of like-minded voters organized for the purpose of implementing their shared beliefs as public policy
Divisions:
Precincts —> Counties —> State —> National
Party Organization
● State Party
○ Managed by SREC (State Republican Executive Committee)
● County Party
○ County Executive Committee (CEC)
○ CEC = County Chair & all the Precinct Chairs in that county!
● Commissioners Precinct Executive Committee
○ Precinct Chairs within a Commissioners Precinct
Does your precinct have a Precinct Chair?
Identify your County & Precinct #
○ VoteTexas.gov —> “Am I Registered To Vote?”
● Go to county party website or contact county
chair
○ Info: www.texasgop.org/county_chairs/
○ Some county party websites list Precinct Chairs
If your precinct already has a Precinct Chair:
Ask if he/she is active
● Ask if he/she plans to run again
● If possible, before running against him/her:
○ Get to know your precinct chair
○ Ask if you can help him/her
Precinct Chair Obligations
(What do I have to do if I become Precinct Chair?)
Main Obligation: Participate in the CEC
CEC = County Executive Committee
○ Runs the business of the County GOP
● Attend meetings
○ At least quarterly
○ Usually more frequently in larger counties
● Vote; participate in debate
● Can serve on committees
CEC Responsibilities
Elections:
○ Oversee primary elections (county chair is
responsible; precinct chairs help)
○ Sometimes, select Republican nominee for ballot
● Conventions:
○ Set time for precinct conventions
○ Pick SD convention chair; set time & location
CECs often fill many additional roles to grow the part
Precinct Chair Opportunities
(What do I get to do if I become Precinct Chair?)
Guidelines & Suggestions
RPT Precinct Chair Handbook
● Your County Chair
● Other Precinct Chairs
● Be creative — effect change
○ Party of the grassroots
General
Get to know your precinct
● Recruit volunteers
● Grow the party
● Obtain voter data
○ County elections office
○ GOP Data Center
In general: ORGANIZE YOUR PRECINCT!
Neighborhood captains
● Walk / group leaders
● Recruit volunteers
● Give people tasks
○ Share tools & skills to achieve common goals!
Elections
GOTV!
● Work the polls
● Support Republican candidates
● Blockwalk, phone bank
And / or recruit volunteers to do all of the above!
Conventions
If present, serve as temporary precinct convention chair
● Educate your precinct, recruit delegates
○ Party Rules
○ Party Platform
○ Party Leadership
“But I don’t like what the (county / State) party is doing.”
Be the change
● Use position of precinct chair to improve structure, brand, outreach, tools
Qualifications
Resident of the precinct
● Qualified voter in that county
● NOT officeholder or candidate for
○ County, state, or federal public office
● Be affiliated with Republican Party
○ Vote in R primary election or runoff
○ Or give oath of affiliation
○ Must NOT participate in another party process
Disqualifications
Finally convicted of a felony
● Affiliate with another political party
(vote/convention/oath)
● Cease to be a resident of the precinct from which elected
● Abandonment of Office
○ miss 4 consecutive meetings & CEC follows process
Can be . . .
Elected (Done during the primary elections) or Appointed (By the executive committee during a regular meeting)
Source (Rachel Malone for Texas Young Republican Federation Fall 2019)
Research Highlights: 4/16/25
Trade Policy Adjustments and Economic Impact: This week, the U.S. government announced and then paused a series of tariffs on imports from various countries, including a 125% tariff on goods from China and other rates between 11% and 50% on imports from dozens of nations and the European Union. These tariffs, implemented last week, initially caused fluctuations in global stock markets. On April 9, 2025, most of these tariffs were paused, resulting in a rebound in stock prices. Officials have described the measures as part of a broader economic strategy, while some analysts have raised concerns about potential effects on trade and economic stability.
Source 1: Breitbart, Source 2: CNN
House Passes SAVE Act Requiring Proof of Citizenship for Voter Registration:
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require individuals to provide documentation verifying U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Supporters of the legislation describe it as a safeguard against ineligible voting. Critics have raised concerns that the requirements could create administrative barriers for eligible voters. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its path forward remains uncertain.
Source 1: PBS, Source 2: Fox News
President Trump Signs Executive Order on State Climate Regulations: President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a national energy emergency and instructing the Department of Justice to evaluate whether certain state climate laws exceed federal authority. The order specifically highlights state-level policies that require fossil fuel companies to contribute financially for past greenhouse gas emissions. Reactions to the executive action vary, with some citing the importance of energy policy uniformity and others pointing to potential implications for state environmental autonomy.
Source: 1: The White House, Source 2: Newsmax, Source 3: POLITICO
House Stops; Senate Goes
By Amy West (April 4, 2025)
This week the House came to a halt early due to a standoff between Speaker Johnson (R-LA4) and Rep. Luna (R-FL13) after passing a few uncontroversial bills. You might think this means today's post will be short. However, why the House did so little requires a bit of a long explanation.
Despite a delay on Tuesday from Sen. Booker (D-NJ), the Senate continued to confirm nominees and inch closer to passing a budget resolution of its own (step one in the reconciliation process).
Proxy Voting for New Parents
Rep. Pettersen (D-CO7) and Rep. Luna are the main co-sponsors of a new House rule that would, if passed, allow new parents 12 weeks in which to designate a proxy for their votes while they're at home with their new child. Even though Pettersen is the main sponsor, because the majority is Republican and because she's been trying to get this rule passed in other ways, Rep. Luna has become the main face of the bill. The problem that Luna has faced is that Speaker Johnson claims any proxy voting system is unconstitutional.
To get around Johnson's objections, Pettersen and Luna got 218 co-sponsors on their resolution. Reaching that number of sponsors meant that they could use the "discharge petition" process to force the bill to the floor for a vote.
Johnson, meanwhile, tried to use a debate and voting rule on a set of other bills that Republicans support to prohibit the resolution from being brought to the floor for a vote. The rule did not pass.
Quick House Procedure Note
The normal process for a bill to come to the floor is for the Rules Committee to set the time and amendment parameters for the bill. Once that's done, then the whole House either agrees or disagrees with these parameters. The committee can add additional content to a rule as well.
It's rare, though much less so since last Congress, for the majority to vote against a rule. But with the vote margins in the House so narrow last Congress and this one, voting down rules has become a tool for small groups of members of the majority to express their dissatisfaction with leadership decisions.
When the rule failed, Johnson shut the House down. Why? Because if the House stayed in session, Rep. Luna or Pettersen could bring up the discharge petition which means that the resolution itself would need to be voted on within two legislative days (not the same as real days, but that doesn't matter for now). So until Johnson relents, the House is conducting no business.
How might this standoff end? We don't know. There's talk about amending the resolution to specify it's only for 6 weeks instead of twelve and only for new mothers, but it's not clear that the existing resolution could be amended before it came up for a vote. Further complicating matters for Johnson, President Trump weighed in yesterday supporting the bill.
For now though, unless either Johnson or Luna gives in or they find some kind of procedural compromise, the House is not in session. This means they are not available to work on the budget resolution that the Senate is in the process of passing right now. That puts the reconciliation process further off and, like the Democrats when they last held the majority and the Presidency, reconciliation is pretty much the only way for Republicans to pass any of their priorities.
Sen. Booker Delays Senate Activity
Starting Monday evening, Sen. Booker took control of the Senate floor and held it until 25 hours later on Tuesday. In so doing, he delayed some Senate business and beat Strom Thurmond's, a segregationist, old speech record. Talking Points Memo covered the story and interviewed Booker about his goal with the speech.
Budget Reconciliation
Now that the Senate is back to previously scheduled work, on Thursday, April 3, they passed a "motion to proceed" on the budget resolution. This means the Senate is now debating the budget resolution. The resolution itself will likely be voted on this weekend.
Assuming the resolution is passed this weekend, that means the ball is back in the House's court. (The Senate has passed a different version from the House's so the House has to vote again) Thus, there's considerable pressure on Johnson to resolve the Luna proxy voting issue as soon as possible.
Bill Votes
There were a few, including one that will be law shortly.
S.J.Res. 37: A joint resolution terminating the national emergency declared to impose duties on articles imported from Canada, which would end tariffs against Canada by ending the grounds on which they're imposed, passed 51-48.
H.J.Res. 24: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Energy relating to “Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Walk-In Coolers and Walk-In Freezers” passed the Senate 53-42 and now goes to the President to sign.
H.R. 517: Filing Relief for Natural Disasters Act, which extends deadlines for tax filing for people who have been in natural disasters, passed 388-0.
H.R. 997: National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act of 2025 passed 385-0.
H.R. 1491: Disaster Related Extension of Deadlines Act passed 423-0
See you all next week!
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GRASSROOTS RESOURCES
DROP DOWN
Grassroots Guide: Saying NO to Debt from Bonds pdf.
Grassroots Guide: Texas Laws Every Grassroots Worker Should Know pdf.
Voter Education: Vote Smart's Government 101
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