The Journal of Texas Conservative Politics1782 W. Sam Houston Parkway North •Houston, Texas 77043 •www.terrylowry.comBy Terry LowryEditor/Publisher, The LINK LetterHost, The What’s UP Radio ProgramWill Texans experience firsthand, upfront, and personal thebattling tandem of Governor Greg Abbott and Speaker of theHouse Joe Straus? The Governor has called for a Special Session of the TexasLegislature to tackle twenty items, only one must be debated,voted on, and ultimately signed into law. The others are simply issues on the Governor’s wish-list of conservativeitems. (See pages 8 and 9 for more details.)Resuscitating the Texas Medical Review Board is the onlymust-pass issue. So,strategy-wise, if this bill is sent to GovernorAbbott’s office for a signature, he should notsign it – until bills covering the other nineteen items are on his desk.If the Democrats fleeTexas to avoid voting on the Bathroom Bill,Property Tax Reform,Education SavingsAccounts, or any otheritem on the Called List,let them flee. Like theirRepublican counter-parts,while in Special Session in Austin, or hiding in Oklahoma orNew Mexico, they are not working their day jobs, and notmaking money, other than their $600 a month gross-pay forbeing a Legislator in Texas.Sooner or later, they will need to return to their day-jobs.The average length of service for Texas Legislators is 4.2years. Some seek higher office, others quit, resign, or do notseek re-election because they cannot afford to be away fromtheir businesses for a measly $600 month pay check from theState. I would advise Governor Abbott to call Special Sessionafter Special Session after Special Session until all of thecalled items have been voted on and await his final signa-ture. Sooner or later,someone will throw in the towel and cry“Uncle”. Our ElectedOfficials have the rightto get back to their “dayjob” and make a livingfor their families. Governor: Keep call-ing them back intoSpecial Session untillegislation is on yourdesk covering ALLtwenty items on theCalled List. Who willcry “UNCLE” first?It’s going to be inter-esting… On the web at www.TerryLowry.comArchives posted since January 1st 2005July 2017, Volume 26, Number 1LINKING TEXAS CONSERVATIVES SINCE 1993WEEKDAYS 2:00-3:00PM ON KKHT 100.7FMTHE WHAT’S UP Radio ProgramHARRIS COUNTY SPECIAL EDITION FOR THE SPECIAL SESSIONWho Will Cry Uncle First?Texas CageMatch2017Protect Our Mothers, Wivesand Daughters www.TerryLowry.com July 20172By Dr. Tom OliversonState Representative, District 130On the first day of the 85thTexas legislative session, areporter asked me whetheror not I felt like the “bathroom bill” was essentially a non-issue. Iremember saying “No, it is not anon-issue, and we are going to haveto act now.” I strongly believe that the privacy issue is important, butperhaps I should take some time to explain why I feel thatway.Actually, I don’t think this prob-lem began with bathrooms at all. Ithink this issue is a symptom of amuch larger problem within thiscountry, one that seems to befocused around the progressiveidea that “tolerance” means“endorsement,” and anything less than “endorsement” means“intolerance,” which requires“corrective action.” How this applies to the bathroomprivacy issue can clearly be seenin the “Dear Colleague” letterreleased by the Department ofEducation/Department of Justicein 2016. You may recall it assertedthat the new and “appropriate”implementation of Title IX (federal sex discriminationlaw) meant that schools would be required to follow a student’s decision on which restrooms and locker rooms touse, based solely on the student’s personal “internal senseof gender.” In addition, it forbade the common practice of lettingpublic schools provide a private single use bathroom as theappropriate accommodation. Instead, the letter stated thatsuch students must be allowed “full access” to the communalchanging areas and showers based on their own personalsense of gender, regardless of whether or not they changetheir appearance or anatomy. Any students who felt uncomfortable enough to object to this practice would themselves be removed from thecommunal changing areas and showers, thus punishing the“intolerant.” So poorly thought out, this new implementationmeant a teenage boy could say he personally and internallyidentified as a girl, thus forcing the school to allow him towalk right into the girl’s shower room. This forced compliance with the uncomfortable andmandated acceptance of new personal definitions notfound anywhere in Texas law is unreasonable. Sadly, failed lawsuits followed by executive action orordinance has become standard operating procedure forsome activists within our country when they can’t get support from the legislature or at the ballot box. There have also been bills filed that go in the oppositedirection of the Texas Privacy Act, expanding governmentpower to punish people and private businesses for handlingthe bathroom and shower privacy issue according to theirown conscience, similar to what was tried in Houston. Dr. Tom Oliverson3July 2017 www.TerryLowry.comWeekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.comThese aggressive efforts have been rejected by the votersand reveal a very calloused attitude towards the rights ofothers. I believe they reflect a mindset that refuses to tolerate the existence of any viewpoint except theirown. It is exactly the same kind of mentality that led a lesbiancouple to sue a known Christian baker for refusing to bakea wedding cake for a wedding ceremony, despite the factthat there were other willing bakers that would have provided that service. This, friends, is exactly why Legislators must create areasonable backstop that reminds all interested parties thateveryone has rights, including the right to disagree, andeach person’s rights are equally important. Yes, PresidentTrump has rescinded the ill-advised “Obama bathroomletter,” but Trump’s letter says specifically that this issueshould be decided at the state level. Hence, our school districts need the consistent, statewideguidance so schools can focus on education instead ofhow to handle the bathroom and locker room issue. TheTexas Privacy Act and other religious freedom bills are anecessary defense against current and future assaults onour rights to hold values and religious beliefs that are different than the ones a vocal few insist we have. If youbelieve in these values like I do, the time to act is now.Real Education OpportunitiesWithin Reach www.TerryLowry.com July 20174By Allan E. Parker, J.D. President of The JusticeFoundation Iam extremely excited andencouraged to see GovernorAbbott's bold leadership onthe entire agenda for the July 18Special Session. The leadershipstyles of Lt. Governor Dan Patrickand Governor Abbott are now uniting in a broad con-servative agenda. I am deeply excitedfor the opportunityfor real education reform. Now the House underSpeaker Joe Strauss needs to get on board. The Houseleadership has said school choice is dead. Yet with theGovernor and Lt. Governor on the side of parents,familiesand taxpayers, we are closer than ever to school choice.The Governor has endorsed HB 1335 by Rep. RonSimmons. HB 1355 would create Education SavingsAccounts for hundreds of thousands of parents and studentswith special needs. The bill would allow the parent orguardian of a special needs or at risk student to receive90% of the state spending each year per student in the formof an Education Savings Account (ESA). More precisely,the weighted average daily attendance entitlement per student from the Foundation School Program. These funds would be distributed quarterly and accessedthrough a debit card or online/electronic transfer account.The funds could only be spent on approved education-related expenses such as tuition at an accredited privateschool, therapies or virtual academics, etc. The ESA program would also save taxpayer funds that couldenhance other opportunities. If passed, a child would be eligible to participate ifhe/she is:1.A child with a disability2.In foster Care3.A victim of bullying 4.Truant in the past5.Has dropped out of school or is a student at risk of dropping out of school6.A homeless child7.A victim of trafficking or sexual assaultI support Education Savings Accounts for all children inTexas because each child is entitled to their share of publiceducation dollars as a sacred trust. That is why we call our elected school officials “trustees” of an independentschool district. This would be a great start, a realbreakthrough for kids who need it most. Good schoolswill flourish. Schools that cannot do a good job for thatparticular child, but generally do a good job, will suffer no harm. Poor schools will feel pressured to improvegradually over time as more students leave to get a bettereducation. This bill protects against additional unnecessary government regulation on private schools. No school willbe forced to alter its creed, practices, admissions policies,curriculum, performance standards, or assessments toreceive money under the program. There will be no statecontrol or supervision of a private school, parent, or student,not absolutely necessary solely to prevent financial fraud. Allen ParkerWeekdays 2:00 to 3:00 PM on FM 100.7 The Word. Visit www.TerryLowry.com5July 2017 www.TerryLowry.comPut Families in Control of their Children’s Education By Peggy VenableGov. Greg Abbott hascalled legislators back to Austin for a SpecialSession starting July 18. He hasasked them to address numerousissues and legislators have up to 30 days to do this work. Several issues are education-related. The Governorwants teachers to be paid more, using existing educationsystem funding. He wants parents of special needs kidsto have more educational options. Both can be accomplished if legislators put students andteachers first.Many special needs students in Texas have received araw deal. A series of articles appearing in the HoustonChronicle late last year revealed that the Texas EducationAgency had put a de facto limit on the percentage of special needs students in public schools.TEA De Facto LimitThat limit resulted in thousands of students possiblybeing denied special needs designation and services.Most states identify around 13.5 percent of their studentsas special needs while Texas currently is at 8.5 percent.Education Commissioner Mike Morath has eliminated thelimit. But, many families have expressed their frustrationthat public school officials have still failed to do right bytheir special needs kids. It is only appropriate, fair, andright that these children with special needs receive thesame opportunity as others. Texas Teachers Deserve BetterOnly half of most school districts’ staff are teachers andthey have been shortchanged for years. Gov. Abbott calledfor an additional $1,000 for teachers. He stipulated that theraises come from within the current education funding. Teacher salaries have increased only one percent duringa time when inflation-adjusted public education fundingincreased 17 percent.Meanwhile, superintendent salaries have been increasing,particularly in larger school districts. Twenty-six school public school districts pay theirsuperintendent over $300,000 a year and some provide acar and other expenses.Tax Dollars Used to StopESA’s and Property TaxReformIt is no surprise that the education bureaucracy – particularly administrators – are leading the charge tooppose school choice for special needs students. They arealso leading opponents of local property tax reforms.They have all but waged a policy war against parents andtaxpayers. And, they use our tax dollars to fund their lobbyists.School Finance ReformNeededGov. Abbott has asked for a commission to study schoolfinance. We need to get our school finance system out ofthe courts. School finance reform could help force prior-itizing spending on instruction and teacher pay. We needto focus on the students, keep good teachers, and attractthe best and the brightest to the teaching profession.Even with reforms, education is too important to leavein the hands of government alone. It is time we put families in control. Families know andlove their kids and will do what is right for them. Therecent scandal denying special needs students the servicesrequired by law, services they need and deserve, remindsus who should be in the driver’s seat making decisions fortheir children – it is the family.Peggy Venable is a former White House Liaison for the US Department ofEducation under President Ronald Reagan and is currently Senior VisitingFellow at the Center for Education Freedom at the Texas Public PolicyFoundation.Peggy Venable www.TerryLowry.com July 20176The Governor and Conservative RepublicansStand United for Property Tax ReliefBy State RepresentativeGary Elkins (Dean of the Harris CountyRepublican Delegation in the Texas House)Governor Abbott has called aSpecial Session, indicatingup to twenty issues will bediscussed. There are many importantitems on the agenda, but the onethat affects our pocketbooks the most is PROPERTY TAXREFORM. In Harris County alone, over 373,000 propertyowners have filed property tax appraisal valuationprotests. Let’s Break It DownThe average homeowner in Texas has a home value abouttwo-and-a-half times his/her annual salary. The averageTexan household makes a combined income of $60,000,owning a home valued at $145,000. Appraisals on home-steads can go up by as much as ten percent per year. Theappraised property tax value is now $145,000 + $14,500,equaling $159,500. Multiply that amount by three percent, which is an estimate of the combined School,City, Mud, etc tax rates for a total of $435.00 per year.This increases household expenses by a minimum of$36 per month.For young families and retirees, this is ahuge increase in monthly expenses. What is most disturbing about this is the amount of property taxes we pay goes up even though our propertytax rates stay the same! This is deceptive in that local governments can say they have NOT raised their propertytax rates, even though they have raised property taxespaid!For example, a ten percent increase in appraised propertytax value every year over six-and-a-half years doubles a$145,000 home up to a property tax value of $290,000which means the homeowner pays about $8,700 per yearversus the $4,350 when they first purchased the home!This is absolutely outrageous!What’s Next? In a civil society, taxes of some kind are a necessary evilin order to provide for the essential services that only government can provide for the general welfare of its citizens. However, when the tax burden becomes so greatthat it forces hard-working citizens from their homes, I am reminded of the famous NASA Apollo 13 flight crewquote: “Houston, we have a problem!” I’m very confident that the 373,000 property owners inHarris County have other things they would rather do thanannually protesting their property tax appraisal increases.Clearly, our appraisal property tax system is broken. The current legislation drafted by State Senator PaulBettencourt and supported by Governor Abbott and Lt.Governor Patrick would require local government entitiesto roll-back their property tax rates or seek voter approvalwhen their annual budgets go up by more than the currentrate of inflation and population increase. This will preventproperty tax creep caused by appraisal increases. Texas homeowners and property owners cannot afford towait any longer. We need to support and pass GovernorAbbott’s call for property tax reform in this SpecialSession to restore “truth in taxation” in our Texas propertytax system. Gary Elkins7July 2017 www.TerryLowry.comSpecial Session Legislative Priorities By Representative Kevin RobertsGovernor Greg Abbott has called for a SpecialSession of the Texas Legislature to begin on July 18, 2017. The Special Session will last up to30 days and the legislature will address 20 agenda itemsthat the Governor placed on the call.The primary reason for the Special Session is to pass a sunset bill allowing the Texas Medical Board and otheragencies to continue to operate. This bill failed to passduring the regular session. The Texas Medical Board ischarged with licensing health care professionals. Withoutthis new authorization, the Texas Medical Board wouldcease to operate. There are nineteen other agenda items included in theGovernor’s ‘Called List’. Many of those items are priorityissues for the North West Houston community and HouseDistrict 126. My priority is to focus on several specificagenda items including annexation reform, prohibiting theuse of tax payer dollars for abortion providers, andstreamlining local government permitting processes while preventing local governments from changing rules andregulations during an active construction project.Items Effect Our Daily LivesDuring the regular session, I worked with my fellow legislators to pass a bill that would have given propertyowners the right to vote on whether or not they want to beannexed by a city or municipality. This piece ofLegislation is vital for unincorporated areas like oursbecause it actually gives property owners a say in theannexation process, a right they do not currently have. Folks move to unincorporated areas for a reason and acity should not be able to change that without the propertyowners input. Unfortunately, this legislation died duringthe regular session. The Governor placed this on the list ofitems to be considered during the upcoming SpecialSession and it will be one of my top priorities.Changing Rules in Mid-StreamIn addition to the annexation bill, I will work to addresslocal government authority over permitting processes andconstruction projects. The cities of Austinand San Antonio continue to increaseordinances and regulations on propertyowners, businesses, and residents. It istime for the state to step in and ensurethat permitting processes are streamlinedand are consistent from one city to thenext. I also plan to support legislation thatprevents local governments from changingrules midway through construction projects. We must address these issues tospur economic growth and incentivizenew construction projects without thethreat of new regulations.Finally, I plan to prioritize legislationthat will prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars for abortionproviders. During the regular session, I served on theAppropriations Committee and worked to fully defundPlanned Parenthood and devote $18 million in additionalfunds for programs that provide women with alternativesto abortion. Taxpayer dollars should go to programs thathelp save the lives of unborn children, not the other wayaround. There are many issues that we will be addressing in avery short amount of time, which is why I plan to prioritizethese key agenda items. I am looking forward to playingan active role in passing legislation that further protectsthe rights of all Texans and incentivizes economic growth.Items on the Governor Abbott’s ‘Called List’ www.TerryLowry.com July 20178Special Session agenda items will include:1.Sunset legislation2.Teacher pay increase of $1,000 3.Administrative flexibility in teacher hiring and retention practices4.School finance reform commission5.School choice for special needs students6.Property tax reform7.Caps on state and local spending8.Preventing cities from regulating what property owners do with trees on private land9.Preventing local governments from changing rules midway through construction projectsCall your Elected State Official today. The Capital Switchboard will connect y512-463“A Special Session was entirely avoidable, Legislature to forge compromises expense of a Special Session. to call a Special Session, 9July 2017 www.TerryLowry.com10.Speeding up local government permitting process11.Municipal annexation reform12.Texting while driving preemption13.Privacy14.Prohibition of taxpayer dollars to collect union dues15.Prohibition of taxpayer funding for abortion providers16.Pro-life insurance reform17.Strengthening abortion reporting requirements when health complications arise18.Strengthening patient protections relating to do-not-resuscitateorders19.Cracking down on mail-in ballot fraud20.Extending maternal mortality task forcet you to your State Senator and/or State Representative. Let you voice be heard.63-4630From: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-special-session and there was plenty of time for the to avoid the time and taxpayer As Governor, if I am going I intend to make it count.” –Governor Greg AbbottNext >