#GovAbbott Praises #TWITRProject Mental Health Program, Seeks Funds To Expand It To More Schools [#TXPolitics 24/7]

Gov. Greg Abbott's plan to make Texas school campuses safer includes enhanced mental health screening and treatment is a key component.

To that end, he has publicly praised Texas Tech Health Sciences Center’s Telemedicine Wellness Intervention Triage and Referral, or TWITR, Project, which provides access to psychiatric treatment to students who are at risk of injuring or harming themselves or others.

The governor tweeted about the program last week, saying: 

"This mental health program is a key part of school safety in Texas, It provides students with mental health treatment they need. It also serves as a threat assessment tool that can prevent school violence. It’s used only with parental approval." 

The program began in 2014. In four years, 400 students have been referred to it. Abbott’s school safety plan hopes to expand TWITR to an additional 10 school districts in the next school year, with a long-term goal for the legislature is to earmark $20 million to expand the program to all campuses across the state that need it.

According to the program's website, the Telemedicine Wellness Intervention Triage and Referral (TWITR) Project leverages telemedicine services to intervene with junior high through high school students who are at risk for injury or harm to others or themselves in school settings.

Students are identified and screened for risk-based behaviors in schools then provided psychiatric services by TTUHSC Psychiatry over a telemedicine link. Two telemedicine psychiatry sessions are provided through the project with students needing additional psychiatric services then incorporated into the TTUHSC Psychiatry Clinic. Response to intervention is measured in terms of changes in grades, truancy referrals, and discipline referrals in the schools.

Austin's City Council Deregulates Taxi Industry To Help It Compete With #RideSharing Services [TXPolitics 24/7]

Austin’s City Council on Thursday approved a change in the city’s taxicab regulations that the Transportation Department drew up as a way of saving the industry in the city, the Austin Monitor reports.

The most important of the changes is the deregulation of fares. That means each individual taxicab company will be able to determine the rates for its fleet, and different companies can charge different rates during peak usage or when there is high demand, such as during a festival or another large-volume event.

The department requested the change in an attempt to save taxicab companies, which are in danger of being run out of business by low-cost ride-hailing transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft. Jacob Culberson, acting Mobility Services Division manager, explained the need for such a big change to the Urban Transportation Commission earlier this year. 

In October of 2014, the first year that Lyft and Uber offered services in Austin, local taxis provided 418,000 rides. In 2015, that number had dropped to 300,000 rides. In October 2016, after Uber and Lyft left town following a resounding rejection of regulations they put before voters, taxis provided 563,000 trips. But after intervention by the Texas Legislature, the ride-hailing companies returned, and by October 2017, taxi service had plunged 76 percent compared to the year before, to just 137,000 rides. 

Former GOP TX Land Commissioner Praises George P. Bush's Democrat Opponent [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

Miguel Suazo, the Democratic Party's nominee to go up against Republican Land Commissioner George P. Bush in November is getting some praise from an unlikely source.

Jerry Patterson, former Texas Land Commissioner and a former state senator, praised Suazo in a June 16 Facebook post, slamming Bush, who defeated him in this year's primary race, as being untrustworthy.

At issue is the removal of a statue - the cenotaph - near the Alamo historic site in San Antonio. Bush has proposed and championed a plan to "re-imagine" the Alamo and perform some major renovations, including moving the cenotaph to another location nearby. Legend has it that the ashes of those killed at the Alamo rest near or even directly under the cenotaph.

Patterson praises Suazo's campaign video, titled "The Alamo must be Remembered, not Re-imagined," in which he says the cenotaph should not be moved.

"At least the Democrat gets it right. The cenotaph stays where it is and transparency returns. No hiding behind non profit corporations. Can we trust this guy? I don't know the answer to that question. Can we trust George P Bush? I do know the answer to that question. JP"

The management of the site was also taken from the Daughters of the Republic of Texas and given to several non-profit groups under Bush. All have proven extremely controversial, especially with Republicans, which has caused division within the party.

Watch Suazo's video below:

Ted #Cruz Takes 10-Point Lead Over Challenger #ORourke In Latest #CBS Poll [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

The latest CBS News poll shows incumbent Republican US Sen. Ted Cruz pulling ahead of his Democratic challenger, Beto O'Rourke, after trailing for months.

CBS reports that Cruz has a 10-point lead over O'Rourke among likely voters. Cruz benefits from strong support from his own party and has an advantage among independents as well. O'Rourke is supported by Democrats, leads with Hispanics and has an edge with women. Cruz performs well with whites and men.

Cruz also has an overall job approval rating of 54 percent in Texas among registered voters, a bit higher than President Trump's (50%) in the state.

On the matter of separating families, both Cruz and O'Rourke get net positive ratings (largely driven by support from their own parties) although three in 10 voters do not have an opinion about O'Rourke on this, as he may be less known to voters than Cruz.

Dem Congressional Candidate MJ #Hegar Releases Hard-Hitting Ad Targeting Opponent Carter [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

A campaign ad with high production values that has been released by the campaign of Democratic congressional candidate M.J. Hegar is drawing nationwide attention to her campaign.

The Round Rock fighter pilot is challenging eight-term Republican Rep. John Carter in November in the heavily Republican 31st District, and it was a fateful incident with his congressional office that propelled the political novice into politics. As Mashable relates:

A former military pilot injured in the line of duty, Hegar's ad (soundtracked by a "Gimme Shelter"-esque tune) traces her life and the battles she faced after her injury, including successfully suing the Pentagon to lift their ban on women in combat. Part of her journey was the inability to get a meeting with her representative, Rep. John Carter (R), a member of the Tea Party because she wasn't a donor. Now, she's made Carter her opponent.

Ad Week magazine calls the use of doors in the ad, "a compelling symbol for the challenges she’s faced along the path to her candidacy."

Watch the ad below:

Texas GOP Operations Director Fired After Testifying At Convention [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

The Operations Director of the Texas Republican Party, Rachel Malone, was fired Monday by Chairman James Dickey after she testified at last week's GOP convention.

Malone, in a Facebook post, said Dickey told her Monday morning when she reported to work that her, "services are no longer needed." She described her firing as sudden.

Malone was a well-known gun rights activist before being hired for the party position last June. She is the founder of Texas Firearms Freedom, a gun rights advocacy group.

She wrote: "As I hope you know, my personal mission is to advance firearms freedom in Texas. I accepted this position with the strong hope that it would allow me to carry out that mission in bigger and better ways while I also fulfilled all of my other duties."

But in recent months, she says she had noticed many Republicans, "suggesting that gun control might be the answer after all."

She characterized the Republican Party's response to those efforts, "underwhelming."

This prompted her to put her, "delegate hat on," and testify at the convention,"on the gun-related issues that I strongly believe to be within the will of the delegates. Unfortunately, this has not sat well with some of our elected officials, who have made life difficult for the Chairman."

A witness who attended a hearing at which she testified noted that she made clear she was testifying, "as a delegate and a citizen," not as a party official.

One platform plank against which she testified would allow officials to confiscate weapons from someone exhibiting behavior that sends out "red flags" that they may commit a violent act. Another would have required guns to be properly stored.

Planks opposing these measures, both supported by Abbott, were included in the platform by delegates.

Social media has seen a strong reaction to her firing, with many accusing Governor Abbott himself of putting pressure on Dickey to fire her.

One angrily wrote that it was a "big mistake," while others said they would be watching Gov. Abbott's future positions on gun control. Libertarian Party supporters crowed that it would help their party's candidate for governor, Mark Tippetts.

Libertarian state senate candidate Tom G. Glass wrote that Malone, "got her planks into the platform - opposing and implicitly rebuking Governor Abbott. Now, for that, she has been fired from her job at the GOP."

Others, believed to be Republicans, suggested they would not support Abbott in the Fall, one suggesting they would write in Malone's name on the ballot for the office of governor.

For her part, Malone said she didn't want to see discord as a result of her firing, and viewed to stay involved in activism.

Donald Trump, Jr. Pulls Out Of NY Fundraiser For George P. Bush After Dad Jeb's Criticism Of Immigration Policy [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

Donald Trump, Jr. won't participate in a campaign fundraiser for Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush as Bush's father, Jeb Bush, continued to criticize the Trump policy on family separation, reports Axios and CNN.

A source told Axios that the younger Bush was warned by the younger Trump in recent weeks that he would not be able to publicly support him if Bush's father, Jeb Bush - a 2016 primary campaign opponent of Donald Trump,  continued to criticize the president.

In a tweet Monday, Jeb Bush said, "Children shouldn't be used as a negotiating tool. @realDonaldTrump should end this heartless policy and Congress should get an immigration deal done that provides for asylum reform, border security and a path to citizenship for Dreamers."

The fundraiser was scheduled for New York on June 25.

Photos: Axios

#TXGOP Endorses Marijuana Decriminalization, Medical Cannabis, Industrial Hemp At Convention [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

Among the over 330 platform planks approved at this past week's Texas Republican Convention were some new, and to some, surprising ones endorsing the decriminalization of marijuana, medical marijuana, and industrial hemp. Delegates also approved platform language that calls for the Federal government to reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug (along with heroin and cocaine) to Schedule II.

The San Antonio convention approved language that supports decriminalizing cannabis possession, lowering the punishment from six months in prison and a $2000 fine to a $100 fine.

They also approved platform language seeking to amend the states 2015's Compassionate Use Act — which allows Texans with intractable epilepsy to purchase and use low-THC cannibidiol oil to treat the condition - so that doctors can "determine the appropriate use of cannabis for certified patients."

Industrial hemp got a shout-out from the party, too, with a plank recognizing industrial hemp as a "valuable agricultural commodity" and urges state lawmakers to pass measures "allowing cultivation, manufacture, and sale of industrial hemp and hemp products."

All of the resolutions passed with overwhelming support, winning upwards of 80 percent of the vote among Texas Republican delegates. The votes seem to reflect trends among voters. An April Quinnipiac poll found that 61 percent of the state’s voters approve of full legalization with 43 percent support among Texas Republicans.

Reason magazine reported that the change complements efforts being made on the local level in Texas. In December 2017, the city of Dallas dispensed with arresting people on misdemeanor marijuana charges. Kim Ogg, district attorney for Harris County (which includes the city of Houston) has gone even further. As of March 2017, her office is declining to prosecute most marijuana offenses and instead diverting people into "cognitive decision-making classes."

It's unclear whether state legislators - or even Republican candidates - will get fully behind these platform planks, or whether they will remain simply advisory. The platform is not binding on candidates, but some, such as those dealing with hot-button issues like abortion, are pretty much treated as Gospel by all candidates.

Photo: Potguide.com

Cruz Defends "Zero Tolerance" Family Separation Policy, O'Rourke Calls It "Inhumane" [TXPolitics24/7 blog]

Sen. Ted Cruz is defending the Trump administration's policy of separating children from parents who are attempting to enter the US illegally, while his opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, called the practice, "inhumane."

In reporting by The Dallas Morning News, the paper stressed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions has implemented a "zero tolerance" policy for illegal border crossing, and said the policy of separating children from parents when they're detained, as a deterrent against illegal immigration.

But Cruz noted that the policy was enforced in the Obama administration, as well.

"There's no doubt that the images that we've seen of children, and children being separated from their parents, are heartbreaking. They were heartbreaking when Obama was president," Cruz told reporters Saturday after speaking at the Texas Republican convention. "I visited the Obama camps that he set up to detain little boys and little girls who crossed the border illegally. Illegal immigration produces human tragedies that are wrong."

In fact, a March 11, 2015 Washington Post story outlined the policy of holding children of migrants in camps, often without their parents knowing where they were being held.

"When you see reporters, when you see Democrats saying, 'Don't separate kids from their parents,' what they're really saying is don't arrest illegal aliens," Cruz said Monday.

Cruz's Democratic opponent, Rep. Beto O'Rourke, planned to lead a Father's Day march Sunday to the Tornillo tent camp, 35 miles southeast of El Paso.

O'Rourke denounced the "inhumane separation of children from their parents" and the conditions at the tent camp, and complained that migrants who present themselves at ports of entry, seeking legal asylum, are being denied due process.

George P. Bush Booed As He Speaks To #TXGOP Convention; Takes Heat For Handling Of #Alamo [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

Controversial Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush was met with hisses and boos as he took the stage at the state GOP Convention Friday in San Antonio.

His "reimagining" of the Alamo, located just steps from the convention site, has made him a lightning rod among many Republicans gathered for the week-long event.

The Dallas Morning News reports that delegates hissed, booed and some cried out "Remember the Alamo" as he spoke about the restoration efforts. In response, Bush pushed back, saying, "Despite the 'fake news' you may have been reading in the liberal media, we've been busy saving and strengthening the Alamo for generations to come."

His management of the Alamo, considered sacred ground in Texas, has come under fire by many conservatives. The News reports that after he took office in 2015, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas were removed from overseeing the Alamo and replaced by nonprofits that Bush's General Land Office controls.

Land Commissioner @georgepbush is getting boos here at the @TexasGOP convention by critics of his treatment of the Alamo.
He just told the crowd to not believe the reporting on that issue. This was their response. #txlege #rptcon18 #rpt2018 pic.twitter.com/GUYFgZ3Isv

— Lauren McGaughy (@lmcgaughy) June 15, 2018

Martin Luecke Launches Indie Congressional Bid For #TX25, To Save Humanity From Climate Change, Extinction [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

A self-described Austin "handyman" has jumped into the US House district 25 race this week in an attempt to "save humanity" from climate change and ultimate extinction.

The single-issue campaign, if it gains enough signatures to get on the ballot, will take on sitting Republican Congressman Roger Williams, Democrat Julie Oliver and Libertarian Desarae Lindsey in November.

The Austin Chronicle, in a brief interview with Luecke, 56, reported that he believes that neither party is adequately responding to the global warming crisis – the imminent threat of "abrupt climate change." He said, "The number one priority is to make people aware of the real danger: planetary extinction."

He called a letter he wrote to the Chronicle last September - in which he defended 9/11 conspiracy theories - as "indefensible and goofy."

Luecke's website is at http://www.luecke4congress.org.

Gay City Councilman Faces Recall Petition After "#RevengePorn" Released To Media [TXPolitics 24/7 blog]

Last November, a gay man, Cross Coburn, then only 18, was elected to Grove's city council, fulfilling a dream he's had since he was a young child.

But that dream has turned into a nightmare after city officials and local media received envelopes containing nude photos and the content of text messages allegedly sent by Coburn. The release amounted to "revenge porn," according to Coburn and his attorney.

The March, 2018 disclosure, according to the Houston Chronicle, have now prompted a failed recall effort spearheaded by residents upset by the content. The man said the photo release, "demonstrates that he is not mature enough to be in a position to make decisions for our city." Revenge porn is illegal in Texas, as it is in 39 other states. Recall petition efforts can only be undertaken six months after a person has taken office.

Coburn, now 19 and fighting for to save his political career, says the effort may not have happened had he been straight, but admits that it may be a "generational issue" with some people as well. Cell phones, "selfies" and even "sexting" (sending nude or racy photos taken on phone cameras) are ubiquitous among young people.

Shadowy Group Sends Emails Attacking #TXGOP Chair James Dickey As GOP Convention Opens [TXPolitics24/7 blog]

Delegates gathering for the Republican Party of Texas convention in San Antonio today are being treated to a series of emails from a shadowy, anonymous group attacking Chairman James Dickey.

Dickey is facing a challenge at this week's convention from Cindy Asche, who says she has no connection to the emails, which are being sent from "Texas Conservatives for Liberty and Freedom." Delegates and political observers alike say they've never heard of the group before now, leaving many to speculate that it was created for the sole purpose of influencing delegates this week.

The emails accuse Dickey of "misplacing thousands of dollars" when chair of the Travis County GOP and lying to delegates. The accusations are accompanied by a graphic image showing Dickey splattered in blood.

For her part, Asche is disavowing the remarks, telling EmpowerTexans' Texas Scorecard that she does not condone the language used by the emails, but, "I do believe there is a history as evidenced by court documents of knowingly and intentionally misleading investors, and a lack of integrity when it comes to our current Chair."

US Sen. Candidate #Beto O'Rourke Completes 254-County Campaign Tour [TXPolitics24/7 blog]

US Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke has completed a tour of all 254 Texas counties his campaign began last March, ending in Gainesville, TX. Observers are noting that his commitment to campaign statewide is a deviation from past Democrats' campaigns, which have focused on large population centers, whose voters tend to lean heavily Democratic.

The Texas Tribune writes:

"The county-by-county tour started in March 2017, when O’Rourke kicked off his campaign with a rooftop rally in El Paso. “Beto said, ‘We are going to all of the counties,’ and some of us said, ‘Are we really?’” said Chris Evans, the campaign’s spokesman. “But we have been.”

Fueled by five cups of coffee a day, O’Rourke does about 80 percent of the driving himself, in a maroon Dodge Grand Caravan, Evans said. The candidate and his staffers subsist on a steady diet of trail mix, beef jerky and Hostess Cupcakes."

#Texas Leads Nation In Removing #Confederate Memorials, Says Southern Poverty Law Center Report [TX Politics 24/7 blog]

Children of the Confederacy plaque in the State House in Austin

A new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center says Texas leads the way in removing Confederate memorials, including statues - 31 in the past three years.

The survey identified 110 Confederate symbols removed since the Charleston massacre, including 47 monuments and four flags, and name changes for 37 schools, seven parks, three buildings and seven roads. Among them was the Confederate battle flag that had flown at the South Carolina State House grounds in Columbia for 54 years.

Confederate memorial outside the state Capitol building
in Austin.

Texas led the way (31), followed by Virginia (14), Florida (9), Tennessee (8), Georgia (6), Maryland (6), North Carolina (5) and Oklahoma (5). Eighty-two removals were in former Confederate states.

The Southern Poverty Law Center says it has undertaken an effort to catalog the symbols "in an effort to assist the efforts of local communities to re-examine these symbols," which the group categorizes as promoting "revisionist history."

The report, "Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy," identified 1,728 Confederate monuments, place names and other symbols still in public spaces, both in the South and across the nation.

Last September, House Speaker Joe Strauss (R - San Antonio) spearheaded an effort to remove a plaque from the State House in Austin placed there in 1959 by the Children of the Confederacy.

Rep. Eric Johnson (D - Dallas) has long argued for the plaque's removal. Straus, who is not seeking re-election this year, called the plaque offensive and misleading.

Cruz Campaign Hits O'Rourke With "Hypocrisy" Charge Over Mother's Tax Conviction [TX Politics 24/7 blog]

The campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz has issued a blistering statement Wednesday accusing Democratic opponent Beto O'Rourke of hypocrisy over his call for local businesses to pay taxes on sales made across state lines.

In the statement, Cruz campaign spokeswoman Emily Miller notes that O'Rourke's mother, with whom he frequently campaigns, pled guilty in 2010 and was fined $500,000 after an El Paso furniture store she owned hid interstate sales from the IRS.

The release in full:

Democrat Rep. Beto O’Rourke said in an interview published Tuesday that he wants to force businesses — such as a “local furniture store” — to collect taxes for sales made across state lines. His plan would add layers of government compliance costs to local businesses and require business owners in Texas to collect sales tax for other states.

It is an interesting policy position given his family history of breaking tax laws while running a furniture store in El Paso.

“Rep. Beto O’Rourke has been campaigning on ethics in government, but he’s been hiding his mother’s conviction for tax fraud, his personal stake in her furniture company and his profiting from the company,” said Cruz campaign spokeswoman Emily Miller. “Texans deserve elected officials with strong values and ethics.”

Charlotte’s Furniture, a company that was controlled by Rep. O’Rourke’s mother, Melissa, was convicted of tax fraud. On behalf of her company, she pled guilty in 2010 to making a series of cash deposits of just under $10,000 — designed to avoid IRS scrutiny. (The structuring law she violated was originally designed to help stop drug-related money laundering operations.)

Melissa O’Rourke was sentenced to pay a fine of $500,000. Suspiciously, parts of her case are sealed by the court.

Rep. O’Rourke was financially connected to this criminal activity by more than just family relationship. Rep. O’Rourke and Melissa co-own the shopping center where Charlotte’s Inc. resided. In 2012, Melissa gave her son what congressional records indicate was a $1 million to $5 million stake in the property.

Also, just one day before the court’s judgment, Melissa transferred the Imperial Arms Apartments from her husband’s estate to Rep. O’Rourke’s company, Imperial Arms LLC.

Rep. O'’Rourke has been praising his mother, who campaigns with him, but he doesn’t tell Texas voters about her business’s criminal activity. His recent statements advocating that local businesses become tax collection agents for every state in the nation stand in stark contrast to his mother’s history of tax evasion.

Note that Melissa O'Rourke has donated over $10,000 to her son Rep. O’Rourke’s campaigns.

Pictured: Beto O'Rourke and his mother Mellissa, in February. (Photo: Wall Street Journal) 

State Rep. Larry Gonzales Resigning To Focus On Building His Graphic Design Business [TX Politics 24/7 blog]

The Statesman reports that State Rep. Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock) is resigning to focus his attention on rebuilding his graphic design business. His resignation is effective Thursday, June 7.

He told the Statesman:

"Forty-eight years old, self-employed and two kids in high school - it’s very difficult for guys like me to make a living and to serve as a legislator. I’m honored to do it but it’s no doubt that it's taken a little toll on my family and it’s time to get that back in order,"

State legislators make $600 per month, or $7,200 per year, plus a per diem of $190 for every day the Legislature is in session (also including any special sessions). That adds up to $33,800 a year for a regular session (140 days), with the total pay for a two-year term being $41,000.

Photo: The Statesman/Ricardo B. Brazziell