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Show Progressives the Money: Fundraising Training with PCCC in Austin

Katherine Haenschen — Sat, 25 May 2013 20:00:25 GMT

Looking to broaden your skills or transition into a career in progressive electoral or non-profit work? Good news! The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is holding a Finance Director Training. See the announcement below!

PCCC Finance Director Training

Are you interested in working for progressive candidates? Are you interested in working on progressive campaigns? The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is holding a Finance Director Training in Austin, TX in June. PCCC training emphasizes the finance plan first and then teaches each of the tools Finance Directors use every cycle to enable their campaigns to spend and win - candidate call time, fundraising events, innovative email fundraising and direct mail, and PAC and in-kind donations. On top of core skills, P100 trainings emphasize leadership and political savvy. PCCC will also have scholarships available for applicants to attend. All level of experience and skills are welcome to apply.
The training will be in Austin June 14-16th and the application deadline is June 3rd. Click here for the application.
For any questions about the training please contact terrysaguerra (at) hotmail.com or ruth (at) boldprogressives.org

As Texas becomes a swing state, we need more campaign workers to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot. This is a great opportunity to play an even greater role in that process! Apply today.

Why is Texans for Lawsuit Reform Negotiating Public Education Legislation?

Katherine Haenschen — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:53:31 GMT

With only days to go in the 83rd regular session, the Legislature still needs to come to an agreement on the budget and pass an education bill. Negotiations on HB 5, the bill that sets curriculum and requirements for high school graduation, among other things, continued late last night.

Today, the Texas Tribune reported that the lawmakers working on the bill were joined by some very special, very sleazy guests: Texans for Lawsuit Reform!

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst; House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio; Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston; and Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, were among the elected officials present for the negotiations. The meeting also included staff from Gov. Rick Perry's office, and Texans for Education Reform lobbyists Mike Toomey, Dick Trabulsi and Florence Shapiro, a former senator who preceded Patrick in leading the upper chamber's education committee.

Texans for Education Reform is a group of folks from Texans for Lawsuit Reform who have decided to focus their efforts this session on promoting charter schools and school "choice."

TLR, as y'all well know, is also the group dedicated to the defeat of Democrats, both through their funding of predominantly Republican candidates. They also take a more round-about way of doing this through their lobbying and efforts to weaken the rights of citizens to seek justice in our civil courts, which is intended to hurt the financial success of trial lawyers, traditionally donors to Democratic candidates.

And what lobbyists did TLR -- excuse me, TER -- send to the Capitol? None other than Mike Toomey, Perry's former Chief of Staff and BFF and noted corporate lobbyist,; former State Senator Florence Shapiro, who left public service to chase big dollars as a lobbyist; and Dick Trabulsi, a founder of TLR and chairman of the group's PAC.

Right-wing pro-corporate lobbyists should not be writing our public education legislation. We need education policies that focus on educating all of our Texas children to succeed in a competitive 21st century economy.

I have my doubts about whether an organization dedicated to representing corporations' interests in dodging legitimate lawsuits should really be shaping public education policy. TLR erects barriers to justice for regular Texans who deserve their day in court. They aren't qualified to represent the best interests of the over 4.9 million students in our Texas public schools.

As long as Republicans are in charge of our state, we can expect this business to continue. While Democrats are fighting to restore $3.9 billion to public education, Republicans are letting corporate lobbyists shape our education policy. It stinks, and it's another reminder that it's high time we took back this state and let real leaders make the decisions.

Celebrate Passage of Fair Pay For Women, Castigate The Republicans Who Voted Against It

Katherine Haenschen — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:54:34 GMT

Yesterday, the State Senate finally passed the Texas version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which will give Texas women the right going forward to seek redress for gender-based pay discrimination. The bill's next stop is the desk of Governor Rick Perry.

This is a milestone and a significant achievement for State Representative Senfronia Thompson, who introduced HB 950, and Senator Wendy Davis, who have championed this issue.

Also deserving of thanks are the bill's additional authors in the State House, Democrats Nicole Collier and Carol Alvarado, and Republicans Sarah Davis and Jason Isaac. (Credit where due, y'all.)

This is a major economic issue for Texas: if working women are paid less than men for the same day's labor, then they're being denied the economic opportunity to fully participate in society that they've earned. If working mothers are shortchanged on their paychecks, it hurts the entire family -- and Texas school children have suffered enough at the hands of the Republican Legislature as it is.

However, the bill didn't pass unanimously in either chamber -- far from it. The Senate gave the bill a narrow 16-15 victory, and in the House the margin was 70-65 on second reading, 79-50 on third reading.

Click below the jump to find out which Republicans -- and which Republican women, for crying out loud -- don't think women deserve redress for pay discrimination in Texas.
Lest we forget, there's a need for this bill here in Texas, because there is gender-based pay discrimination here in Texas.

As Emily Cadik has written previously, here in Texas women make 82 cents on the dollar compared to men, which gives Texas the twelfth-lowest wage gap in the country, even with women's work equal to four-fifths of that of men. Nationwide, women still make only 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. Over the course of a woman's career, that amounts to $430,000 in lost wages.The pay gap is even worse for women of color and in female-dominated industries.

But hey, that's no problem for Republicans, who comprised every single no vote against this bill. "What 'War on Women'?" conservatives cry with feigned outrage. The answer in this case is pretty damn clear: "the one y'all tried to wage on our wallets!"

Here's a chart showing the vote to suspend the rules and vote for final passage in the Senate, and a list of who voted against the bill in the House.

Roll Call Votes on HB 950, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

SENATE

Third Reading, Vote to Suspend The Rules: 21-10
Nays: Birdwell, Estes, Fraser, Hancock, Huffman, Nelson, Nichols, Schwertner, Seliger, Taylor

Third Reading, Record Vote on HB 950: 16-15*
Yeas: Campbell, Davis, Deuell, Duncan, Ellis, Eltife, Garcia, Hinojosa, Lucio Jr, Rodriguez, Uresti, Van de Putte, Watson, West, Whitmire, Zaffirini

Nays: Birdwell, Carona, Estes, Fraser, Hancock, Hager, Huffman, Nelson, Nichols, Patrick, Paxton, Schwertner, Seliger, Taylor, Williams

HOUSE

Second Reading (Passes, 70-65)
Nays: Anderson; Ashby; Aycock; Bell; Bonnen, G.; Branch; Burkett; Button; Callegari; Capriglione; Carter; Clardy; Craddick; Crownover; Dale; Darby; Davis, J.; Fallon; Farney; Fletcher; Flynn; Frank; Frullo; Goldman; Hilderbran; Hughes; Kacal; Keffer; King, K.; King, S.; Kleinschmidt; Klick; Kolkhorst; Krause; Larson; Laubenberg; Leach; Lewis; Morrison; Murphy; Orr; Paddie; Parker; Perry; Phillips; Pitts; Price; Raney; Sanford; Schaefer; Sheffield, R.; Simmons; Simpson; Smith; Smithee; Springer; Stephenson; Stickland; Taylor; Thompson, E.; Toth; Turner, E.S.; White; Zedler; Zerwas.

Third Reading (Passes, 79-50
Nays: Aycock; Bell; Bonnen, G.; Button; Capriglione; Carter; Craddick; Davis, J.; Fallon; Fletcher; Flynn; Frank; Frullo; Goldman; Hilderbran; Hughes; King, S.; Kleinschmidt; Klick; Kolkhorst; Krause; Laubenberg; Lavender; Leach; Lewis; Miller, R.; Morrison; Murphy; Orr; Parker; Perry; Phillips; Price; Sanford; Schaefer; Sheffield, J.; Sheffield, R.; Simmons; Simpson; Smith; Smithee; Springer; Stephenson; Stickland; Taylor; Thompson, E.; Toth; Turner, E.S.;
White; Zedler

If your Senator or Representative is among the "Nay" votes, give them a call and ask them why women don't deserve to seek legal redress for gender-based pay discrimination.

What's most appalling to me is the number of Republican women who voted against letting other women address gender-based pay discrimination. Jane Nelson, Joan Huffman, Cindy Burkett, Stefani Carter, Angie Chen Button, Myra Crownover, Marsha Farney, Susan King, Stephanie Klick, Lois Kolkhorst, Jodie Laubenberg, and Geanie Morrison -- what the heck is wrong with you?! Do you really not recognize that women are paid less than men? Have y'all had such rarefied or willfully ignorant experiences that you don't realize the need for this legislation? (I don't understand the pathology of women who vote Republican anyways, but this seems like an extra dose of Stockholm syndrome here.)

When conservative Republican men can vote for this bill -- whether for craven political reasons or out of a genuine concern for economic fairness, on some levels it matters not, seeing as the bill passed -- and a bunch of professional, successful women serving in our Legislature cannot, these women need to reevaluate their decision-making criteria.

The worst part in their votes against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is that when women don't stand up and stand together against sex- and gender-based discrimination, it weakens the cause for all of us.

Much like the Violence Against Women Act or funding rape kit testing or protecting birth control access and reproductive rights, this should not be a partisan issue. Shame on those women who voted against sticking up for other women, and failing to represent the needs of the women who are among their constituents.

Over on the Senate side, typing this may make my laptop implode, but Senator Donna Campbell deserves great praise for voting in favor of allowing women to seek redress for pay discrimination.

If her proverbial stopped clock is going to be right twice a day, at least the hands landed on fair pay for women. Kudos also to Sens. Deuell, Duncan, and Eltife for voting for this as well. Deuell attached an amendment that weakens the bill by preventing retroactive pay discrimination suits, but still, it passed, and a step forward for women's economic justice is a step forward for all Texans.

Now the big question is whether Governor Rick Perry will sign the bill. His misguided presidential aspirations may be a factor here, but let me make one thing clear: voters understand this issue. Women understand this issue, and there's no way any Republican can peel off moderates and sufficient women to win a national general election with a history of standing up for sex-based pay discrimination.

As for the Nay voters, especially those female Republicans, I'm left thinking about a specific quote from former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright:

"There is a special place in Hell for women who don't help other women."

* Twitter reported the final passage as 17-14, but when I called the Senate Journal they had a final record vote of 16-15. Record vote was not available online at time of publication. We will update if necessary.

Legislature Blocks Medicaid Expansion, Guns on Campus Stalls

Katherine Haenschen — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:52:23 GMT

As the 83rd Legislative session draws to a close, our elected officials are burning the midnight oil. Today, the following chart circulated on Twitter tracking the progress of both chambers:

Last night, the House cast a largely symbolic vote blocking the Medicaid Expansion provided by the Affordable Care Act -- though it's not like Governor $10,000-Degree-Oops-Hairdo-"Back Pain" was going to let that happen anyways. Over in the upper chamber, Senator Whitmire claims that concealed carry on campus doesn't have the votes to get to the floor.

Read more below the jump.
Rep. Jeff Leach Kicks Uninsured Texans While They're Down

Last night during the debate on SB 7, the Senate's bill on Medicaid, Republican Jeff Leach tried to make absolutely sure that no Texans can take advantage of the Affordable Care Act provisions to expand Medicaid to the millions of poor Texans who need it.

First, he put forth an amendment to block Medicaid eligibility for "any person who would not have been eligible for that assistance and for whom federal matching funds were not available under the eligibility criteria for medical assistance in effect on December 31, 2013." In other words, if the Legislature doesn't change the eligibility rules by the end of the year, then folks would be prevented from accessing the expansion in the future. It was withdrawn by Leach after Democrats Lon Burnam and Naomi Gonzalez made points of order against it, which were also withdrawn.

Undeterred, Leach offered the amendment again:

LIMITATION ON PROVISION OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.
Notwithstanding any other law, the department may not provide medical assistance to any person who would not have been eligible for that assistance and for whom federal matching funds were not available under the eligibility criteria for medical assistance in effect on December 31, 2013.

Despite more points of order and a failed motion to table by Rep. Richard Raymond, the amendment passed. So just in case anyone was worried that Texas might possibly expand Medicaid eligibility to our 28% of residents who lack insurance by any other means, fear not -- Leach has your back. Too bad he just doesn't give a damn about uninsured Texans.

Sen. Whitmire: Campus-Carry 'Doesn't Have Votes' in Senate

Parents of college-age Texans should be cheering the 2/3rds rule right now, as the Senate apparently lacks 21 members willing to let the watered down Concealed Carry on Campus bill, HB 972, make it to the floor for a vote. While some conservative activists have called the bill a failure for insufficiently forcing guns on unwilling campus faculty, staff, and students, the bill would still decriminalize the act of bringing a gun into a campus building. That is currently a felony.

However, opponents of the bill can't breathe easy just yet. From the Houston Chronicle today:

In the committee hearing last Tuesday, Whitmire warned opponents of campus carry that if the House bill that includes an opt-out provision is not passed this session, the more stringent version without a local option would be forced on Democrats in a special session where the 2/3 rule is not in place.

Additionally, AP reporter Jim Vertuno pointed out on Twitter that Senator Brian Birdwell (the man who wants your college kids to get mowed down in the crossfire) could try to amend the bill to the higher ed bill, but would risk a major floor fight to do so. With time running down and good bills dying, would it be worth it?

Democrats Restore $3.9 Billion to Public Education In Budget Negotiations

Katherine Haenschen — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:28:53 GMT

Today was a huge win for the Democratic members of our Texas Legislature: they held firm in budget negotiations and restored $3.9 billion in funding to public education.

In 2011, the Republican supermajority slashed $5.4 billion from our public schools, resulting in teachers losing their jobs and school children being unable to gain a competitive education. Restoring those funds has been a priority for Democrats this session. Today, Democrats held firm and struck a deal that restores $3.9 billion, which is the best that 55 Democrats in the House and 12 in the Senate can realistically do.

Pragmatically, this is the best we can do with Republicans in charge of our state who still seek to shortchange our children, and represents practically the highest dollar amount discussed to be restored to public education this session.

From the Texas Tribune:

Under Friday's deal, the $2 billion in water funding will come from the state's Rainy Day fund, a reserve made up mostly of oil and gas taxes. That funding will be found in House Bill 1025, a supplemental budget bill that addresses funding on various issues.
The roughly $4 billion for public education hews closely to what Democrats had pushed for all week after acknowledging they were not going to be able to completely restore last session's cuts. Budget conferees agreed to $3.2 billion for the Foundation School Program, the main account the state uses to fund public education. Another $200 million is expected to be added to the Foundation School Program in HB 1025.
As part of the $4 billion education package, negotiators also agreed on a $330 million infusion into the Teacher Retirement System's pension fund.

All in all, this is a major win for Democrats, who restored more funding to education in the budget conference committee process than was present in the House or Senate versions of the budget.

While many Democrats and progressives want to see all $5.4 billion restored, this is still a tremendous leap forward for Democrats, who maximized our leverage by standing together and standing firm against Governor Rick Perry's attempts to prevent funding from being restored to public education.

Special thanks goes to Senators Wendy Davis and Sylvia Garcia and Representatives Rafael Anchia, Lon Burnam, Nicole Collier, Joe Farias, Mary Gonzalez, Ana Hernandez Luna, Abel Herrero, Trey Martinez Fischer, Justin Rodriguez, Chris Turner, and Armando Walle, who voted against the budget in the Senate and House respectively, setting a high bar for what was necessary to gain final passage.

This early opposition to an inadequate budget helped give Democrats leverage to fund education, because their votes in the House were needed to fund the Water Plan. Democrats held firm, and now our Texas school children will have a better chance at success.

Good work today, Democrats. Y'all deserve to celebrate this tremendous effort to restore $3.9 billion to public education. Let's finish strong and keep doing the best we can -- and that happens when we stick together.

Democrats Must Stand Firm on Budget and Restore Education Funds

Katherine Haenschen — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:33:00 GMT

Democrats must stand firm in this last round of budget negotiations and use their leverage to restore $4 billion to public education.

A little Democratic obstinacy can go a long way in restoring the draconian cuts to public education meted out by the 2011 legislature. So far, House and Senate Democrats have held firm during budget negotiations on restoring as much of the $5.4 billion cut from public education as possible. Thanks to our picking up several seats in the 2012 election cycle, there are now 55 Democrats in the House, which provides our party actual leverage.

The key here is Governor Rick Perry's desire to fund the state's new water plan -- an urgent and critical priority to be sure, as is public education. 100 votes in the House are needed to tap the Rainy Day Fund -- the proposed mechanism to fund the water plan -- and since several Republicans are balking at spending money on basic civilization, even more Democratic votes are needed to pass it.

This leverage has enabled and finally empowered our Democratic caucus to stand firm on restoring cuts to education. A deal was within reach earlier this week, when Governor Rick Perry reportedly tried to peel away education funding.

Democrats held firm, and now there is a strong chance that Democrats can force the restoration of $4 billion dollars in cuts to public education. This is the most additional funding for education on the table to date this session.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Rep. Sylvester Turner, emerging from a caucus of House Democrats, had blamed Republicans for reneging on a deal that had called for putting an extra $3.9 billion back into public schools, which absorbed historic spending cuts two years ago.
"For anyone to represent that Democrats have changed their position or asked for more is absolutely not true," Turner said. He went on to accuse Perry of swooping in late and telling Republicans not to vote for an agreed-upon plan because too much was being spent on reversing public school cuts.
Perry wants $1.8 billion in tax cuts and a new $2 billion water fund, but money is running tight and time is running out. One $500 million bump the House already approved for classrooms, Turner said, was now being targeted to pay for highway projects instead.

The message to Democrats in the House and Senate today is crystal clear: stand firm and restore $4 billion in education.

It's our party's top priority this session, and poll after poll makes clear that restoring education funding is the voters' top priority as well.

The reason why Democrats worked so hard to win elections in 2012 -- to elect new Democrats to the House and re-elect Senator Wendy Davis -- was to force our way into holding a seat at the table, to make the Legislature focus on the urgent needs of the people of Texas.

The $4 billion on the table today presents a real and rare chance to use our political power to do some tremendous policy good. Democrats must not squander this opportunity. Restore this funding through the budget, and make sure every Texas child has the educational resources to succeed.

That's what we sent y'all to the Legislature to do, and we expect nothing less.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett: "The Only True Republican Alternative to Obamacare is Nothingcare"

Katherine Haenschen — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:02:27 GMT

Today, as Republicans in Congress tried to come between Americans and their doctors with their 37th feckless attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, staunch progressive and champion of healthcare Congressman Lloyd Doggett stood up and offered his strong defense of the bill.

In his remarks, Doggett took it to the GOP for being the party of "No," and emphasized how Republicans like Governor Rick Perry are still standing in the way of millions of Americans receiving access to affordable, quality care through the refusal to expand Medicaid.

Watch Doggett's remarks below:

Read the full transcript of his statement below the jump.
Transcript of Congressman Lloyd Doggett's remarks:

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Patients' Rights Repeal Act. Like a broken record repeating the same old scratchy, sad verse, these Republicans cannot stop repeating their record of indifference to the healthcare crisis. They have given up on "repeal and replace" because all they ever cared about was the repeal part. As the party of No, this year, they have not advanced a single health care proposal as an alternative.
I only wish that the Affordable Health Care Act were as good as they think it is bad. But to the millions who have received refunds from insurance company monopolies for overcharging, to the millions who are no longer denied coverage by the fine print in an insurance policy they didn't write, to the seniors who are getting some help on their prescription drugs and preventive care, to the millions more who will be able to finally apply in October for coverage they do not have now, for the small businesses who will receive assistance in supplying their employees with the coverage they have been unable to afford in the past, you know this Obamacare? It works pretty well.
Together, we could make it better. We could make it more accessible for more individuals, like the many people in Texas who will be denied by Governor Perry's decision to refuse 100% of the costs of Medicaid protection. Together, we could provide more cost-effective care and do something more about spiraling healthcare costs. But really, the only true Republican alternative to Obamacare is Nothingcare.

PPP Polls: Rick Perry Not Worth Including in Presidential Polls Anymore

Katherine Haenschen — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:22:11 GMT

From the fine folks at Public Policy Polling:

Since Rick Perry is consistently at 1-2% in our 2016 polling we're going to replace him with Ted Cruz for now
— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) May 6, 2013

Perry's going to need some ointment for that sick statistical burn.

PPP will have their first national presidential poll out this week that includes Cruz. Will he have a stronger showing than Governor "Oops," who is little more than a rounding error to GOP primary voters at this point?

In the meantime it's just another sign that Perry's reign of terror is drawing to a close. The Republican Legislature has openly pushed back against him on the UT Board of Regents, and even members of his own party are opposing some of his priority agenda items.

The only concern I have with these numbers is that they might convince Perry to stick around for another term as Governor of Texas, since clearly he's got no hope of winning a 2016 Presidential Primary and can't possibly be construed as a "value add" to any national ticket. However, Perry's donors seem to be making their preference for Greg Abbott in 2014 clear, if their contribution trends are any indication.

John Cornyn's Hypocrisy on Immigration Reform

Katherine Haenschen — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:41:33 GMT

Oh, John Cornyn, what a perilous position you have put yourself in, trying to advocate for a humane approach to immigration while currying favor with the GOP base.

Yesterday, our senior senator penned an emotional Op-Ed for Fox News, in which he calls on Americans to have sympathy for the horrors faced by undocumented immigrants who come to America for a better chance at life. While his message is true and probably something the Fox News crowd needs to internalize a bit more, it's not as if Cornyn is calling for an actual comprehensive reform policy with a pathway to citizenship.

Read what he wrote and why it's such feckless hypocrisy below the jump.
In his op-ed, Cornyn writes:

Last weekend, as I traveled through South Texas, I met some of these people. The stories they shared with me illustrate the humanity of the immigration debate that all sides must acknowledge.
In Rio Grande City, I met a young woman who came to Texas to escape persecution in El Salvador several years ago. She did so illegally, paying thousands of dollars to be smuggled across the border.
After arriving in Texas, she fell victim to the same man she had entrusted to bring her into the country. He beat her, raped her, and forced her into a life of prostitution. For years she endured this terror and misery, until she summoned the courage to reach out for help.

Cornyn's essay doesn't really call for any specific policy solutions, and merely opines that "the basic challenge of immigration reform will be to reconcile our compassion as Americans to the fundamental importance of the rule of law, without yielding to either."

Worst of all, while Cornyn acts like he's an advocate for immigrants who perish in the desert, in reality he has one of the worst records of blocking comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate. Cornyn voted against reform in 2006 and 2007, and voted against the DREAM Act in 2010, all while calling himself a reformer.

At least Ted Cruz is honest about his genuine opposition to any pathway to citizenship. That's right -- Ted "son of a Cuban immigrant born in Canada" Cruz, who by his own extreme birtherism isn't eligible to run for President -- opposes any pathway to citizenship.

It will be interesting to watch Cornyn try to balance his need to appease an electorate that sent Ted Cruz to the US Senate while also claiming to be sensitive to the experiences of actual undocumented immigrants. In the meantime, it looks like Cornyn is doing all he can to maintain his mantle as "Biggest Hypocrite" award from America's Voices for his constant pandering to both sides on immigration.

Rep. Fallon and Rep. Raymond Do "Wu's on First"

Katherine Haenschen — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:00 GMT

Just a little levity from last week. On the race to the midnight deadline to pass bills out of the house, freshman Republican Pat Fallon was able to avoid the traditional hazing process that comes with passing his first bill. Rep. Richard Pena Raymond made up for it the next day when the bill came up for third reading: