The Mignon Memo

The lineup for the 2014 primaries in Texas is set.  In the statewide contests, two last minute filers in the Republican primary drew attention.  U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman withdrew his filing for re-election and instead filed to challenge U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary.  Due to this last minute action, the Republican Party of Texas has extended the filing deadline for Texas Congressional District 36 until December 16^th.  Another last minute filer was former Rep. Robert Talton who filed in the Republican primary for chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court.  He will be current Chief Justice Nathan Hecht’s only opponent.  

In the Texas Senate, 15 seats are on the ballot. Eight of those districts will have contested primary elections.  In addition, Senate District 4 will be filled in a special election on May 10, 2014.  That seat was left vacant by the retirement of former Sen. Tommy Williams.  Williams’ term extended to 2016 so the winner of the special election will fill the reminder of that term. In the Texas House, all 150 seats will be on the ballot.  Roughly half of current Texas House members will be unopposed by a major party candidate.  There are 50 seats that will involve a contested primary, some of them open seats.  The remainder of incumbents escaped a primary challenge but will face an opponent in the general election next fall. 

Now that the lineups are set for the statewide races, we will begin profiling certain races each week and provide you with a summary of the candidates and their backgrounds.   

Texas Railroad Commission 

Current Commissioner Barry Smitherman is running for Texas Attorney General so four Republicans and two Democrats have filed in hopes of replacing him.  The Republicans are Wayne Christian, Malachi Boyuls, Becky Berger and Ryan Sitton.  The Democrats are Steve Brown and Dale Henry.   

Wayne Christian, an investment advisor in Center, served in the Texas House for 15 years. While serving in the Texas House, Christian served as Vice Chairman of the Regulated Industries Committee and two terms as a member of the Energy Committee.  An interesting fact about Christian is that he began his career as the lead singer and manager of a country/gospel band called the Mercy River Boys.  Malachi Boyuls of Dallas serves as a partner in St. Augustine Capital Partners, a firm focused on principal investing, brokering and consulting services for small to middle-market transactions in the oil and gas industry.  He previously worked as an attorney focusing on oil and gas law.  Boyuls previously served as an appointed member of the Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board.  Becky Berger, a geologist in Schulenburg, has been active in Republican politics for several years.  She has served on the State Republican Executive Committee as well as held leadership roles in the Texas Federation of Republican Women.  Berger operates a family ranch with her husband.  Ryan Sitton of Friendswood founded PinnacleAIS, an engineering and technology company focused on reliability and integrity programs for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.  Sitton has also been active in local Republican Party politics and serves on Texas A&M’s Mechanical Engineering Advisory Council.  Steve Brown of Missouri City is a former Fort Bend County Democratic party chairman.  He currently works for Houston Metro is the small business initiatives division. Brown’s political experience includes working as an intern for U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and for Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston).  Dale Henry, a retired petroleum engineer from Lampasas, is making his fifth run at a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission.  His first run was in the 2004 Republican primary.  In 2006, Henry filed as a Democrat but was defeated. He ran again in 2008 and 2012.

Sen. Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) has joined the race for Lieutenant Governor.  At this point, she is the only Democrat in the race.  Since Sen. Van de Putte’s Texas Senate term extends to 2017, she can hold her seat while she runs for higher office.  If she wins, a special election will be held. 

Filing for the 2014 primaries continues through Monday, December 9^th.  If you are curious as to who has filed in your county, the Texas Secretary of State’s office collects information from the Republican and Democratic Parties of Texas and posts it on their website.  Follow this link: https://webservices.sos.state.tx.us/candidate-filing/cf-report.aspx 

Texas Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber has extended the health policies of nearly 23,000 Texans with chronic conditions for three months. Under a new state law, the state-run high risk pool was scheduled to cease operations Jan. 1, 2014. Due to problems with the launch of the federally run health insurance marketplace, Rathgeber ordered that the high risk pool continue coverage through March 31, 2014. 

David Reisman, the executive director of the Texas Ethics Commission, will become the chief compliance officer of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).  The membership of the reorganized Oversight Committee for CPRIT is also complete with the appointment of Will Montgomery, an attorney with the Dallas office of Jackson Walker LLP, by Speaker Joe Straus. 

Ross Phillips is the new interim general manager for the Lower Colorado River Authority. The current general manager Becky Motal is retiring at the end of year. 

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Steven Mach of Houston to the Public Safety Commission for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2015. Mach is vice president and CFO of Mach Industrial Group.

Gov. Rick Perry announced that the runoff in the special election for House District 50 will be held on January 28, 2014.  Democrat Celia Israel and Republican Mike VanDeWalle will compete in the runoff.  The early voting period for this special election will run from January 20 to January 24, 2014.  The winner will serve the remainder of former Rep. Mark Strama’s unexpired term.  

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Ben Raimer of Galveston as chair of the Health and Human Services Council for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2015. The council helps develop policies and rules for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and makes recommendations regarding the management and operation of the commission.  Raimer is a board certified  pediatrician, and senior vice president and professor at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB).  

Gov. Perry also appointed Jacinto Juarez of Laredo as chair of the State Health Services Council. The council makes recommendations regarding the management, operation, policies and rules for public health, mental health and substance abuse.  Juarez is dean emeritus and an instructor for the Laredo Community College Department of Computer Information Systems and Mathematics. 

The Texas Legislative Reference Library has updated their comprehensive guide to the sunset process in Texas.  The sunset process, established in 1977, is the regular assessment of the continuing need for a state agency to exist.  During the current review cycle, 21 state agencies will be reviewed. For more information about the sunset process, the guide made be viewed here: http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/suntx.pdf.

Gov. Rick Perry announced that a special election will be held May 10, 2014 to fill the Texas Senate seat vacated by former Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands). Candidates seeking to serve the remainder of the District 4 term expiring in 2016 must file applications by March 10, 2014.

Steve Brown, the former chairman of the Fort Bend County Democrats, announced his candidacy for the open seat on the Texas Railroad Commission.  Brown joins six Republican candidates in the race.

The results of the November 5^th general election are in.  Texans approved all nine constitutional amendments on the ballot including the high profile Proposition 6 which authorizes the movement of $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund into a revolving account to provide public entities with low-cost loans for water supply and conservation projects.  Houston voters re-elected Mayor Annise Parker to a third and final term as mayor.  Voters in Houston also voted down a referendum to authorize $217 million in bonds to turn the Astrodome stadium into a giant convention center and exhibition space.  Harris County commissioners are predicting they will vote to tear down the historic stadium. Propositions permitting liquor stores to open in Arlington and Lewisville passed easily.

In the special election to fill the currentterm in House District 50 seat left vacant by former Rep. Mark Strama’s retirement, there will be a runoff election between Democrat Celia Israel and Republican Mike VanDeWalle.   Expect a repeat of this race in the March primary since the winner of the runoff only holds the seat until January, 2015.

Filing begins this Saturday, November 9^th, for a spot on the March 4^th primary ballot.  Candidates may continue to file until the December 9^th deadline.

Early voting continues through Friday, November 1^st. Next week, we will report the results of the November 5^th general election.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Dan Wilmot of Big Spring as director of the Office of State-Federal Relations (OSFR). The director acts as a liaison between the state and the federal government, helps coordinate state and federal programs, and informs the governor and Legislature of federal programs that may be carried out in the state or that affect state programs. Wilmot has more than 20 years experience in state and federal government, starting his career as a congressional staffer and most recently serving as director of the Washington, D.C. office of OSFR.

The Texas Association of Community Colleges announced the creation of a new Texas Success Center, which is designed to provide statewide coordination to the state’s various approaches to student success programs at Texas colleges.  The new center will be supported by $2.4 million provided by the state’s 50 community colleges, the Kresge Foundation, the Houston Endowment, the Greater Texas Foundation, the Meadows Foundation and TG, a nonprofit corporation that provides financial planning support to Texas students.  The focus of center will be on areas such as workforce and skills alignment, college readiness and transfer and articulation agreements.

Early voting for the November 5^th general election has begun.  I urge all Texans to get out and vote.  Don’t forget your ID.  This is the first statewide election with the photo ID requirement in effect for in-person voting.  The seven forms of approved ID are a Texas driver license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS); a Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS; a Texas personal identification card issued by DPS; a Texas concealed handgun license issued by DPS; a United States military identification card containing the person’s photograph; a United States citizenship certificate containing the person’s photograph; and a United States passport.

Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands) has joined the race to replace Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) in Senate District 4.  Rep. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) has also decided to join the race after pulling out of the race for Agriculture Commissioner.

Former state representative Sid Miller joined the Republican primary race for Agriculture Commissioner. Miller entered the race after Rep. Brandon Creighton
left to run for Senate District 4.

Rep. Stefani Carter (R-Dallas) will seek a third term in the House District 102 seat she currently holds instead of running for the Texas Railroad Commission. Carter may face opposition as several candidates have already announced their intent to run in House District 102.

Speaker Joe Straus re-appointed Pete Geren and appointed Dr. Cynthia Mulrow to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Oversight Committee.  Speaker Straus appoints three of the nine members of the CPRIT Oversight Committee and has said he will name his third appointee soon.

Kent Hance, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, announced he is stepping down from the position he has held since Dec 1, 2006.  Hance will retire in the summer of 2014.  Hance previously served in the Texas Senate, the U.S. Congress and the Texas Railroad Commission.

Early voting for the November 5^th general election begins this coming Monday, October 21^st.  There are nine proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot and some cities like Houston have mayoral elections and other local races on their ballots.

The following is a list of the nine proposed constitutional amendments as they will appear on the ballot:

Proposition 1: The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a member of the armed services of the United States who is killed in action.

Proposition 2: The constitutional amendment eliminating an obsolete requirement for a State Medical Education Board and a State Medical Education Fund, neither of which is operational.

Proposition 3: The constitutional amendment to authorize a political subdivision of this state to extend the number of days that aircraft parts that are exempt from ad valorem taxation due to their location in this state for a temporary period may be located in this state for purposes of qualifying for the tax exemption.

Proposition 4: The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of part of the market value of the residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a partially disabled veteran if the residence homestead was donated to the disabled veteran by a charitable organization.

Proposition 5: The constitutional amendment to authorize the making of a reverse mortgage loan for the purchase of homestead property and to amend lender disclosures and other requirements in connection with a reverse mortgage
loan.

Proposition 6: The constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas and the State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas to assist in the financing of priority projects in the state water plan to ensure the availability of adequate water resources.

Proposition 7: The constitutional amendment authorizing a home-rule municipality to provide in its charter the procedure to fill a vacancy on its governing body for which the unexpired term is 12 months or less.

Proposition 8:  The constitutional amendment repealing Section 7, Article IX, Texas Constitution, which relates to the creation of a hospital district in Hidalgo County.

Proposition 9: The constitutional amendment relating to expanding the types of sanctions that may be assessed against a judge or justice following a formal proceeding instituted by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

The past week has brought two more candidates into the race to succeed Gov. Rick Perry.  As expected, Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) announced her candidacy at her former Haltom City High School last week.  Republican radio talk show host Lisa Fritsch also joined the race.

The Texas Legislature lost two long serving members to retirement this past week. Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands) announced that he will not run for his
Senate District 4 seat in 2014.  Williams is rumored to be taking a position in  governmental affairs at the Texas A&M University System. Rep. Allan Ritter
(R-Nederland) announced that he will not seek re-election to his House District 21 seat.  Ritter has represented the district since 1998.  With Williams’ departure, the 84^th Legislature is guaranteed new chairs of the committees that handle the state’s budget in both the Senate and the House.  Ritter leaves his post as chair of the House Natural Resources.

As many people from Austin head to Dallas for a combination of food, football, fair going and fundraising, here are a few facts about the State Fair of Texas.  The Dallas State Fair & Exposition, the predecessor of the State Fair of Texas, was chartered as a private corporation on Jan. 30, 1886.  The corporation was responsible for locating the land on which Fair Park exists today.  The Texas-OU football game moved to the fair in 1929.  Big Tex made his debut in 1952 and rose again a few weeks ago after being destroyed by an electrical fire just last year.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Jeff Brown of Houston as a justice of the Texas Supreme Court for a term to expire at the next general election in 2014.  Brown, who most recently served as a justice of the 14th Court of Appeals, replaces Nathan Hecht who was elevated to Chief Justice by Governor Perry.

Libertarian Kathie Glass officially joined the 2014 governor’s race in Texas.  Glass, an attorney in Houston, also ran for governor in 2010. She joins Republicans Greg Abbott, Tom Pauken and Miriam Martinez in the race. Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) is expected to announce her candidacy at an event in Haltom City tomorrow afternoon.

Several new members were appointed to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Oversight Committee.  Gov. Ricky Perry appointed Angelos Angelou of Austin; Gerry Geistweidt of Mason; and Dr. William Rice of Austin.  Lt. Governor David Dewhurst appointed Ned Holmes of Houston; Dr. Craig S. Rosenfeld of Dallas; and Amy Mitchell of Austin.  The members serve staggered terms on the Committee.