The Mignon Memo

Gov. Abbott Lifts COVID-19 Restrictions

In a press conference yesterday, Governor Abbott rescinded his previous executive orders which reduced business capacities, and imposed a statewide mask mandate due to COVID-19.
Gov. Abbott added that “Businesses can choose to operate as they would like. Businesses can limit how many people they have—but the state isn’t going to tell them to do it. If they want to require masks, they can.”

https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-lifts-mask-mandate-opens-texas-100-percent

Lawmakers Grill Energy Industry Stakeholders

Lawmakers questioned public regulators and energy grid officials last week about how power outages happened and why Texans weren’t given more warnings about the danger. Energy industry stakeholders testified for hours as they reviewed the failures in the state’s energy system that left millions of Texans shivering in the cold for days without power.
We expect to see a package of legislation developed by lawmakers this session related to winter storm relief and the state’s power reliability.

House Proposes COVID Pandemic Response Bill

Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, a lieutenant of Speaker Dade Phelan, filed an omnibus bill that would overhaul how the state responds to pandemics. The legislation was given a low bill number — HB 3 — indicating it is a priority of the Speaker.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has said the Senate’s version will be SB 6, the Pandemic Liability Protection Act.

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/HB00003I.pdf?mc_cid=022bb6cc64&mc_eid=4362d07489#navpanes=0

Only in Austin…

After canceling the annual festival last year due to the pandemic, the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival will be held in-person this year on October 1-3 & 8-10.
Find Festival Information Here:

https://www.aclfestival.com

Committee Hearings on Power Outages

Winter storm Uri caused millions of residents in the state to lose power, many for multiple hours or longer during below-freezing temperatures. Lawmakers will be in hearings this week trying to determine exactly what went wrong, the steps that were taken to prepare before the storm hit, and most importantly, what can be done to ensure this never happens again.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan asked the House State Affairs and House Energy Resources to hold a joint hearing on Thursday, February 25, to review the power outages. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the head of the state Senate, also weighed in by saying he will “take responsibility for fixing” what happened. The Senate Business & Commerce Committee will also hold hearings on Thursday, February 25 to get answers on the operations of the state’s power grid.

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s Priorities

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick announced his top priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session yesterday. Patrick said in a statement that he is “confident these priorities address issues that are critical to Texans at this time” and that some of them changed in recent days due to the storm, which left millions of Texans without power. Patrick’s specifics for his 31 priorities remain unclear. Almost all of his priority bills have not been filed yet and have not been made publicly available.

Special Election Result for HD 68

The results are in to decide who will represent District 68 (North Texas) in the Texas House. Republican David Spiller won the special election runoff yesterday. Spiller is an attorney and the Jacksboro Independent School District Vice President. He will replace Drew Springer, who was elected to the state Senate in December.

Only in Austin…

Texas legislators and staff from the House Republican Caucus and House Democratic Caucus teamed up last week to donate water jugs from Capitol offices and donate them to shelters, nursing homes, and others in need who had no water in the Austin area. Speaker Dade Phelan also made a donation (shown above).

Committees Are Out

House Speaker Dade Phelan announced committee appointments last Thursday. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick also announced the Senate committee appointments last month. So far, lawmakers in both chambers have filed more than 2,400 bills, so expect the pace of the 140-day legislative session to pick up in the coming weeks.

Election Runoffs Keep Coming

Governor Abbott set February 23rd as the date for the special runoff election to fill the seat vacated by Senator Drew Springer, who was elected to the Texas Senate. Early voting will begin on February 16th.
This special runoff election for HD 68 will be between attorney David Spiller (R-Jacksboro) and businessman Craig Carter (R-Nocona).

Vaccine Question?

Where to get vaccinated: COVID-19 Vaccination Hub Providers
Most recent vaccine information: COVID-19 Vaccine Information
Where vaccines are being delivered this week: Week 9 Vaccine Allocation

Only in Austin…

Broadway in Austin and Texas Performing Arts announced on Feb. 4 that touring shows will return on Dec. 7th with two surprise mega-hits, “Hamilton” and “The Lion King,” in the new mix. Both shows will stick around for multi-week runs.
See the full lineup: Broadway in Austin.

2021 State of the State

On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott delivered his 2021 State Of The State Address, outlining his emergency priorities.

1. Expanding Broadband Access for Texans
2. Prevent Cities from Defunding the Police
3. Fixing the Bail System by Passing the Damon Allen Act
4. Election Integrity to Ensure Texans Can Have Trust and Confidence in the Outcome of Elections
5. Coronavirus-Related Civil Protections for Individuals, Businesses, and Health Care Providers That Operated Safely during the Pandemic Declaring these items as “emergencies” allows lawmakers to pass legislation related to these issues within the first 60 days of the session.

Beto O’Rourke for Governor?

The former congressman from El Paso told a radio station that he’s considering running for Texas governor in the next election.

“It’s something I’m going to think about,” O’Rourke said. “I want to make sure we have someone in the highest office in our state who’s going to make sure that all of us are OK.”

House Committees You Say?

Rumor has it that House Committee assignments will be announced this week. Everyone is patiently waiting to be picked.

We will keep you updated and send you that information as soon as it becomes available for us to share.

Only in Austin…

Remain calm Star Wars fans, this is not an old R2-D2 model.

As an extra layer of safety against COVID, UV sanitation robots like this are being used daily to sanitize rooms in the Texas Capitol Building.

House vs Senate Budgets

Texas leaders in the state House and Senate have each proposed similar spending amounts in their preliminary budgets, signifying notable agreement. Both budgets emphasize commitments to public education funding and COVID-19 economic recovery.

Highlights of Senate budget here.

Highlights of House budget here.

Much work remains to be done and changes to each proposal are near certain before we know what the final details of the biennial budget look like.

State of the State Address

On Monday, February 1 at 7 pm, Governor Greg Abbott will give his televised State of the State address. Governor Abbott will update Texans on the state’s response to COVID-19 and outline his priorities for the 87th Legislature.

Click here for more information.

Runoff Election in North Texas

David Spiller (R), an attorney from Jacksboro, TX, and Craig Carter (R), a businessman from Nocona, TX, will face each other in a runoff election to represent House District 68. No date for the runoff election has been announced.

This seat was vacated by Drew Springer (R-Vernon) after being elected to the Texas Senate.

Only in Austin…

Rep Joe Moody (D-El Paso) gave a particularly moving prayer to open the Texas House floor session yesterday. Take a listen to his powerful message.

Read the transcript here

Listen and watch here.

Texas Is Back in Session

Yesterday, the 87th Legislative Session kicked off with the swearing-in of members of the Texas House and Texas Senate. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) was elected the new Speaker of the Texas House and Sen. Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury) was elected Speaker Pro Temp of the Texas Senate.

After voting on the House and Senate rules this week, both chambers will adjourn until January 26th and resume regular business.

Comptroller’s Latest Budget Update

On Monday, Comptroller Glenn Hegar released an updated biennial revenue estimate for the state’s 2022-23 budget. His estimate is that the state will have $112.53 billion available when creating the budget. About 0.5% less than what was made available last session.

Only in Austin…

A rare snow sighting in Austin this past weekend on January 10, 2021.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours!– Mignon McGarry & Team

Texas Capitol Reopening

In a joint statement on Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and outgoing Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen announced the Capitol would be reopened on January 4th.Though specific protocols have yet to be announced, lawmakers have reportedly considered temperature checks, COVID testing, and limiting capacity in the galleries and committee rooms. The Legislature will reconvene on January 12th.

Speaker’s Policy Team Announcement

Presumptive Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) announced his policy team.”We’ve assembled a first-rate team of policy experts who understand the mechanics of government and know how to get things done for Texas. I am privileged that these skilled professionals are devoting themselves to public service at this point in our state’s history,” Phelan said.

Senate District 30 Special Election

Senator-Elect Drew Springer (R-Muenster) won the Senate District 30 election over the weekend against his opponent, Dallas Salon Owner Shelly Luther.

Only in Austin…

Take part in the long-standing Austin tradition by grabbing some hot chocolate and taking a spin under Austin’s Zilker tree to receive good luck in 2021!

The Best Seat in the House

House members have completed their desk selection on the House floor for the 2021 legislative session. We have an inside scoop of the House Floor Seating Chart and who’s sitting next to who.The House Opening Day Operational Plan, detailing the logistics of the opening day ceremony for the 87th Legislative Session, was also released this week. The modifications outlined in the memo were made to ensure the health and safety of the Memberselect, guests, staff, media, and the public.

The Gates Are Open…two of Them at Least

The Texas State Preservation Board (SPB) says the chains are coming off the East and West entrances to the Capitol grounds, while the Capitol building will remain closed. SPB said they are working with other agencies to reopen the grounds to the public from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.The grounds were closed at the end of May following protests which resulted in injury to Texas Department of Public Safety personnel, destruction of state property, and damage to the Capitol building.

A Christmas Miracle: COVID Vaccine Is Here

Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine has been given an emergency use authorization by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for adults 16 years and older, and the first of 1.4 million doses allocated to Texas have begun to arrive.The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released the complete list of over 100 Texas hospitals that will get the first round of vaccines in week 1 and how many doses – of the allocated 224,250 – each will get.Two HCA Healthcare hospitals will be among the first providers to receive the Pfizer vaccine this week – HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest and HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast (Pasadena) – for a total of 2,925 doses.Read the COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Guiding Principles by DSHS to see who gets vaccinated first in Phase 1 of distribution.

Senate District 30 Special Election

The special election for Texas Senate District 30 (North Texas) is this Saturday, December 19th. State Representative Drew Springer (R- Muenster) and Dallas salon owner Shelly Luther are vying for this Senate seat which was vacated by Congressman-Elect Pat Fallon (R-Prosper).

Bill Filing Is Going…Swimmingly

The 87th Legislature convenes in 27 days, but that has not slowed down legislators from filing proposals. As of Tuesday, over a thousand bills have been filed – 878 House bills and 220 Senate bills.Some noteworthy legislation filed by House Representative Erin Zwiener (D-Kyle) includes H.C.R. 12, which would designate the city of Kyle as the official Pie Capital of Texas, and H.C.R. 13 would designate the city of San Marcos as the official Mermaid Capital of Texas.

Taking Care of Business…Capitol Edition

Discussions between the Texas House and the Senate regarding legislative operations during the pandemic are underway.• Witnesses who wish to testify may be required to register online three days before committee hearings and take a rapid test 24 hours before a hearing.• The National Guard, with the capability to test between 10 to 12 people in one hour, may assist with rapid testing at the capitol building.• Committee hearings will likely only be permitted to take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for at least the first 60 days of the legislative session.• Virtual testimony may be limited to only the Committee on Redistricting.Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker-to-be Dade Phelan hope to make an announcement soon regarding the session.

Texas House Republican Caucus Leadership

The Texas House Republican Caucus has selected Jim Murphy (R-Houston) as its Chair for the 87th Legislative Session. Other executive committee members include Rep. Tom Oliverson (R-Cypress) as vice-chair, Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Fort Worth) as treasurer, and Rep. Candy Noble (R-Allen) as secretary.

1.4 Million Vaccines for Texas

Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made an initial allotment of over 1.4 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines to the State of Texas for the month of December. These vaccines will be distributed to qualifying providers across the state who will administer these immunizations based on the Vaccine Distribution Principles developed by the state’s Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel.

12 Months of Christmas…Coverage

The Texas Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee (MMRC) has released its biennial report to the Texas legislature and is calling for a full 12 months of health coverage for new moms after childbirth among other recommendations.

New Team Members!

Welcome to the team: Raul Lopez & Sarah Flautt! Aside from taste-testing cakes, the new members of our team are working harder than Santa’s elves to prepare for the upcoming 87th Texas Legislative session and to keep everyone up to date on all of your Texas capitol news!

Our Youngest New Associate!

Proud parents, Chelsy & Charlie Tanner, are thrilled to welcome their newborn baby girl!

Only in Austin…

The 26th annual Downtown Holiday Stroll celebration is going on daily until December 31st. This year, the tradition has been reimagined to allow the community to enjoy the holiday season downtown all month long in a safe and socially-distanced way. Free activities for the whole family will take place throughout downtown including holiday shopping experiences, holiday windows, and light displays, pop-up activations, photo-ops, and of course the signature 45-foot downtown holiday tree.

COVID-19 Vaccines Are Coming…but Not for AllTexas Gov. Greg Abbott announced COVID-19 guiding principles for Texas’ COVID-19 vaccine allocation process, which will serve as a foundation for a vaccine he said could be available as soon as December. Under the plan, health care workers are slated to get the vaccine first, including staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities, as well as people who work in emergency medical services and as home health care workers. Next in line are the second tier of health care workers that include staff in outpatient care offices, free-standing emergency rooms, urgent care centers, and community care pharmacies as well as public health workers who conduct COVID-19 tests, embalmers, medical examiners, and school nurses.Other groups that will be prioritized include frontline workers and people who are at a greater risk of complications or death if they contract the virus.

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Rules, Rules, Rules Presumptive Speaker Dade Phelan has asked Representatives Ana Hernandez, Todd Hunter, Brooks Landgraf, and Joe Moody to solicit rules proposals from all of the members of the Texas House.With the assistance of the House Parliamentarians, these members will reach out to all of the House members to collect, organize, and review all of the members’ rules proposals for the upcoming 87th Texas Legislature. Members of the Texas House have been asked to submit their rules proposals to the House Parliamentarians by Friday, December 11th. Texas Is on a Budget On Monday, the Legislative Budget Board met to hear a report from Comptroller Glenn Hegar on state finances and adopt a constitutionally required cap on state spending in the coming two-year cycle, which begins Sept. 1, 2021.Hegar told lawmakers Monday that the budget forecast is better than he expected since his last projection. “The outlook for the current two-year budget is not nearly as dire as we feared in July, and the shortfall for the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) is likely to show that this biennium should be much more manageable,” While this is good news for lawmakers, Hegar tempered expectations by adding that state revenues are still down significantly compared to last year. The Comptroller will release a new BRE on January 11. Session First Day Jitters House Administration Chairman Charlie Geren has said it is likely that only members, essential staff, and some special guests will be allowed on the House floor on the opening day of session. The press will be restricted to the House gallery on opening day and possibly throughout the session.While no firm rules have been decided or put in place, Geren stressed that the degree to which the House will be locked down will be left up to the members when they debate rules at the opening of session. Geren said the nature of the discussions now is centered on finding a balance between constitutionally-mandated access for the general public and media while keeping lawmakers safe Only in Austin… The annual Austin Trail of Lights is drive-through-only this year, with timed access every evening from now through January 3. Since one holiday drive-through isn’t enough, Austinites can also enjoy the Peppermint Parkway, at Circuit of the Americas racetrack, where your car will follow hosts Pepper and Mint as they rush to deliver Christmas letters to Santa. While you wait for your vehicle reservation time(s), shop artworks, jewelry, crafts, and more from local vendors at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar.