The Mignon Memo

Yesterday, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made his much anticipated appointments to the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting. Continue Reading »

The results are in from the runoff in the special election in Senate District 22. Republican Brian Birdwell, a retired Army officer, defeated former state senator David Sibley by getting 58 percent of the vote to Sibley’s 42 percent. Birdwell will represent the district through January, the remainder of former Sen. Kip Averitt’s current term. Continue Reading »

The runoff in the special election in Senate District 22 will be held June 22. Two Republicans will compete for the right to represent the district until January: former state senator David Sibley and Brian Birdwell. Former Sen. Kip Averitt (R-Waco) resigned from the Senate after filing for the March primary, which he won, so he remains the unopposed Republican nominee on the November ballot. Continue Reading »

On Friday, Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and Speaker Joe Straus ordered state agencies to submit plans for additional cuts of 10 percent as the agencies prepare their operating budgets for the next two years. Agencies were instructed to submit their base-line budget requests for the next biennium along with a “supplemental schedule” outlining how they would reduce the base-line requests by 5 percent each year. The plans will be submitted to the governor’s office and the Legislative Budget Board between August 2nd and 30th. Continue Reading »

Speaker Joe Straus named Rep. Larry Taylor (R-Friendswood) to the Sunset Advisory Commission. Taylor fills the unexpired term of Rep. Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) who will resign from his Texas House seat May 31st. Continue Reading »

Retiring Rep. Carl Isett (R-Lubbock) has decided to vacate his House seat effective May 31st. Isett listed travel plans and his desire to give the new representative for House District 84 seniority as reasons for his early resignation. Governor Perry will call a special election in order to fill the remainder of Isett’s current term. Republican John Frullo and Democrat Carol Morgan will compete for the seat’s full term in the November general election. Continue Reading »

There will be a runoff in the special election to fill the remainder of former Sen. Kip Averitt’s (R-Waco) term in Senate District 22. Republicans David Sibley and Brian Birdwell will meet in a runoff to be held on a date to be set by Gov. Rick Perry. Sibley led in the special election voting with 45 percent of the vote, followed by Birdwell, with 36.5 percent, Democrat Gayle Avant, with 13.3 percent, and Republican Darren Yancy, with 5.2 percent. The winner of the runoff will serve until January. Republican and Democratic Party county chairman from each of the counties in Senate District 22 will chose candidates to run for the seat in November. Continue Reading »

Another election is right around the corner. This Saturday, May 8th is the date of various Special and Local Elections in Texas. In addition to elections for school boards, local bonds and local option elections, there is a special election in Senate District 22 to fill the remainder of former Sen. Kip Averitt’s current term. Candidates include Republicans David Sibley, Darren Yancy and Brian Birdwell as well as Democrat Gayle R. Avant. Continue Reading »

Last week, the House Select Committee on Federal Legislation met for the first time to discuss federal health care reform. The committee, chaired by Rep. John Zerwas (R- Houston) heard testimony from the various state agencies tasked with implementing the new law. To follow the activities of the committee or to listen to the hearing, click on this link: http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/list81/274.htm Continue Reading »

The Texas House has two new members. Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas), winner of the March Democratic primary in House District 100, was the only candidate to file for the May 8 special election called to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Rep. Terri Hodge (D-Dallas). Rep. Van Taylor (R-Plano) defeated Mabrie Jackson in the April 13th primary runoff election in House District 66. Both Taylor and Jackson had filed for the special election called to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Rep. Brian McCall (R-Plano) but Jackson withdrew her name soon after her defeat in the runoff. Both were officially sworn in earlier this week and will have a jump in seniority over the incoming freshman class. Continue Reading »