251 Conservative Political Influencers Call for Urgent Priorities to be Set for 87th Legislative Special Session(s)

Fellow Texas Patriots,

First, thank you for the kind wishes you sent while I’ve been away almost four weeks with my Mom’s surgery. She is doing great!  Her surgeon and physical therapist are awestruck by her very rapid recovery from full hip replacement. Thanking God for His healing and for your kindness and prayers!

Special Session Siege Begins!

The first special session of the Texas Legislature starts today, July 8.

Think of it as legislative overtime for not getting work done in the regular session.  Make no mistake, the Big 3 – Gov. Abbott, Lt. Governor Patrick, and Speaker Phelan all had a hand in the failures of the 87^th Legislative Session.

One example – the Big 3 are conveniently pointing fingers at Democrats for the failure of election integrity to pass since the House Dems walked out and broke quorum.  Grassroots America predicted that would happen the minute the House and Senate passed the state budget days ahead of election bills coming to the floor of the House.

What do Democrats care about? Spending money.  So, if you give them all they want in the budget and they vote for the budget, they have NO INCENTIVE to stay in session for any election reforms to secure legal votes and prevent illegal ones. Of course, House Dems walked out!  Folks, this is not brain surgery.  It was entirely predictable and preventable.

The question is – why did the Republican leadership (Big 3) tee it up this way?  They most certainly did not have secure elections in mind! Remember, this is the 3^rd legislative session in a row where the Republican majority has failed to pass election reform.

Special Session Facts

Special sessions can only be called by the Texas Governor, last for 30 days, and can only address issues placed on the “session call” by the Governor.  The Governor may call as many successive special sessions as necessary to achieve his perceived need for results.

How have we prepared for the Special Session?

Two hundred fifty-one (251) political opinion leaders who influence thousands of Texans in communities across the Lone Star signed a letter to Gov. Abbott reminding him that he has a chance to correct the failures of the 87^th Legislative Session by including these priorities in his special session calls:

Unfinished Republican Party of Texas Priorities

1. Election Integrity – 94.82% of 2018 TX GOP Primary voters and 98.46% of 2020 TX GOP Primary voters supported.
2. Religious liberty issue – prohibit biological males from participating in biological women’s sports.
3. Ban Gender Modification – 94.65% of 2020 TX GOP Primary voters supported.   
4. Abolish Abortion – 68.19% of 2018 TX GOP Primary voters supported.
5. Ban Taxpayer Funded Lobbying – 94.3% of 2020 TX GOP Primary voters supported.
6. Monument Protection, especially the Alamo and the Cenotaph – 97.82% of 2020 TX GOP Primary voters supported.
7. School Choice – educational freedom for all. 78.67% of 2018 TX GOP Primary voters supported. 
8. Restore the Texas Legislature’s Constitutional role as a check and balance on the Executive Branch during declared emergencies. 

Additional Urgent Priorities Necessary to Protect the Life, Liberty, and Property of Texans

9. Ensure Texas Electric Grid Security and Reliability. 

   10.  Correct flawed Critical Race Theory legislation passed in the 87^th Session.

11. Gain Operational Control of the Texas Border with Mexico.
12. Send $3.12 Billion in needed Property Tax Relief (Comptroller ID’d surplus).
13. Ban employee and student COVID-19 “vaccine” mandates to protect Texans’ right to work and to freely associate. 

What else?
To read the entire Texas Conservative Grassroots Coalition letter to catch the tone, the context, and review the impressive list of signatories, please click here.

To see Abbott’s special session priorities he announced today for the special session that begins tomorrow, July 8, click here.

Note that only four of these 13 priorities are even addressed (elections, border, CRT, and “some” tax relief while spending yet more on gov’t).  Note that banning biological males from biological female sports only includes “youth” sports – not college level sports. Gov. Abbott doesn’t want to anger Big Biz, Big Tech, and Big Sports, does he?

Here’s what YOU can do to help:

Contact Greg Abbott, Texas Governor
Call him 512-463-2000

Send Abbott a comment by clicking here.

Email Abbott’s Chief of Staff: Luis.saenz@gov.texas.gov
Call Abbott’s Chief of Staff:  Luis Saenz (512) 463-1762
Call Abbott’s Senior Policy Director:  Steve Munisteri (512) 463-1830
Email Abbott’s Senior Policy Director: Steve.Munisteri@gov.texas.gov
Post message on Facebook: @TexansForAbbott
Post message on Twitter: @GregAbbott_TX

Grassroots – gear up! Get ready to push again!  

Your voices are more important than ever!  As it pertains to our stated priorities, in Special Session #1, our mission is to get true election integrity and ballot security passed, stop Critical Race Theory in schools and state agencies, get as much property tax relief as possible and actually gain operational control of the border by deterring all illegal entry. 

We also MUST keep pushing for Abbott to include the remaining priorities added to the next session. There’s some leverage you need to remember…

Abbott already has three declared 2022 Republican Primary Election challengers easily running to the right of him (former State Senator Don Huffines, Blaze TV talk show host Chad Prather, and former US Congressman and Republican Party of Texas Chairman LTC Allen West).

Let’s go! Don’t put it off – speak your mind to Governor Abbott now!

JoAnn Fleming
Executive Director 
Grassroots America – We the People PAC

PS Before folks new to this process ask, NO – our state elected officials cannot be recalled.  Our state constitution does not provide for recall and any attempt to gain recall power for the people has gone nowhere in the Texas Legislature. It’s up to “We the People” to make them feel the heat and retire them if they don’t act.