Sarah Rumpf - Page 5

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry is criticizing the Veterans Administration, a day after a Congressional hearing regarding the over-prescription of opiates to veterans at a VA Hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin.

Moves by some key allies of Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) show that he is nearing a decision about running for President, with plans being made to find a suitable successor to run for his Senate seat and an announcement expected to come within just a few weeks.

The Texas Senate has passed a package of bills that would enact substantive changes to the state’s franchise tax. Not a single bill related to franchise tax reform has received a public committee hearing in the Texas House.

Former Governor Jeb Bush (Florida) has a slight lead in New Hampshire among potential Republican Presidential candidates, but nearly a quarter of respondents were undecided ten months before the first-in-the-nation primary will take place.

AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Party of Texas (RPT) Chairman Tom Mechler spoke to Breitbart Texas to express his support for SB 1968, a bill filed by Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) that would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for labor union dues for the majority of public-sector unions. Mechler was elected the new RPT Chairman in an election earlier this month.

A Florida presidential poll from Public Policy Polling (PPP) reveals support for former Governor Jeb Bush (R-FL) has dropped five points since a similar PPP survey last June. Meanwhile, support for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) increased by 1 percent.

AUSTIN, Texas — State Senator Dr. Charles Schwertner (R-Georgetown) sent an open letter on Tuesday to a group of business associations, challenging their opposition to SB 8, the Small Business Tax Relief Act. The bill was filed by Schwertner filed in February. The letter acknowledges the contribution that big businesses make to the Texas economy, but accuses them of neglecting the state’s small businesses in favor of protecting the interests of powerful big businesses.

Jordan Britten, age 20, went missing Friday on South Padre Island. According to a report by KGBT Action 4 News, Britten was attending the Ultimate Music Experience, a three day music concert at the Schlitterbahn water park, while on a Spring

The Austin Police Department arrested a woman last night after a “Molotov cocktail” was thrown at pro-life activists praying outside of an Austin Planned Parenthood abortion facility. A Molotov cocktail is a type of homemade incendiary device usually incorporating gasoline, a breakable glass bottle, and a wick that is lit before the device is thrown.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) made his official speech announcing he was running for President in 2016 on Monday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. His speech focused on the “promise of America” and asked listeners to “imagine” events in the past — both from his own family’s history and the nation’s — and to imagine a bright future for America, restored to the great “shining city on a hill.”

It’s official: Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is running for President in 2016. He made the announcement on Twitter. The tweet included a short 30 second video with Cruz narrating, saying that it was “a time for truth, a time to rise to the challenge, just as Americans have always done. I believe in America and her people, and I believe we can stand up and restore her promise. It’s going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to help make America great again, and I’m ready to stand with you to lead the fight.”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is expected to announce he is running for President in 2016 in a speech scheduled Monday morning at Liberty University, but a tweet he posted Sunday evening indicated the news could come within a few hours.

Grassroots conservatives across Texas are cheering the news that Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will announce that he is running for President in 2016 on Monday. The news was especially welcomed by many activists who have supported Cruz for years, long before he became a household name.

One Texas legislator seems to be finding criticism over a bill he filed too much to take, lashing out at critics on Twitter, then deleting some of his most intemperate remarks, as well as deleting critical comments from his Facebook page before finally taking down the page altogether.

AUSTIN, Texas — State Representative Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) is pushing back against critics of a bill he filed that would make it a crime for bloggers and independent journalists to film or photograph police officers. After the bill, HB 2918, was filed, it was the target of criticism from both the right and the left. Villalba has conceded he will make some amendments, but has continued to aggressively defend the bill. This week, the bill was referred to a committee and set for public hearing on March 26.

In a party at the Governor’s Mansion, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and First Lady Cecilia Abbott hosted Texas musicians, music industry representatives and vendors, SXSW attendees, elected officials, and other honored guests in an evening to celebrate Texas music. The

The State Bar of Texas has filed a formal accusation of misconduct against John H. Jackson, the former Navarro County Assistant District Attorney who convicted Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in February 2004 for the arson murder of his three young daughters. The Bar had been investigating Jackson for months, and he is accused of obstruction of justice, making false statements and concealing evidence favorable to Willingham’s defense. Pursuant to the disciplinary petition filed by the Texas Bar, Jackson has fifty days from the date of service of the petition to respond.

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Senate has officially passed SB 11, the “campus carry” legislation that would expand the state’s concealed handgun license (CHL) rights to allow CHL holders to also carry their guns into certain buildings on Texas’ public colleges and universities. The bill passed its third and final reading on Thursday in the Senate, a move that was cheered by Senate Republicans, who are hopeful that their colleagues in the House will pass the bill as well.

A Denton County, Texas judge has once again tossed out a ruling by the Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) against Empower Texans President Michael Quinn Sullivan that claimed that he had improperly failed to register as a lobbyist. The court’s ruling, affirmed the previous dismissal of the case by another Denton County judge, 158th District Court Judge Steve Burgess, finding that the TEC’s actions against Sullivan violated the Citizen’s Participation Act.

A bill filed by Texas State Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) could prove to be the financial death penalty for many public sector labor unions across the state. The bill, SB 1968, was filed at the very end of the bill filing period for this Legislative Session last Friday, and would end the practice of automatic payroll deductions for labor union dues for the majority of public sector unions.

On Monday, the Texas House passed on second reading HB 10, an omnibus anti-human trafficking bill, with a unanimous, bipartisan vote. The bill still needs a third reading but is expected to easily pass Tuesday morning and will be the first bill passed by the House this Session.

The Texas Senate passed the “open carry” bill, SB 17, on second reading Monday evening after about three and a half hours of debate. The vote was on partisan lines, with the 20 Republican Senators voting in favor of the bill, and the 11 Democrats voting against it. The bill still needs to go to third reading before it will be deemed officially passed by the Senate.

This week, Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) reaffirmed his commitment to sign into law an open carry bill currently being considered by the Texas Legislature.

The Texas Young Republican Federation (TYRF) conducted a straw poll during February and March, and among potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates, the results show strongest support for Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), followed by Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin).

Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) told Breitbart Texas he expects franchise tax relief bills to pass in the Senate. Multiple bills proposing changes to Texas’ franchise tax have been filed in both chambers of the Texas Legislature, and multiple elected officials have told Breitbart Texas that they are hopeful that the 84th Legislative Session will see substantive changes to the tax, ultimately resulting in it being abolished. Creighton spoke to Breitbart Texas about a package of four bills that he had filed.

British pop superstar Phil Collins received a unique honor this week, as the Texas Legislature issued a resolution recognizing him as an honorary Texan, for the donation of “his magnificent collection of historical artifacts to the State of Texas for display at the Alamo.”

The State of Texas has formally assumed control of the Alamo, placing the day-to-day management of the historic site in San Antonio under the Texas General Land Office (GLO). The GLO will now solicit proposals for a new management company to assume those duties later this year. Previously, the Alamo had been managed by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas (DRT), the volunteer organization that was responsible for securing the funds to preserve the Alamo in 1905. A law passed in 2011 transferred control to the GLO.

Texas State Representative Jason Villalba (R-Texas) has found himself at the center of controversy after filing a bill that would make it a crime for bloggers and independent journalists — as well as regular citizens — to film police officers. Despite the backlash from free speech advocates, Villalba is insisting that his bill “does not infringe on constitutional rights” or “limit liberty in any way.”

Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office (GLO) George P. Bush unveiled a redesigned website this week for the Texas Veterans Land Board (VLB), TexasVeterans.com, to streamline access to the information and benefits provided by the VLB to Texas veterans. The VLB was formed in 1946 and in his role as GLO Commissioner, Bush also serves as the VLB’s Chairman.

What started as a protest by pro-life Texas legislators on abortion provider Planned Parenthood’s Day at the Capitol revealed some tensions between Republican legislators as the 84th Legislative Session hits its stride.

Former Texas Governor Rick Perry has joined the list of prominent conservatives who have endorsed the Statement of Principles of the Right on Crime campaign. The announcement was made on Wednesday. Right on Crime is a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) in partnership with the American Conservative Union Foundation and Justice Fellowship and seeks to promote criminal justice reforms from a conservative perspective.

The University of Texas at Austin School of Law ranked 15th among law schools rated by U.S. News and World Report in their 2016 Best Law Schools. The UT School of Law was also the top ranked law school in Texas. A number of other Texas law schools were also included in the top tier. Yale University ranked highest, and Harvard University and Stanford University tied for second.

According to a new study released on Wednesday, underground wastewater injection wells used in hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” have virtually no role whatsoever in the earthquakes in the North Texas area during the past few years. The study was conducted by a group affiliated with the petroleum industry, but used publicly available data on seismic activity in the region and a long list of independent peer-reviewed scientific research to reach this conclusion.

A new poll released by Right on Crime, a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), shows that Texas voters strongly support the criminal justice reforms passed in recent years, and would like to see those reforms continue.

In a special guest commentary for Forbes Opinion, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) touted his state’s continued economic strength, specifically highlighting Texas’ top ranking for capital investment projects.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) attended the Iowa Ag Summit over the weekend, along with several other prospective 2016 Republican presidential candidates, and was alone among attendees in his outright rejection of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the ethanol subsidies that have a significant impact on Iowa’s agricultural economy. Despite the risk of opposing the RFS at an event sponsored by the agriculture industry in a critical early primary state, Cruz was unequivocal in voicing his opposition to the RFS and the crowd applauded his comments.