The Texas Minute for 4/6/2021

[Elderberry]

Good morning,

Today’s Texas Minute offers a review of the state of the legislative priorities of the Republican and Democrat parties.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan & Brandon Waltens

•   But first... Axios has reported that Joe Biden’s Treasury Secretary will be pushing for the adoption of a global minimum corporate tax. Their goal is to remove the incentive for companies to leave the U.S. for lower-tax locales as the Biden Administration “seeks to increase the corporate rate from 21% to 28%.”
   
•   This is a good time to remind each other of a simple economic fact: corporations do not pay taxes, they remit them. The cost of a tax is always borne by people: owners, shareholders, employees (current and prospective), and, of course, customers.
   
•   When politicians talk about “business taxes,” they are admitting they need to hide from you the actual cost of government. Yes, a company will write a check for the corporate tax – but people pay for it. Always.
 
•   The Constitution of Texas provides that the legislature will meet for 140 days every other year [Article 3, Sec. 24] to conduct the state’s business. Only the governor has the authority to bring lawmakers into special sessions that can last for up to 30 days at a time [Article 3, Sec. 5].
   
•   The 2021 legislative session – the 87th Session of the Texas Legislature – convened on January 12 and will conclude on Monday, May 31.
   
•   Therefore, just 55 days remain for lawmakers to get YOUR priorities accomplished.
 
•   No issue is of greater importance for many Texans than securing the Lone Star State’s elections and ensuring the integrity of our ballots. It is the only priority of the Republican Party that is also a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott.
   
•   The Texas Senate has passed a comprehensive package of reforms, while complimentary measures in the Texas House were heard in committee last week.
 
•   Despite Texas’ self-promotion as a state friendly to the rights of gun owners, most states in the United States are actually more free on the issue. For example, late last week the governor of Iowa signed into law “constitutional cary” – ensuring that law abiding citizens can carry their firearms without the need for government permission.
     
•   While constitutional carry is a top priority for the Texas GOP, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Senate have not taken action on the issue.
   
•   In the House, two constitutional carry bills were passed out of committee last week. They must now be placed on the chamber’s calendar for debate and a vote.
 
•   While Republicans will chaff at the lack of progress on their issues, perhaps the GOP can take some (minor) solace in the knowledge that none of the legislative priorities of Texas Democrats have had a committee hearing in either chamber of the legislature.
   
•   Make sure your elected officials know what you expect them to accomplish.
 
•   Texas Scorecard’s Tracker shows the progress of major bills designated to accomplish the goals of the two parties in the two legislative chambers – “H” for House and “S” for Senate in the graphics below.     

•   The progress of the Republican priorities is designated by an elephant. The progress of Democrat priorities is designated by a donkey.

Legislative Priorities Tracker

An updated listing of where Republican and Democrat priorities are in the Texas Legislature. (Click the individual images for a bigger version and more information!)

Quote-Unquote

“Bad ideas don’t die of their own accord; they have to be killed by better ones.”

– H.L. Richardson​​

Number of the Day

7,895

Total number of bills filed in the Legislature as of 3 p.m. Monday (April 5). That is 5,399 in the House and 2,496 in the Senate.

Today in History

On April 6, 1917, the United States officially entered the Great War following a vote by the U.S. House. By the time the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, nearly 5,200 Texans had died in military service.