The Texas Weekly/Texas Tribune insider poll. for the week of 2 June 2017

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Deirdre Robbins
5 years ago
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1 The Texas Weekly/Texas Tribune insider poll for the week of 2 June 2017

5 When will Gov. Greg Abbott make lawmakers return for a special session? "Get them back sooner rather than later, finish the work we voted you to do!!!" "If he lets them go home for a couple of weeks, then calls them back, their 'incentive' to get everything completed will be to get out by July 4th. It is quite possible he lets them have off through July 4th vacation before they come back." "Abbott has to show Patrick that he runs the show. We're done." "I think Abbott's lawyers are working overtime trying to find a loophole to fund these agencies without legislative action." "IF he sticks to the sunset bills, then Abbott could hold off on a special until after the primary. But if he caves to Patrick on bathrooms and local property taxes then it'll be sometime this summer, preferably after my family vacation!!" "He'll give 'em time to cool off and hear from constituents."

6 "Whenever Patrick calls it; I'm sorry, I meant Abbott, ha-ha." "Abbott was AWOL. His chest pounding is laughable. Were he a real leader, he would have brought the parties together and worked out some deals. Yawn." "Hoping after July 4. We could all use a break from this fun. " "If the special is about sunset, he needs to call it before August, so it can become law timely. If it's for bathrooms or property tax, it can be later. But in no case should he call it immediately. Right now is governor 'Me time,' during the veto period, when the whole world has to come and grovel to him and him alone." "Whenever it doesn't conflict with Daniel Hodge's vacation schedule." Which of these topics does Abbott include in the call for a special session? "Both, but only need to do something on property taxes, it's killing us!!!" "Plus school funding and vouchers, and sunset bills. In for a penny, in for a pound." "Abbott was AWOL most of the session, so he has to assert himself... trying to ward off Patrick running for governor, but it won't work." "It will be on the sunset legislation only." "Sunset issues for state agencies is what he will use as the catalyst IF there is a need." "Only if the two chambers can come to an agreement before the call to address sunset issues is addressed." "He'll probably call it on property taxes, but tbh, they should be out of the property tax relief business since it's a tax they don't levy. Fix school finance and local property tax *could* go down." "Sunset if he can't do an executive order" "Texas Medical Board sunset... don't you guys read the news?" "Minimalist session for necessary sunset renewal only. Why give Dan Patrick a megaphone?" "Being the optimist, which fails me every time, I would hope he only calls a special on the sunset bills." "I'm guessing both... plus something else to be determined. Lots of moving parts and political intrigue. The governor is not in an enviable spot at this juncture." "If he is smart, he will call a special session to address the remaining sunset issues."

7 "If he's willing to use the power he has, the call will be for sunset only with a clear statement that the call won't be expanded unless and until he has sunset legislation on his desk." "If Abbott doesn't include privacy and property taxes on the special election call, Patrick will challenge and defeat him in the 2018 primary. Count on it!" "Splits the baby: Property taxes, but no bathrooms." "Education finance" What grade would you give the House this session? "Too much compromise. JS will eventually lose the House to the Dems!!!" "The leadership was the only set of grownups in the Capitol." "The House had a difficult task and got the job done but not as smoothly as in the past. The speaker's team was less organized this session relative to previous ones, possibly due to senior staff changes." "The Texas House of Representatives played great defense against an insane Senate, whose members are only motivated by the next GOP primary." "Despite a few turds in the punchbowl, the body came together relatively well under the leadership of the Speaker." "I look forward to the SCOTUS overturning at least part of SB4. 'Show me your papers' for those legally detained is revolting and likely unconstitutional. I'm disappointed." "Straus is a disaster." "Even the session ending pushing match was weak." "What you saw in the House smug and out touch leadership, arrogant lieutenants making backroom deals and the constant presence of the lobby (hanging out at 'Club Geren') is exactly the kind of thing that got Trump elected." "The adults in the room did a good job: passed good bills, took the high road and generally avoided the silly issues that 85 percent of Texans don't consider to be pressing issues." "At least they tried to do the right thing. But the tail (freedom caucus) was wagging the dog." "Cry babies, you got rolled." "If sunset safety net bill was passed, and there was a bit less theater from a certain caucus, I would consider an 'A.'" "Maybe a B- for the body as a whole. Some bright spots (members who acted like adults), but still not what we need or deserve. Too many members who remain completely clueless about what the state (and their constituents) need them to do." "They tried hard to get things done."

8 "Totally dysfunctional. No leadership, no work product, no wins. Worst of all, the House members all go home with nothing to show for the session. The winds of change are blowing through the empty House chamber." "Passing SB 4 and signing it into law is a big mistake for Texas our civil rights! Its a racial profiling law that has no place in Texas." "At best they have collectively been obstructionists and at worst, arrogant and foolish." "Liberty! Freedom!" What grade would you give the Senate this session? "Stay strong DP, nothing is helping you across the chamber." "All of the Rs and most of the Ds left their brains and independent judgment in the Lieutenant Governor's inbox." "I consider myself to be pretty conservative, and even I can recognize that the priority of the Senate this session had nothing to do with responsible or limited government." "Say what you want about the Lieutenant Governor. He put his agenda in writing before session then passed it like a machine." "Can't fault the folks who finish on time even with a close-out filibuster, there was no drama pretty clear why they call it the 'upper' chamber." "The best part of Loco and Dissent was crossing out each Senator's name and replacing it with 'Patrick.'" "Let's be brutally honest here; the Senate's agenda was NOT the people's agenda as constantly promoted by Patrick. The general public did not want bathroom bill, did not want vouchers, did not care for fake property tax relief, and most definitely didn't want another failed abortion-related bill to be overthrown by the courts." "Well, Patrick didn't get his two personal priority bills... but they did their part in following orders and passing out the bills..." "The Senate R's have turned into the Varsity Hate Team. They hate anyone who's not like them." "I'm sorry, was there a senate this session? All I saw was Patrick on the east side of the rotunda." "Patrick proved he is the master of the levers of power and legislative process as the old saying goes, the speaker and the House should 'pick up their jock strap!'" "They certainly came through with the Lieutenant Governor's wish list." "Anytime you are focused more on the next Republican primary election than on the needs of the people of the state, you get a D (at best)." "It was a lot of grandstanding and press conferences, not much work."

9 "Rock and roll! The Lieutenant Governor is a rock star with his voters and they rolled the House." "They filed and passed the bills the Lite Guv wanted passed, but very little of it had anything to do with making Texas a better place to live." "They wasted time on a bathroom bill that will accomplish nothing." "Like monkeys swinging from the chandelier." Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Cathie Adams, Brandon Alderete, Clyde Alexander, Jay Arnold, Louis Bacarisse, Charles Bailey, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Snapper Carr, Janis Carter, Kevin Cooper, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Doug Deason, Glenn Deshields, Jim Dow, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Jeff Eller, Jack Erskine, John Esparza, Jon Fisher, Tom Forbes, Dominic Giarratani, Kinnan Golemon, Daniel Gonzalez, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Wayne Hamilton, Jennifer Harris, Susan Hays, Steve Holzheauser, Kathy Hutto, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Walt Jordan, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Nick Lampson, Pete Laney, Bill Lauderback, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Myra Leo, Ruben Longoria, Homero Lucero, Vilma Luna, Matt Mackowiak, Jason McElvaney, Kathy Miller, Vinny Minchillo, Steve Minick, Bee Moorhead, Mike Moses, Steve Murdock, Keir Murray, Jerod Patterson, Robert Peeler, Bill Pewitt, Jerry Philips, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Ted Melina Raab, Carl Richie, Grant Ruckel, Andy Sansom, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Steve Scurlock, Ben Sebree, Christopher Shields, Nancy Sims, Ed Small, Mark Smith, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Jim Suydam, Sherry Sylvester, Vicki Truitt, Corbin Van Arsdale, Chris Wallace, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Michael Williams, Peck Young, Angelo Zottarelli.

The Texas Weekly/Texas Tribune insider poll. for the week of 9 September 2016

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