Enlarge Bob Daemmrich

State Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, debates an amendment to HB1 on April 1, 2011.

We don’t often write about musical reunions in this space but here goes… former state Rep. and current candidate for Railroad Commission Wayne Christian is getting the band back together.

Christian was the lead singer for the gospel/country group Mercy River Boys, whose music was regarded well enough to earn a Grammy nomination in 1979 and to win induction last year into the Texas Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Christian announced late last week that the Mercy River Boys reunion show will take place in Dallas this Friday as Republicans gather for their state convention.

***** 

Voters living in areas of the state affected by last month’s devastating flooding might be relieved of requirements to show photo ID to vote in this month’s party primary runoff elections.

The Secretary of State noted in a press release last Friday that voters who can’t get at their photo ID as a result of a government-declared natural disaster can cast a provisional ballot.

They would then have six days either to find and bring in a photo ID or sign an affidavit that the disaster made it impossible for them to find their ID.

The provision applies in 16 counties declared disaster areas by Gov. Greg Abbott last month.

*****

In the SD-24 Republican runoff contest, Dawn Buckingham began airing a new radio ad late last week in which she paints her opponent, Abilene state Rep. Susan King, as “liberal Susan King, Obama’s Texas ally.”

The two are locked in a heated contest to succeed Horseshoe Bay Republican Troy Fraser to represent the sprawling Senate district that runs from Abilene in the west to Temple in the east to the outskirts of Austin and Kerrville along the district’s southern reaches.

*****

HD-128 incumbent Wayne Smith, who is in a tough re-election battle against challenger Briscoe Cain, released a statement spelling out “his strong opposition to the recent national push to allow transgender individuals to access restrooms of their choosing.”

The Baytown Republican added that state lawmakers “are gearing up for an in-depth debate on this issue” next year.

*****

Gov. Greg Abbott starts a book tour next Wednesday in Austin to promote his memoir/political manifesto, “Broken But Unbowed.”

The tour will continue almost daily afterward until May 27. When all is said and done, Abbott will have made stops in 19 Texas cities.

For a full list of tour stops, click here.

*****

We’ve written a lot over the past few weeks about the GOP runoff showdown between Gary Gates and Wayne Christian for that seat on the Railroad Commission.

Don’t forget, though, that the Democrats are also choosing between Grady Yarbrough and Cody Garrett for their nominee for the same slot on May 24.

Garrett announced on Tuesday that he plans a weeklong road trip around the state. The stated goal is “to spread the word for two dollar a gallon gas and an affordable energy policy for the Lone Star state.”

The tour kicks off on Thursday and includes stops in Plainview, Hondo, Kerrville, Fredericksburg and Austin.

*****

We noted last week the passing of Ken Towery who was buried earlier this week in the Texas State Cemetery. The span of his accomplishments was ably captured by the Austin American-Statesman’s Ken Herman in this column, which ran late last week and is well worth a read.

One of Towery’s initial accomplishments as a journalist was the uncovering of fraud in the Veterans Land Program, something that earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1955.

Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced on Monday that the General Land Office would make available for public viewing Towery’s notes from his reporting for the story.

In a statement, Bush said that Towery “helped to save an agency which continues to this day serving our Texas veterans. Years later he donated all of his records and notes from that groundbreaking story to our extensive archives. All of us here at the General Land Office and Veterans Land Board mourn his passing and extend our sincere condolences to his family and all who knew him well.”

Disclosure: The General Land Office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Enlarge Texas General Land Office

Map of disputed 116-mile stretch of the Red River.

Sid Miller is the latest state leader to wade into the legal battle over who owns a stretch of land along the Texas side of the Red River — Texas landowners or the feds?

The Republican agriculture commissioner on Wednesday filed a brief backing Texans’ arguments in the case, currently in federal district court in Wichita Falls.

“Protecting private property rights goes hand-in-hand with supporting a robust agriculture industry, and an attack on those rights threatens to derail the second largest economic driver in our state,” Miller said in a statement. “The BLM’s arbitrary land grab along the Red River is bad public policy, and it’s bad for private property rights and our agriculture industry.”

Questions have swirled near that stretch of river since December 2013, when bureau representatives arrived in North Texas to discuss updates to its resource management plans in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

But Texans have long managed swaths of that area. They hold deeds to the land and have paid local taxes.

The court has granted standing in the case to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Land Commissioner George P. Bush.

The case is currently scheduled to go to trial on March 20, 2017.

See the Tribune’s previous coverage of the lawsuit here.

*****

Attorney General Ken Paxton has weighed in on yet another law involving transgender students and bathrooms, this time filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit supporting a school district in Virginia that prohibited a female student from using male bathrooms. 

"One’s sex is a biological fact, not a state of mind,” Paxton wrote. 

The filing comes one day after Paxton wrote a letter to the president of the Fort Worth ISD school board telling him the district's guidelines for transgender students violate state law. The guidelines also caught the attention of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who called for the district's superintendent to resign on Monday.

*****

Attorneys representing several individuals and groups challenging Texas’ voter ID law submitted their legal arguments ahead of the May 24 oral arguments before the full 5th Circuit.

In August, a three-judge panel from the appellate court ruled that the law has a “discriminatory effect” on minority voters but it does not constitute an unconstitutional poll tax.

Texas later asked for the full court to hear the case, a request that was subsequently granted.

In their brief, the attorneys ask the full court to reaffirm the panel’s finding that the law violates the Voting Rights Act. The law, they write, “imposes unacceptable burdens on Texas voters, is infected with invidious racially discriminatory purpose, and has an undeniable discriminatory purpose.”

They also argue that the lower court’s ruling that the law constitutes an unconstitutional poll tax should remain in play because the Legislature could reinstate a fee on obtaining birth certificates for an election ID that it eliminated last legislative session.

The appeals court, meanwhile, has allowed the law to remain in effect while the legal challenges play out. In late April, the U.S. Supreme Court indicated it might look at the issue again if the 5th Circuit hasn’t taken action by July 20.

*****

State Rep. Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels, announced on Monday that he plans to file legislation next session to create a Texas Border Patrol in order to make the state’s current border security surge permanent.

Miller said that he has the help of House colleagues Larry Phillips, R-Sherman; Tony Dale, R-Cedar Park; John Wray, R-Waxahachie; and DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, in the effort. All four are members of the House Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee; Phillips serves as the panel’s chairman.

Miller is in a runoff against challenger Kyle Biedermann to keep his seat representing HD-73 in the next Legislature.

*****

Texas has now collected a 12-pack of “best state in which to do business” accolades from Chief Executive Magazine. The Office of the Governor made the announcement earlier today.

“For the 12th straight year, CEOs across America have agreed there is no place better for conducting business than Texas,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in an accompanying press release. “Our winning formula is simple — low taxes, reasonable regulations and investment in a quality workforce.”

Enlarge

For this week’s nonscientific survey of insiders in government and politics, we asked about that presumptive GOP presidential nominee — Donald Trump.

With the last remaining challengers to Trump throwing in the towel last week, the path is now unobstructed for the New York billionaire to claim his spot on the general election ballot for president. So we decided to ask this week what effect nominee Trump has on Texas.

We started by asking the insiders what Texas Republican voters do in the fall with Trump at the top of the ticket. Almost half of them said that GOP voters end up sticking with the party with another 31 percent saying that voters will either stay home or skip the presidential race.

Just 5 percent, meanwhile, saw Texas Republicans throwing support behind a third-party or independent candidate. And 4 percent thought that Republicans would look to the Democrat in the race.

We then asked what effect Trump would have on certain down ballot races in swing districts in Texas. Three in five of the insiders thought Trump would have a negative effect on the GOP candidates in those races while 21 percent thought Trump's presence would not have an effect. Another 10 percent thought Trump would have a positive effect on those down ballot candidates.

We pivoted next to questions about where Trump would look for a vice presidential candidate. We began by asking if Trump would look at former presidential rivals for the job. On that one, 45 percent didn't think Trump would look their way while 32 percent thought that he would ask a former contender.

We finished by asking if Rick Perry would hurt or help a Trump candidacy by serving as the candidate for vice president. On that question, 46 percent of the insiders said he hurts the ticket while 35 percent thought he helps.

We collected comments along the way, and a full set of those is attached. Here’s a sampling:

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

What’s the effect of GOP nominee Donald Trump on Republican general election voters in Texas?

• "A good Republican will never be able to vote for Hillary, so my guess is they'll just stay home, since in most places there aren't any other contested races to draw them to the polls."

• "The Donald will now begin to morph into that more moderate conservative Republican to appeal to the great middle of the party long put off by the hardliner social conservatives. He will lose some of the Cruz supporters but he may gain just as many who would never have voted for Cruz anyway."

• "All politics is local. GOP Texans may not support Trump with passion, but you better believe they'll support their down ballot Republicans."

• "The status quo is out the window in this cycle. Who would have predicted this? And who, with any level of certainty, knows what's next?"

• "While Trump's candidacy would normally keep many Republicans home, Clinton's candidacy will inspire many who would otherwise skip the race to come out. I think the sport terminology is offsetting fouls."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Does nominee Trump have a collateral effect on down ballot Republican candidates in swing districts, like Will Hurd or Rick Galindo?

• "Congressional District 23 is a pendulum district based on election cycle; Presidential cycle goes to Dems, and interim cycle goes to Repubs. Because of Trump, Hurd may be the last Republican to represent CD-23."

• "There doesn't seem to be an attempt to frame either race as a 'race against Trump.' As such, it's unlikely that Trump plays a deciding factor in these races, especially Hurd's race. Gallego seems to be sticking to a standard list of 'concerns' about Hurd as his message platform."

• "These are districts with Hispanic voters and I believe the Democrats will use Trump’s words against him to motivate Hispanics to vote in these two districts."

• "It affects turnout. Turnout is key in swing districts. I can't help but think the GOPers aren't motivated to turn out, whereas the Dems are jazzed. This is likely bad news for Hurd."

• "If you are Republican in a swing district, you need to be seriously contemplating your next career move."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

Does Trump reach out to a former rival for the nomination as his choice for veep?

• "I think he'll take anyone who will take him."

• "The only one I could see him reaching out to is Kasich, as he'll need Ohio to win and someone with both state and federal experience that has inroads with congressional leaders."

• "His former rivals all hate him and hope for a future if the traditional Republican Party survives."

• "It doesn't appear to be personal with him — it is personal for most of his former opponents, however."

• "Trump will pick an Admiral Stockdale type."

Enlarge Emily Albracht

.

If Rick Perry were the veep nominee, does he help or hurt Trump?

• "We love Perry, but the rest of the country thinks he's a doofus."

• "After warning us how bad Trump is, Perry couldn't wait to embrace the dark side of the force."

• "He brings successful governing experience, excellent conservative bona fides, and is a hell of a campaigner. I'd say that helps."

• "Probably not much of either; Perry would be a poor choice, given that Texas isn't in play."

• "This would never happen. Trump likes winners. And that is not Perry's national brand."

• "As he's about the only one who has indicated he would take the job, we may perhaps see."

Our thanks to this week's participants: Gene Acuna, Jennifer Ahrens, Clyde Alexander, Jay Arnold, Andrew Biar, Allen Blakemore, Tom Blanton, Chris Britton, Raif Calvert, Lydia Camarillo, Kerry Cammack, Elna Christopher, Kevin Cooper, Randy Cubriel, Beth Cubriel, Curtis Culwell, Denise Davis, June Deadrick, Glenn Deshields, Tom Duffy, David Dunn, Richard Dyer, Jack Erskine, Jon Fisher, Tom Forbes, Neftali Garcia, Dominic Giarratani, Bruce Gibson, Stephanie Gibson, Eric Glenn, Kinnan Golemon, John Greytok, Clint Hackney, Wayne Hamilton, Bill Hammond, John Heasley, Steve Holzheauser, Kathy Hutto, Deborah Ingersoll, Mark Jones, Walt Jordan, Robert Kepple, Richard Khouri, Tom Kleinworth, Sandy Kress, Dale Laine, Pete Laney, Dick Lavine, James LeBas, Luke Legate, Myra Leo, Ruben Longoria, Vilma Luna, Matt Mackowiak, Matt Matthews, Jason McElvaney, Steve Minick, Mike Moses, Nef Partida, Gardner Pate, Robert Peeler, Jerry Philips, Tom Phillips, Wayne Pierce, Richard Pineda, Allen Place, Gary Polland, Jay Pritchard, Ted Melina Raab, Patrick Reinhart, David Reynolds, Carl Richie, A.J. Rodriguez, Jeff Rotkoff, Grant Ruckel, Andy Sansom, Barbara Schlief, Stan Schlueter, Robert Scott, Steve Scurlock, Ben Sebree, Christopher Shields, Jason Skaggs, Ed Small, Martha Smiley, Mark Smith, Larry Soward, Leonard Spearman, Dennis Speight, Colin Strother, Sherry Sylvester, Sara Tays, Trey Trainor, Ware Wendell, David White, Darren Whitehurst, Angelo Zottarelli.

Enlarge Todd Wiseman

Friday, May 13

• Republican Party of Texas state convention (continued); Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 S. Griffin St., Dallas (May 12-15)

Monday, May 16

• First day of early voting ahead of the May 24 party primary runoff elections
• Runoff campaign finance reports due for candidates in the May 24 party primary runoff elections

Tuesday, May 17

• State Rep. Leighton Schubert, R-Caldwell, fundraiser; The Austin Club, 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4:30-6 p.m.)

Wednesday, May 18

• "Broken But Unbowed" book signing and book tour kickoff, with Gov. Greg Abbott; Texas Public Policy Foundation, 901 Congress Ave., Austin (1-2:30 p.m.)

Thursday, May 19

• McLennan County Republican Club monthly lunch meeting, with guest speaker Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar; Knox Hall, Texas Ranger Museum, 100 Texas Ranger Trail, Waco (12-1 p.m.)
• State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson, R-Waco, fundraiser; The Austin Club, 110 E. Ninth St., Austin (4:30-6:30 p.m.)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a new set of rules aimed at battling climate change. This time, the agency is targeting the oil patch — with big implications for Texas, the nation’s petroleum king.

Citing problems with the administration of this spring's STAAR exams, the head of the Texas Association of School Administrators says that 2016 STAAR scores shouldn't be used to rate schools or determine whether a student should graduate or advance to the next grade

Lawyers representing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Thursday tried to cast doubt on the makeup of the grand jury that indicted him. They're hoping to overturn a lower court’s decision not to dismiss the securities fraud charges against him.

Members of the University of Texas System Board of Regents expressed concern about their schools’ proposed rules for handguns on campus and signaled plans to attempt to change some of those policies before they go into effect on Aug. 1. The regents were scheduled to approve the rules during their meeting Thursday.

Gov. Greg Abbott released his book titled “Broken But Unbowed,” where he details the accident that paralyzed him for life, his various battles with Washington and his recent push for a convention of states to amend the Constitution.

The three-day Texas GOP Convention starts Thursday, with more than 10,000 delegates gathering in Dallas. While the party’s nominee has been decided, the convention will feature speeches from Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in addition to the state GOP chairman’s election.

Paxton released a video late Wednesday one day before he’s set to appear in court in Dallas, where he is facing criminal charges. In the video, Paxton defends himself against “crimes I didn’t commit” and said he’s “not going anywhere.”

Three years after a West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people, including 12 firefighters and first responders, state and federal officials said Wednesday the fire that caused the explosion was intentionally set, making it a criminal act.

Transgender advocates derided Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday for what they described as his “fake outrage” over the Fort Worth school district’s new transgender bathroom guidelines, calling the Republican a shameless bully. Patrick had called earlier for the district’s superintendent to resign over the guidelines, hosting a press conference in the district before a school board meeting.

Members of the Texas House Higher Education Committee said they were worried about the rising cost of college in Texas, but stayed away from the criticism and dramatic calls for action heard from the Senate in recent weeks during an interim hearing Tuesday. 

Drawing a parallel between the long-term efforts of her husband’s supporters and the fight to end slavery, Heidi Cruz said Tuesday that it took “a lot longer than four years” for the latter fight to be successful.

On his first day back in the Senate, Cruz repeatedly avoided endorsing the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, ruled out a third-party run against Donald Trump and said he would continue to serve as an “outside” in the Senate.

At any given time, 28,000 children are in the state’s care after being removed from abusive or neglectful homes. These children often suffer from a combination of emotional and physical trauma. How to take care of them is a perennially vexing question for the state’s troubled foster care system, but Texas struggles to provide adequate mental health services to children who need them, according to welfare experts. 

The state’s deadline for independent presidential candidates to get on the ballot in Texas was Monday, but no one applied. There’s still a chance for a third-party candidate to sneak on. If their so inclined, a politician can apply as an official write-in candidate for president – as opposed to unofficial write-in candidates like Spongebob Squarepants.

State Sen. Charles Schwertner said Sunday he would file legislation next year “designed to establish consistent and predictable statewide regulation of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft.” The legislature heard pitches for statewide regulations during last session, but none of the proposals were adopted.

Austin’s Proposition 1, a ride-hailing ordinance supported by Uber and Lyft, was defeated Saturday during a special election. The election was the result of a more than 6-month battle over who should write regulations for these companies – cities or Uber and Lyft.

Two special masters appointed by a federal judge to oversee reforms to the state’s embattled foster care system have begun visiting with state officials, and their recent two-and-a-half-day orientation is projected to cost the state roughly $43,000.

It's likely that no candidate will clear 50 percent in the special election for the unexpired seat in Texas House District 120, voters will be asked to come to the polls again this summer for — yes — an extra special election. The outcome of this summer runoff election will determine who will fill the remainder of state Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon’s term, which ends in January.

The official portrait of former Gov. Rick Perry was unveiled Friday morning, giving Texas' longest-serving governor a permanent home in the Capitol and answering a burning question throughout Austin – whether or not he would be sporting his now signature black framed glasses in the painting (he was not).

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission signed off on a stretch of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline that would cross below the Rio Grande, handing a setback to a coalition of ranchers, environmentalists and landowners that sought to thwart the project.

Disclosure: The University of Texas System, Uber and Lyft have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.

Gov. Greg Abbott made 10 student regent appointments as well as naming the student representative to the Higher Education Coordinating Board, all of whom will serve a one-year term beginning June 1. They are: Lindsey Shelley of ­­­­­­Fort Worth (Midwestern State University); Chad Huckaby of Nacogdoches (Stephen F. Austin State University);Stephanie Martinez of Laredo (Texas A&M University System); Tramauni Brock of Mansfield (Texas Southern University); Dylan McFarland of Frisco (Texas State University System); Jeremy Stewart of Arlington (Texas Tech University System); Monica Mathis of Sherman (Texas Woman's University); Joshua Freed of Cypress (University of Houston System); Christopher Lee of Houston (University of North Texas System); Varun Pokkamthanam Joseph of McKinney (University of Texas System); and Haley Rader DeLaGarza of Victoria (Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board).

Abbott appointed Daniel “Dan” Brudnak of Gorman and Peggy Lewene “Lew” Vassberg of Lyford and reappointed Suehing “Sue” Chiang of Sugar Land to the Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners for terms to expire on Jan. 31, 2021.

Abbott made three appointments on Friday to the board of trustees for the Teacher Retirement System of Texas — John Elliott of Austin, Greg Gibson of Schertz and Christopher Moss of Lufkin, which is a reappointment. All three appointments are for terms to expire Aug. 31, 2021.

Abbott on Monday appointed Tommy Hansen of Hitchcock and Armin Mizani of Keller to the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority for terms to expire Feb. 1, 2021.

Ahead of this weekend’s state GOP chairman election, incumbent Tom Mechler announced endorsements from former Gov. Rick Perry and state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury. The challenger for the post, Jared Woodfill, rounded up endorsements from state Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, as well as State Republican Executive Committee members Tanya Robertson and Bonnie Lugo.

GOP SD-24 runoff candidate Dawn Buckingham has racked up the endorsement of another prominent Texas conservative. This time, it’s Americans for Prosperity-Texas policy director Peggy Venable. Also this week, she won the backing of former Travis County Republican Party Chairman James Dickey and a trio of Coryell County officeholders — County Commissioner Jack Wall, Sheriff Johnny Burks and District Attorney Dusty Boyd.

HD-5 GOP runoff candidate Jay Misenheimer has earned the endorsement of the Texas Alliance for Life PAC. He finished behind Cole Hefner in the first round of voting. Hefner, meanwhile, announced an endorsement from current HD-5 representative Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola.

The Independent Texans PAC is endorsing Ernest Bailes in the GOP runoff to succeed state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, in representing HD-18.

HD-73 incumbent Doug Miller, R-New Braunfels, received an endorsement for re-election on Friday by the Texas Travel Industry Association.

The political arm of the Texas Health Care Association endorsed this week Barbara Gervin-Hawkins in the HD-120 Democratic primary runoff and Scott Cosper in the GOP runoff election in HD-54.

The Texas AFL-CIO’s political arm has released its list of endorsements in the May 24 party primary runoff elections. They are: CD-15: Vicente Gonzalez; HD-27: Ron Reynolds; HD-120: Mario Salas; and HD-139: Jarvis Johnson.

The Dallas Police Association on Monday endorsed Mary Lou Keel in the GOP runoff election to fill Place 2 on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. She is competing against Ray Wheless for their party’s nomination to take on incumbent Larry Meyers in the fall general election.

Gary Gates, a candidate in the GOP runoff election for railroad commissioner, has won the endorsement of state Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin.

Public education advocacy group Texas Parent PAC on Monday endorsed Lufkin school board president Keven Ellis in the runoff election for SBOE District 9. Ellis finished second to Mary Lou Bruner, whose over-the-top Facebook posts have drawn national attention.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies announced on Thursday that it has hired Travis Considine for the post of vice president for its public affairs shop in its Austin office. He is a veteran of the press shops of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Rick Perry.

The lobby shop at Texas Star Alliance announced on Monday that it has hired Jordan Williford, a staffer for state Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano. She will work on health and human services and insurance issues — which she handled as a staffer for Taylor — as well as other topics.

The Texas Organizing Project announced on Wednesday a change in leadership, with Michelle Tremillo, currently managing director, being named to take over the job of executive director for the progressive advocacy group on July 1. She will take over for Ginny Goldman who has been executive director since the group’s founding in 2009. 

The Texas Trial Lawyers Association announced on Tuesday that it has chosen McKinney attorney John Lin McCraw as its 2016 president-elect. The position of president-elect had been vacant since the death in January of Mark Kincaid.

Deaths: Chet Brooks, 80, died on Wednesday. A state lawmaker for 30 years, he represented Pasadena, first in the House for two terms and then the Senate. He was Dean of the Senate for the final 12 years of his tenure in the chamber.

Carl Whitmarsh, an outsized presence in Harris County Democratic politics for decades, passed away over the weekend. He was 64 and had been in ill health for years.

Disclosure: Stephen F. Austin State University, the Texas A&M University System, Texas Southern University, the Texas State University System, Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, the University of North Texas, the University of Texas System, the Texas Travel Industry Association, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and Mark Kincaid have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.