“I am proud to lend my support to each of the candidates listed below,” said Patrick. “Each one represents the bright future of conservative principles such as smaller government, free trade and fiscal restraint.”

The candidates listed below represent a partial list of a group that will benefit from the delivery of a video endorsement by Senator Patrick to thousands of email addresses in their district.  The messages will notify Republican voters of Senator Patrick’s endorsement and the importance of voting for that candidate in the upcoming primary election.  The videos are posted on YouTube as they are released.  Some have already been sent and are posted for viewing.

“The message to Republican voters across the state is that their candidate has an important role in achieving our conservative goals in state government,” said Senator Patrick, “but they cannot do their job until Republican voters show up in force on May 29th.”

Senator Patrick has endorsed the following candidates for:

 Texas Supreme Court:

• David Medina
• Don Willett

 Texas Railroad Commission:

•  Christi Craddick
• Barry Smitherman

 Texas Senate Open Seats:

•  Kelly Hancock
• Ken Paxton
• Charles Schwertner
• Mark Shelton
• Larry Taylor

Texas House of Representatives:

• Charles “Doc” Anderson
• Dwayne Bohac
• Bill Callegari
• Brandon Creighton
• Allen Fletcher
• Dan Flynn
• Patricia Harless
• Bryan Hughes
• Phil King
• Jim Landtroop
• Jodie Laubenberg
• Jeff Leach
• Rick Miller
• Sid Miller
• Geanie Morrison
• Jim Murphy
• Tan Parker
• David Pineda
• Charles Perry
• Debbie Riddle
• Ralph Sheffield
• David Simpson
• Van Taylor
• Ed Thompson
• James White
• Paul Workman
• Bill Zedler

View in PDF Format

The story of our nation’s revolution is an inspiring reminder of the importance of freedom. The story of Texas’ independence confirms this lesson while affirming the fundamental importance of the republic. The state of Texas is a special place that has fought for liberty throughout history. The fight for liberty continues today as the state of Texas resists the ever growing reach of the federal government.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is currently embroiled in more than 20 cases against the Obama administration on issues from Obamacare to the constitutionality of our Voter ID law. I believe our Texas forefathers would be proud of our fight to preserve the sovereignty of our state. Please take a moment today to ponder the truism that freedom is not free as well as the reality that their fight in 1836 is our fight today.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

2011 Survey Results

“Appellees failed to demonstrate constitutional flaws in H.B. 15. Accordingly, they cannot prove a substantial likelihood of success on each of their First Amendment and vagueness claims. This is fatal to their application for a preliminary injunction. Accordingly, we VACATE the district court’s preliminary injunction, REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion, and any further appeals in this matter will be heard by this panel.”

Since I was first elected in 2007, I have tried to pass the Sonogram Bill, and I am very glad to see it finally take effect. If only one out of five women see the sonogram of their unborn child and decide against having an abortion, we could save more than 10,000 children!

I have always believed that our bill was constitutional, and in writing the Sonogram Bill I had three goals: 1. protect a woman’s right to know; 2. protect the unborn; and 3. protect the United States Constitution. I am extremely pleased that the Fifth Circuit felt that our legislation accomplished those things.

Please join me in praying for a positive outcome as the case returns to Judge Sparks’ District Court for trial.

View the official press release here.

Click below to see the video about my support for Proposition 1:

Support Proposition 1 for our Disabled Vets and Their Families

I asked them to pass a resolution asking that all Republican Senators, and new Senate candidates, pledge that they will agree that the Republican caucus should make that decision. It takes a simple 16 vote majority. With 19 or 20 Senate Republicans we have the votes to make this critical decision without the Democrats controlling who the interim Lt. Governor, or interim Governor, will be.  I also asked them to include language that the vote would be an open vote as opposed to a secret ballot.

I’m proud to report that the SREC passed the resolution with only one dissenting vote.  This could possibly be the most important resolution ever passed by the SREC. A member asked me to send them a bullet point overview they could share with precinct chairs and others to help us in our effort to rally our Senate members on this vital issue.

OVERVIEW:

For the first time in Texas history, both the Lt. Governor and the Governor’s office could become vacant at nearly the same time based on the November 2012 elections.  If that occurs how are those positions filled ?

The Texas Constitution says if there is a vacancy for Governor, the Lt Governor takes his position. The Senate then chooses one of their members, by a simple majority of 16 votes, to be acting/interim Lt. Governor until the next scheduled election. In this case, the next statewide election would be 2014.

History: When Bush became President in 2000 Perry became Governor and the Senate chose, by a vote of 16-15, Republican Senator Bill Ratliff to be acting Lt. Governor. After Ratliff won by only one vote, 16 to 15, Democrat Rodney Ellis became the powerful Finance Chairman leaving some to believe Rodney was the deciding vote. The election was based on a secret ballot.

Potential situation in 2013:  Both Perry and Dewhurst could win in November 2012. If both win, the Senate would select 2 members to take their positions. The first  member elected with 16 votes in the Senate would become acting Lt. Governor until Governor Perry steps down.  At that point the acting Lt. Governor would become the acting Governor requiring us to select another member to be the next acting Lt. Governor.

If Perry wins and Dewhurst does not, Dewhurst becomes Governor and we select a  member to take Dewhurst’s place.

If Perry does not win, but Dewhurst wins the U.S Senate race, we select a member to take Dewhurst’s place.

Other Republican Senators, Republican voters and I believe, since we will continue to have the majority in the Texas Senate with 19 or 20 members, that it should be the Republican Senate Caucus who should elect the member, or members, to take these positions if they become vacant.

Since it takes only 16 votes and with 19 or 20 Republican Senators, we can make the decision if all the Senators, or at least 16 of us, agree that we should make this decision.  Otherwise one, two, or as many as 11 or 12 Democrats could join up with Republican Senators, and end up selecting the acting Lt. Governor and Governor.

If we do not stay together as a Republican Senate Caucus on this issue, then the Democrats will control this process by casting the deciding votes. The voters of Texas have spoken clearly over the past elections that they want Republicans to serve as the majority in our legislature and hold our top statewide offices. They did not vote to allow the Democrats, who now are the minority party in the legislature representing only about a third of all the legislature, to decide who will be the next Lt. Governor and Governor.

It only takes 4 Republican Senators to not agree, leaving us with only 15 votes. That would create the opportunity for the Democrats to control the final outcome regarding who our interim Lt. Governor and Governor may be.

That is why I, along with other Republican Senators like Senator Nelson, Senator Fraser, and Senator Birdwell, and Senate candidates running for open seats, are supporting this issue.  We need every Republican Senator to pledge to support a caucus vote to make these important votes if we are called on to do so.

We work together with the other party to try to find solutions to the many issues that face our state. However, on the critical issue of which members will be elected by the Senate to these important positions, that should be a decision made by the Republican caucus as they represent the will of the people who sent them to the Senate.

The SREC Resolution as passed:

Whereas, the primary function of the Republican Party of Texas is to elect candidates that embrace the principles articulated by the Republican Party of Texas Platform; and,

Whereas, grassroots Republicans have worked tirelessly to elect Republicans all across our great State; and,

Whereas, if either or both the Governor or the LT Governor win their elections to higher office, the Texas State Senate is required to select their successor; therefore, be it

Resolved, that the SREC urges the Republican members of the Texas Senate to join together and be unified in their selection of the Governor, and/or LT Governor if they are required to make such choices; and, be it further

Resolved, that the such votes in the Texas State Senate be record public votes; and,

Resolved, that a copy of this resolution be delivered by electronic mail to each Republican member of the Texas Senate for their signature or posted on the Republican Party of Texas website in a secure means which allows only those members or certified candidates to sign on electronically.

The topic of how we fund education is a topic that anyone who has heard me speak over the last few years has heard me talk about. We are going to have to find a solution to long term funding for education. I believe we need to move away from property taxes on home owners being the major source of funding education. We need to transition to a small increase in the sales tax, against a reduction in property taxes, to help fund education.

My enemies took delight in posting that the conservative leader in the Senate and founder of the Tea Party Caucus wants to raise taxes. They did not report that I also want to reduce property taxes at the same time so people can afford to live in their homes. We must move away from having only 4 and half million homeowners fund education at the local level. We need the entire population, including those here illegally, and those who participate in the underground economy, help pay for education.

I apprecciate the reporter for the local community newspaper correcting her story. That showed class and character. Unfortunately there are a number of bloggers who do not like me and who have their own agenda to attack conservatives, or try to divide our forces, who do not have the same character. I don’t mind being criticized. But, when stories are not factual, or distorted, and not corrected even when given the facts, then those who print such posts on their blogs have no credibility. They must have all gone to the Ed Schultz and Chris Matthews MSNBC school of journalism.

I also want to thank Joe Holley of the Houston Chronicle for accurately writing the story. It is here:

Patrick: Increase sales tax        Posted on 09/02/2011 by Joe Holley

A Republican state senator calling for a tax increase is clearly in the man-bites-dog media category. When that senator is tea party champion Dan Patrick, R-Houston, it’s in the man-bites-big dog realm, although Patrick himself insisted he wasn’t really making news.

In remarks to the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Patrick called for raising the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax by 2 cents and dedicating the amount raised to public education.

“Every penny that we bring in in sales tax generates approximately $2.5 billion per year, so a two-cent increase on a two-year budget would bring us nearly $10 billion,” he said.

Patrick proposes to tie a sales-tax increase to a property-tax reduction of somewhere between 5 and 10 cents.

“I’ve been saying this for months,” the senator said yesterday, “so this is nothing new.”

In 2008, Patrick and other GOP lawmakers proposed abolishing school property taxes, revamping the Texas business tax and expanding the sales tax. Patrick, who serves on both Education and Finance committees in the Senate, made the same argument to the same Cy-Fair group in December 2009.

Critics called the proposal unworkable and unfair, especially to the middle class and the working poor, but Patrick said some kind of exemption process could be instituted to protect the poor.

“We need to transition the burden away from homeowners,” he said. “I would argue that the biggest burden the poor face is an inadequate education.”

Patrick, who announced toward the end of the regular legislative session in June that he was considering a run for the U.S. Senate, said Friday that he would make his decision known Tuesday. Sources say that he will stay in the state Senate, with an eye on running for lieutenant governor in 2014.

Last August, I alerted my fellow Republican Senators of this possibility. Few people have focused on it as I have because most didn’t think Perry would run for President, and if he did, that he would have a high probability of winning. I have always believed he would run and that he has an excellent chance to be the nominee and become President. Therefore I have been thinking about what would happen if both move on in 2012, two years before their terms expire in 2014.

Even now, most in the media, most voters, and most legislators, have not thought about Texas having two openings at the same time for the top two spots in Texas government. In my study of Texas history I cannot find that this has ever happened. In 2000, then Lt. Governor Rick Perry became Governor when George W. Bush became president. The Texas Constitution calls for the Texas Senate to vote for one of its own members, by a simple 16 vote majority, to become acting Lt. Governor if an opening occurs until the next election. They retain their Senate position as well and can still vote as a Senator while serving as acting Lt Governor. In 2000, the Senate voted for Senator Bill Ratliff over Senator David Sibley by one vote, 16-15, to fill the position vacated by Perry when he moved to governor.

If only Dewhurst wins, the path is clear. But what if Perry wins as well? The Constitution is not as clear. Some believe that the Texas Senate would vote first for someone to take Dewhurst’s position and that person would then automatically become Governor. The Senate would then vote for another member to be Lt. Governor. But would the Senator who became Governor still get to vote as a Senator? Would they have to give up their seat triggering a special election for their seat? Would a Senator be willing to give up their seat in exchange for serving as interim governor?

Others believe if both seats were open, the Senate would select a Senator to take Dewhurst’s place, but that we would have a special election to fill the Governor’s seat. If that happened, and say Attorney General Greg Abbott won the special election, would we need a special election for his position?

Wait there is more! Since it only takes 16 votes to elect a Senator to be acting Lt. Governor if the seat is vacated, and since it is unclear if that would also hold true for electing a member who would then become Governor, we could have 4 or 5 Republicans join 11 or 12 Democrats to total 16 votes. In short, unless the 19 or 20 Republicans in the Senate (there are currently 19, but we could pick up a seat) all agree to only vote for a member who would get a minimum of 16 Republican votes, we could end up with a Governor and a Lt. Governor being elected by a majority of Democrats. If this sounds far fetched, you may recall that is how Joe Strauss became Speaker the first time. A handful of Republicans convinced all of the Democrats to vote for him. I believe the total of 76 votes needed to elect the Speaker was comprised of 64 Democrats and 12 Republicans when he was first elected.

I saw the possibility of the Texas Senate selecting two members for Lt. Governor and Governor (if that is what is final ruling) last January. That is why I wrote a letter at the time asking the Texas House Republican Caucus of 101 members to select the next Speaker with a Republican majority of 76 votes. With 101 Republicans the Speaker should have been elected by a minimum of 76 Republicans. They did, and he was in his second election.

At the time some thought I was interfering in the House Speaker race. I was not. I was trying to set a precedent that if we have a majority in both the House and Senate and an opening occurs, it should be a minimum of a majority of Republicans electing that person as opposed to a handful of Republicans and a majority of Democrats making that decision.

A lot can happen between now and November 2012. But I am going to ask my fellow Republican Senators to agree that if we have 1 or 2 openings to fill, we should not elect any member who cannot get at least 16 Republican votes. It’s fine if Democrats want to add to the total, but the needed 16 should come from a majority of 16 Republicans first.

One of the reasons I decided not to run for the U.S Senate is because I believe this scenario could happen more than many imagine. While I have a great relationship with my fellow Republican members, I am too conservative for 15 other Republicans to vote for me (I would be the 16th vote). However, we have several good members who I could support and could win with 16 Republican votes. However, if any member attempts to put together a coalition of 3 other Republicans, plus their own vote, and 12 Democrats to reach 16 to become either Governor or Lt Governor, I want to be there to try and stop that from happening. Republican voters would be outraged, and justifiably so, if a few Republicans joined Democrats to elect our interim Lt. Governor or interim Governor.

My first task is to get everyone to pay attention to this potential historic constitutional event in Texas. I hope you will pass on this note, and/or invite everyone on your various e-mail lists, and Facebook lists, to add my page as a “like page” so they can read this important message and stay up to date on events as they unfold.

82nd Legislative Session Review

TSA Bill Update – June 21

Texas Monthly Interview – March 2011

Part 1 (6:29 mins)

Part 2 (7:50 mins)

Read the full press release