Montgomery County patriots testify against bill that creates dictatorial-style political parties
Montgomery County patriots testified against House Bill 4636 on April 13 at the Texas Capitol.
April 20, 2023 | Austin, TX
On Thurs., April 13, a group of patriots from Montgomery County descended upon the State Capitol in Austin to testify against House Bill 4636. This bill creates a dictatorial, “top-down” model for the party instead of its current grassroots, “bottom-up” Republican model.
Here are some of the highlights (lowlights) of HB 4636:
Gives the county chairman sole authority to call meetings and create and control the agenda for all party meetings. In short, if the chairman doesn’t want something done, it won’t get done regardless of what the County Executive Committee (CEC) might want. (The CEC is made up of precinct chairs elected on the Primary ballot to represent voters in their local precincts.)
It gives the county chairman 100 percent control over all bank accounts. This means that if the chairman doesn’t want to spend money to get voters to the polls, the chairman doesn’t have to. The chairman could spend all of the party money supporting his chosen candidates or opposing other Republicans and the party could do nothing about it.
It gives the county chairman the authority to appoint ex-officio officers, which will most certainly become the de facto permanent officers since the chairman would be under no obligation to put “election of permanent officers” on the meeting agenda.
It destroys any checks and balances within the County Executive Committee and gives the county chairman 100 percent control of the party, which would make the elected precinct chairs totally irrelevant as members of the County Executive Committee.
It presumes to dictate to the party how vacancies on the County Executive Committee are filled by giving the county chairman the sole authority to appoint them. (Note: The author of the bill offered a substitution that the County Executive Committee would be required to confirm those appointments but as we have seen here in Montgomery County, the county chair can just send in any name he wants to the Secretary of State and claim that the appointment is legitimate. The substitution was withdrawn at the end of the hearing.)
The bill received OVERWHELMING opposition via online and in-person testimony and indeed the only people testifying in favor of this power-grab bill were, not surprisingly, a few county chairmen, a couple of members of the Texas Republican County Chairs Association, and the lawyer who wrote the bill on behalf of the county chairmen. It is also fair to mention that the Representative who authored this bill, Angelia Orr, is married to the county chairman in Hill County.
Read testimony delivered against HB 4636 at the Elections Committee Hearing on April 13 by Montgomery County Republican Party Vice Chair Jon Bouche.
Even those testifying in favor of the bill couldn’t do it with a straight face and tried to sidestep the bad intentions of the bill by claiming that the bill was just written to “help the party” and “keep convicted felons off of the ticket.” This is a classic political motte and bailey maneuver and none on the panel seemed particularly persuaded by the attempt to distract people from the bill’s true intentions.
HB 4636 was left in “Pending Status” but it would be surprising if it survived the pummeling it took on Thursday at the hands of so many Patriots from all across the state of Texas. Please take action below to help ensure this bill dies in committee.
TAKE ACTION
Please contact members of the Texas House Elections Committee TODAY and ask them to vote AGAINST HB 4636. Scroll down for contact information.
Sample Phone Script:
"My name is _____ and I'm calling from [city, zip code]. I'd like to ask [name of Representative] to vote AGAINST HB 4636. This bill will destroy the checks and balances of local parties by creating a "top-down" structure. It will take away the voice of local precinct chairs who represent voters and will give control of all party funds to the county chairman, taking away the incentive for precinct chairs to fundraise. I strongly urge [Name of Representative] to vote AGAINST this bill so that the precinct chair who represents me will continue to have a voice in my local party."
Optional information to share: "At the hearing for this bill, the only people who testified in favor were county chairs and members of the Texas Republican County Chairs Association. Several of them claimed that this bill was designed to keep felons off of the ballot, but had that been the intention, they would have been seeking to amend T.E.C. 165 regarding eligibility requirements instead of writing a separate bill that consolidates all power to the Chairman."
Sample Email:
Dear [Name of Representative],
My name is _____. I live in [city, state, zip code].
I'd like to ask you to vote AGAINST HB 4636. This bill will:
Destroy the checks and balances of the local party by creating a "top-down" structure.
Give the county chairman the ability to bind the local party to contracts that could extend far beyond the chairman's term and bankrupt the local party.
Give the county chairman control of all party funds. Precinct chairs would have no control over how the money they raise is spent. This would be a real disincentive for the precinct chairs to fundraise.
Give the county chairman sole authority to fill precinct chair vacancies with no vote from the county executive committee.
Give the county chairman sole authority to call meetings and set meeting agendas. If the chairman doesn't want something passed, he can keep it off the agenda or refuse to call the meeting.
At the hearing for this bill, the only people who testified in favor were county chairs and members of the Texas Republican County Chairs Association. Several of them claimed that this bill was designed to keep felons off of the ballot, but had that been the intention, they would have been seeking to amend T.E.C. 165 regarding eligibility requirements instead of writing a separate bill that consolidates all power to the Chairman.
This legislation would lessen my voice in my local political party. I strongly urge you to vote against HB 4636.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
Texas House Elections Committee Members:
Chair: Reggie Smith (512) 463-0297
Email
Vice-Chair: John H. Bucy lll (512) 463-0696
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Dustin Burrows (512) 463-0542
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Giovanni Capriglione (512) 463-0690
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Mano DeAyala (512) 463-0514
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Christian Manuel (512) 463-0662
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Eddie Morales (512) 463-0566
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Valoree Swanson (512) 463-0572
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Hubert Vo (512) 463-0568
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