The dog days of summer . . . While it certainly feels like the dog days, I am a bit late with this update. The dog days officially ended on August 11. For those of us unsure from where the phrase originates it refers to the rising of the dog star, Sirius, which rises at about the same time as the sun in the Northern hemisphere, July 3–August 11.
It is still hot in Austin though, dog days or not, but not as hot as last year. Rain in July cooled things off considerably, but it’s hot nonetheless. I would like to say that it’s been quiet, but that is not exactly correct—more likely, it’s the calm before the storm.
The storm after the runoff election has simply set the stage for what promises to be an interesting and turbulent legislative session. The consensus among the smattering of lobbyists I have visited with is that everyone is telling clients the same thing, “don’t expect to pass many meaningful bills.”
We still have more elections to observe, the fall general elections, and the ramifications from events up through the primary and eventual runoffs have not all played themselves out. The stage is set, and the actors have been chosen—we just have to see the final act. The Governor was successful in his efforts to change the composition of the Texas House, it just remains to be seen if these changes are sufficient enough to pass some sort of “education savings account” or voucher by any other name.
Speaker Dade Phelan won reelection to his State House district beating David Covey by a narrow margin. While it is not assured that he will be reelected as Speaker of the Texas House, I would not bet against him. As a reminder there are two other Republicans who have announced their campaigns for Speaker. There could well be others who announce later this fall. To date, the effort to unseat Speaker Phelan has not bubbled to the surface for others to see. The last four Speakers (Craddick, Straus, Bonnen, and Phelan) all won the seat in unique ways, not what one would have considered a “usual” speaker’s race, perhaps the “usual “ speakers race may not exist anymore. The Laney/Rudd type of race with clearly defined sides and months of campaigning may never happen again. At least it does not appear to be happening this time.
With the Republicans appearing unable to agree on a single candidate (at least not yet) the Democrats would appear to be ready to once again be king (or Speaker) makers. This formula has worked in the past and would appear to be available to be utilized once again. While Texas is reliably “Red” at the statewide and national level, there are some marginal Republican House districts that could be flipped with a larger than usual Democratic turnout for a potentially popular presidential candidate. Whether Vice President Harris is that candidate or not will play out over the next few weeks. While certainly not enough to flip the Texas House, the possible increase in Democratic House seats could change the formula in the Speakers race. The unknown wildcard is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His eligibility for the Texas ballot will also influence something—exactly what remains to be seen. He cuts across demographics and appeals to an odd cross section of voters. How this might influence Texas House races is anyone’s guess. Worth watching.
TABC has been collecting comments for the wine permit study as requested by Representative Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. TWGGA has submitted final comments, and we have been assured that all comments will be included in the final report. We are aware of several other groups who have also submitted comments. Some we have seen and others we will have to wait until the final report is submitted later this fall. If you are interested in the comments submitted by TWGGA please feel free to contact the TWGGA office for a copy. It is assumed that Vice Chair Gonzalez will take the report and file legislation reflecting some of what the report says, we will not know what that looks like until the actual bill is filed later this year or the first of next year. If Vice Chair Gonzalez chooses not to file legislation reflecting some portion of the study, I feel certain others will see that it gets filed. Regardless, TWGGA will have to deal with proposed legislation based on portions of the TABC wine permit study.
For those of you who have been around for a while, you might remember SB 881 by Senator Nelson from the 2015 legislative session. The provisions of that legislation helped fund programs with Texas A&M AgriLife, Grayson County Community College winery cert program and the wine marketing program at Texas Tech. The funding for these programs had a 10 year life span. A TWGGA focus for the upcoming legislative session will be to work to have that funding continued for another 10 years.
The date for TWGGA Legislative Day has been set as March 13, 2025. Please plan on attending, either pouring at the reception, visiting your House and Senate representatives, or doing all of the above. It is a great opportunity to get involved with the process, meet the elected officials who represent you, and have a larger stake in how your government works. I highly encourage you to attend.
I would also like to encourage everyone to attend Grape Camp, taking place this October 8–9 in Lubbock and Brownfield. If you have never been, it is a great opportunity to meet and get to know Texas Grape Growers, learn from experts and spend time in a unique area of Texas. I hope to see you there.
—TWGGA Legislative Advocate Kyle Frazier