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🧵The #txlege House is technically in session since our Sine Die resolution needs Senate concurrence, which has not occurred. Since we failed to pass a serious border security bill or return most of the surplus to Texans through property tax cuts, we should get back to work. 1/x 
In addition to those failures, my constituents are justifiably furious that the House prioritized impeaching the Attorney General and growing government more than ever in our state’s history instead of... 2/x #txlege
...putting us on a path to eliminate property taxes, banning COVID vaccine mandates, empowering parents with education freedom, reining in executive emergency powers, ending taxpayer funded lobbying, protecting the grid, refocusing energy market on reliable sources,.. 3/x #txlege
Breaking: Texas Senate approves plans to convene as a court of impeachment against Paxton no later than Aug. 28 #txlege
The Senate forms a seven-member committee to issues recommendation to the full chamber on rules of procedure for the trial. The committee will present its recommendations on June 20. #txlege
The committee is named:
Birdwell (chair)
Hinojosa (vice chair)
Creighton
Flores
Huffman
King
West #txlege
Birdwell (chair)
Hinojosa (vice chair)
Creighton
Flores
Huffman
King
West #txlege
For those bemoaning the "unfair" @KenPaxtonTX #impeachment process, here's all the TX Constitution says about the House's role in impeaching statewide officials:
ART XV SEC 1: "The power of impeachment shall be vested in the House of Representatives."
That's it.
🧵
ART XV SEC 1: "The power of impeachment shall be vested in the House of Representatives."
That's it.
🧵
TX Constitution on the #impeachment trial in the Senate:
ART XV SEC: 3. "When the senate is sitting as a Court of Impeachment, the senators shall be on oath, or affirmation, impartially to try the party impeached . . . (cont'd)
ART XV SEC: 3. "When the senate is sitting as a Court of Impeachment, the senators shall be on oath, or affirmation, impartially to try the party impeached . . . (cont'd)
and no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the senators present."
There need to be 20 or 21 votes for conviction in the Senate to remove @KenPaxtonTX from office. # changes depending on whether his wife &State Sen. @AngelaPaxtonTX recuses herself.
There need to be 20 or 21 votes for conviction in the Senate to remove @KenPaxtonTX from office. # changes depending on whether his wife &State Sen. @AngelaPaxtonTX recuses herself.
Breaking: Texas House votes to impeach @KenPaxtonTX, 121-23 #txlege
2 present not voting
.@DadePhelan was among those who voted for it (speakers rarely participate in votes) #txlege
‼️‼️‼️ Rep. Charlie Geren, a member of the House investigative committee, just said Ken Paxton called "several" Texas House members and threatened them if they voted for his impeachment. #Txlege
Live updates here: texastribune.org/2023/05/27/tex…
Live updates here: texastribune.org/2023/05/27/tex…
GEREN: “I would like to point out that several members of this House, while on the floor of this House, doing the state business received telephone calls from general Paxton personally, threatening them with political consequences in their next election." #txlege
Rep. David Spiller praises Ken Paxton's legal mind, but says he "violated" his oath. "No one person should be above the law. Least not the top law enforcement officer of the state of Texas...We should not be complicit in allowing that behavior. We should not ignore it." #txlege
PAXTON IMPEACHMENT THREAD:
We’re off. The House clerk is reading all 20 articles of impeachment in full to a tense chamber and a packed gallery.
Follow along here and @KXAN_News #txlege
We’re off. The House clerk is reading all 20 articles of impeachment in full to a tense chamber and a packed gallery.
Follow along here and @KXAN_News #txlege
History.
What are the charges?
How does impeachment work?
What happens next?
Everything you need to know to get caught up is right here.
kxan.com/news/texas-pol…
How does impeachment work?
What happens next?
Everything you need to know to get caught up is right here.
kxan.com/news/texas-pol…
HAPPENING NOW: The Texas House has adopted the resolution laying out the rules for the debate on impeachment vote. Debate on the resolution to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton shall not exceed four hours. #txlege
Rep. Andrew Murr, the chairman of the House General Investigating Committee, is laying out the resolution to impeach. Here we go.
As a reminder, Murr's resolution include the 20 articles of impeachment against Paxton.
They include constitutional bribery, dereliction of duty, disregard of official duty, and obstruction of justice. capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/bi…
They include constitutional bribery, dereliction of duty, disregard of official duty, and obstruction of justice. capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/bi…
The Texas House is gaveled in to consider HR 2377, the articles of impeachment against @KenPaxtonTX.
The gallery is full. #txlege
The gallery is full. #txlege
Full articles here: capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/bi…
Rules: No more than 4 hours of debate. GI Committee will have 40 minutes for opening and 20 minutes for closing statements. The rest of the time will be evenly apportioned between those for and those against the resolution.
House gavels in and is immediately taking up Paxton impeachment #txlege
Rules of debate adopted, Phelan issues decorum warming to gallery, and articles are being read #txlege
Smithee asks questions, including whether members will vote on individual articles. Phelan says no, they’ll vote on all 20 articles at once. #txlege
The Texas House will soon take a vote on whether to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. The gallery is full. The debate is capped at four hours, evenly divided by opponents and proponents. #txlege
House General Investigating Committee Chair and state Rep. Andrew Murr, R-Junction, is introducing the resolution containing the articles of impeachment now.
The 20 articles are being read aloud to members.
The 20 articles are being read aloud to members.
State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, asking if the House will be asked to vote on the articles separately or as a whole.
Speaker says all of them together, as they're part of one resolution.
Speaker says all of them together, as they're part of one resolution.
HAPPENING NOW: The Texas House is in session. They're slated to vote on Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment this afternoon.
You can watch here:
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
You can watch here:
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
The Texas House just adopted rules to govern the impeachment proceedings.
The gallery is absolutely packed. Speaker @DadePhelan is making a statement about decorum.
#txlege
The gallery is absolutely packed. Speaker @DadePhelan is making a statement about decorum.
#txlege
@DadePhelan A clerk is reading the articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
I've covered the AG for nearly a decade. The articles are bringing back a lot of memories of stories like...
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
I've covered the AG for nearly a decade. The articles are bringing back a lot of memories of stories like...
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
dallasnews.com/news/politics/…
And there it is —
Less than half an hour before the Paxton impeachment debate is set to start in the House, Trump weighs in against it
“Free Ken Paxton, let them wait for the next election!” #txlege
Less than half an hour before the Paxton impeachment debate is set to start in the House, Trump weighs in against it
“Free Ken Paxton, let them wait for the next election!” #txlege
The full Trump post on Truth Social:
“I will fight you if it does” — Trump makes very clear he’ll go after Texas House Republicans who vote for impeachment #txlege
Ahead of the @KenPaxtonTX impeachment vote, @TXAG is citing the "forgiveness doctrine"—a provision of state law that reads: "An officer in this state may not be removed from office for an act the officer may have committed before the officer's election to office." #txlege
Section 665.081 of the Government Code was passed as #SB248 in 1993 by the 73rd #txlege.
More: lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsear…
More: lrl.texas.gov/legis/billsear…
The question presented by this section of code is: can an official be impeached for actions committed in a previous term?
Further: is a term in office considered the continuous length of time occupying it or is it separated by (re)elections?
Further: is a term in office considered the continuous length of time occupying it or is it separated by (re)elections?
GOOD MORNING FROM AUSTIN, where the Texas House will vote at 1PM today on whether to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton. Here's a 🧵🧵of things to know ahead of the historic event, via the @TexasTribune staff. #txlege
Here is the live blog that we will be updating throughout the day, as lawmakers in the Texas House debate Paxton's alleged misconduct. Both Dems and Republicans have put out calls for supporters to show up at the Capitol. #txlege
texastribune.org/2023/05/27/tex…
texastribune.org/2023/05/27/tex…
Ahead of the hearing, Ken Paxton blasted the impeachment vote. He said the GOP-controlled Texas House had “contempt for the electoral process” and accused them of sabotaging his work challenging the Biden administration. via @zachdespart @PatrickSvitek
texastribune.org/2023/05/26/ken…
texastribune.org/2023/05/26/ken…
.@KenPaxtonTX takes podium presser, immediately starts blasting impeachment effort #txlege
*at presser
Paxton invites supporters to come “peacefully let their voices be heard” at the Capitol tomorrow #txlege
HAPPENING NOW: The Texas House sergeant-at-arms are handing out the resolution to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as the transcript of the hearing transcript. #txlege
Rep. Matt Schaefer (R) asks whether lawmakers would have access to the evidence that the House GI Committee staff had access to.
Speaker Dade Phelan (R) says that if impeachment resolution is laid out, the members would have access to the evidence presented to the committee.
Speaker Dade Phelan (R) says that if impeachment resolution is laid out, the members would have access to the evidence presented to the committee.
Schaefer asks how long will members have before Chairman Andrew Murr brings the impeachment resolution to the floor.
Speaker Phelan says there will be discussion with Murr on that.
Speaker Phelan says there will be discussion with Murr on that.
The House ethics panel that accused Texas AG Ken Paxton of abuse of office earlier this week is slated to hold a meeting in 5 minutes.
I’ll be there covering it. Background:
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
I’ll be there covering it. Background:
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
🚨House General Investigating Committee is meeting at 3:45 p.m. 🚨 #txlege
DRAMA ALERT: Chris Hilton, chief of the genera litigation division of the Office of the Attorney General, is trying to register to testify in this meeting. He has a lot to say in defense of Paxton: #txlege
Also, Hilton said he’s here to testify, but then the interview was abruptly ended by a special advisor. Before that, he would not say where AG Paxton is or why he’s not here. #txlege
Short 🧵 1/ Texas AG Ken Paxton is floating the idea that he might get impeached.
With just a few days left in the 2023 Legislative session, what would that actually look like? I took a look at the steps here.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
With just a few days left in the 2023 Legislative session, what would that actually look like? I took a look at the steps here.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
2/ The state Constitution gives the #txlege the power to impeach certain elected officials, including the attorney general.
To do so, a majority of House members would have to vote for impeachment. Then, the Senate would have to hold a trial.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
To do so, a majority of House members would have to vote for impeachment. Then, the Senate would have to hold a trial.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
3/ Timing is important here.
Lawmakers are set to adjourn sine die on Monday. But, they can remain in session beyond that date if impeachment is on the table.
The Senate can also set a future date to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
Lawmakers are set to adjourn sine die on Monday. But, they can remain in session beyond that date if impeachment is on the table.
The Senate can also set a future date to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach.
dallasnews.com/news/politics/… #txlege
#BREAKING Texas lawmakers have OK'd allowing unlicensed religious chaplains to work in mental health roles in schools, despite concerns the bill is a "Trojan horse" for evangelism & will worsen the state's mental health crisis. @TexasTribune #txlege texastribune.org/2023/05/24/tex…
The bill allows Texas schools to use school safety funds to pay for unlicensed chaplains. Volunteer chaplains will also be allowed. #txlege texastribune.org/2023/05/24/tex…
Last week, we reported that a key supporter of the chaplains bill has, for decades, also led another group that touted its use of school chaplains to spread the Gospel. Bill opponents feared as much. #txlege
On with @MarkDavis, @KenPaxtonTX is asked about the House investigation into him.
"I don't know," Paxton says. "This is unprecedented for what they're doing. I have no idea why they've chosen to do this." #txlege
"I don't know," Paxton says. "This is unprecedented for what they're doing. I have no idea why they've chosen to do this." #txlege
Paxton, cont'd.: "This is a level that is shocking to me, especially from a Republican House. This is what they're [using their] time to do instead of some of the important things like school choice." #txlege
Paxton says other statewide leaders are fed up with Phelan, he's just the first to speak out. "I have nothing personal against Dade," but "the results have not been good. The Senate delivers, the House does everything they can to slow things down." #txlege
The Texas House General Investigating Committee is meeting right now to discuss investigation into Attorney General Ken Paxton's settlement with the whistleblowers who accused him of using his office for political favors for political donors and one of his friends. #txlege
Erin Epley, one of the attorneys of the committee, says Matter A "relates to the attorney general himself Kenneth Paxton."
She says Paxton's role includes defending the state when a state agency wrongfully terminates an employe. #txlege
She says Paxton's role includes defending the state when a state agency wrongfully terminates an employe. #txlege
Epley says that 14 out 15 people interviewed in the Office of the Attorney General expressed "grave concerns" of fear of retaliation.
At House General Investigating Committee hearing on Paxton matter, they're currently introducing a team of five lawyers and investigators with backgrounds in prosecuting public corruption #txlege
"Matter A relates to the attorney general himself, Ken Paxton," lead lawyer Erin Epley says #txlege
More >
"Dear children of the world: it's not supposed to be this way."
I took this photo at one of the memorials days after the shooting a Robb Elementary School in #Uvalde on May 24, 2022.
19 kids and 2 teachers were killed. It's not supposed to and it doesn't have to be this way.
I took this photo at one of the memorials days after the shooting a Robb Elementary School in #Uvalde on May 24, 2022.
19 kids and 2 teachers were killed. It's not supposed to and it doesn't have to be this way.
The families of the 21 have been calling on the #txlege to raise the minimum age to buy the type of gun used by the shooter.
The GOP majority opposes changing the law. The families say this change could help prevent the next mass shooting. kut.org/politics/2023-…
The GOP majority opposes changing the law. The families say this change could help prevent the next mass shooting. kut.org/politics/2023-…
Today, truly is a sad day. Like a terrible day, especially for the families of the 21 victims who have had to live w/out the people they love the most.
My colleagues at @TexasStandard talk to some family members & I beg you to listen to their stories. We must not forget the 21.
My colleagues at @TexasStandard talk to some family members & I beg you to listen to their stories. We must not forget the 21.
