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TRANSCRIPT
Winter 2015/2016
Vivian D Brown, Editor Republican Party of Bexar County
Last month Bexar News sat down for a Bexar Moment with Con-
gressman Lamar Smith. The topic was “Domestic Threats”. It’s a
must see interview, Rep. Smith agrees that President Obama is
“disengaged and delusional.” and he [President] “drew a bright red
line he never enforced” and this is why we have the problem today
of the Syrian refugees. One quarter of the refugees are young men of
military age. “We need more background checks” and the sharing of
information. It’s not enough to have policies in place if the infor-
mation is unavailable.
See why Smith feels “American’s are less safe because of this admin-
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Robert Stovall ............. 2
Vice Chair Bio ............. 2
Speaker Joe Straus ..... 3
Ballot by Mail ............. 4
Comm. Ryan Sitton .... 5
TLR Report ................. 6
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick .... 7
RW Installation pics … 8
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST
Phone bankers needed
Poll Watcher Training
Jan. 16th and Feb. 13
Honor the Texas Flag;
I pledge allegiance to thee,
Texas. One state under God,
one and indivisible.
Click to Follow Us Click here to view the first segment or the interview in its entirety.
“THE PRESIDENT IS COMPLETELY DISENGAGED” REP. LAMAR SMITH
MEET ANNA MARIA FARIAS, ESQ
YOUR NEW RPBC VICE CHAIR
Your Bexar GOP is hard at work getting out the vote for the up-
coming January 26th Special Election in HD 118. John Lujan
won primary with more votes than another of the other 5 competi-
tors in the race. This is a WINNABLE race! The outcome
depends on our efforts.
Therefore the Republican Party of Texas is watching this race as is
the governor. They want to win this and the RPT is holding daily
phone banks at their Bexar County office to help. We need lots of
volunteers if you are bilingual that is a plus as we are calling the
Southside. This is a great community outreach for the RPBC this
seat has never been held by a Republican. It’s ripe for the taking
but we need you to make it happen.
The March 1st primary is right around the corner and it is going to
be fascinating with so many presidential candidates on the ballot.
Locally we have many great races. The top of the ticket is Sheriff Susan Pamerleau to the down bal-
lot position of County Chair.
I have enjoyed serving you over these past couple of years and look forward to serving you moving
forward. Our party is growing, developing, becoming more technological and working in the 21st
century. This past year has seen our office grow, our computer system expand, and the advent of a
Bexar Moment Interview. This has been a fantastic year and I
2
Chairman Robert Stovall
(210) 824-9445
Anna Maria Farias, ESQ was unanimously ratified at the September CEC meeting. She worked under
presidents Ronald Reagan (40), George H.W. Bush (41) and George W. Bush (43).
Born in San Antonio, she grew up in Crystal City, Texas where she was the Zavala County Republican
Chairperson and held the first Republican Primary in 23 years. There Governor Bush received about
30% for his re-election and later received over 40% of the Hispanic vote nationwide for president.
She was an alternate National Delegate in 2000 and did six months of volunteer work at the RNC in
Washington, D.C. She was a spokesperson for Governor Bush during his presidential campaign.
Valedictorian of her high school class, she went to Boston University and graduated with honors with
a double major in political science and literature in 1976.
She was the president of her class at Temple Law School in Philadelphia and a Fellow at Harvard
University JFK School of Government at Boston University. William J. Bennett was her philosophy
professor and mentor and later she worked with him four years when he became the U.S. Secretary of
Education.
Farias is a federal retiree and now also serves on two Gubernatorial Boards -- The One Star Founda-
tion and as Vice-Chair Board of Regents at Texas Women’s University
In 2000 she was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hal of Fame for her state leadership.
RPBC Vice Chair
Anna Maria Farias, ESQ
909 NE Loop 410
Ste. 514
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 291-0370
GEARING UP FOR A SPECIAL ELECTION AND A
FASCINATING PRIMARY
REFLECTING ON A GOOD YEAR FOR TEXAS
I am grateful for your support over the last 12 months. This has been a good year for
our community and for the state of Texas, and it is an honor to serve on your behalf.
Much has happened this year, including a productive legislative session and the pas-
sage of some important amendments to our state Constitution. Before we head into
2016, I'd like to recall a few of the Texas House’s key accomplishments during the
past year:
We kept our fiscal house in order. The House balanced the state budget and kept
annual spending growth under 2 percent. We also cut more than $4 billion in taxes
and fees, including a 25 percent reduction in the business margins tax. Texas remains
on sound fiscal footing.
We improved education. The House put additional resources into our local class-
rooms. We overwhelmingly approved Governor Abbott's plan to strengthen and sup-
port high-quality pre-kindergarten. We continued our efforts to better prepare stu-
dents for productive careers in a changing economy, and we funded new facilities at
schools like UTSA and Texas A&M-San Antonio for the first time in nearly a dec-
ade.
We prioritized border security. The House made a historic investment in border
security, authorizing the hiring of hundreds of new state troopers to patrol the border
region. We also gave police and prosecutors new tools to better combat crimes such
as drug trafficking and human smuggling.
We focused on traffic relief. Traffic is not easy to address in a fast-growing state,
but the House took a number of steps to provide more resources for transportation
without raising taxes or fees. We ensured that all of the money in the State Highway
Fund will pay for transportation, ending more than $1 billion in diversions to other
programs every two years. In addition, voters approved a constitutional amendment
dedicating some existing sales tax dollars for transportation. Because of that vote and
the Legislature's efforts, local authorities now plan to expand Highway 281 in San
Antonio without tolls.
I look forward to continue providing serious and conservative leadership on issues
that matter to San Antonio and Texas. If you have any questions about the House’s
work or want to share other feedback, please don’t hesitate to email me at
SPECIAL ELECTION
HD 118
Election Day
January 26, 2016
Early Voting
Jan. 20—22, 2016
Speaker Straus speaking at the Bexar County Republican Women Luncheon
3
Speaker Joe Straus HD 121
7373 Broadway, Ste. 202-A
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 828-4411
Capitol Office
Room 2W.13
P.O. Box 2910 Austin, TX 78768
(512) 463-1000
BILINGUAL PHONE
BANKERS NEEDED
Mon.—Fri.
RPT HQ
10 am—3 pm
210-289-1402
CEC MEETING
JAN. 12, 2016
REGISTER 6:00 PM
START 7:00 PM
APPLICATION FOR MAIL IN BALLOT
Please complete and return your application between 60 days and 9 days prior to the election for which a ballot is requested. For further infor-mation, please call (210) 335-0362.
The early voting clerk must receive your marked ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
4
Voting by mail has been available to elderly voters and voters with physical disabil-ities in Texas for decades.
Applications for a ballot by mail must be submitted to the Bexar County Elections Department no earlier than 2 months before Election Day and no later than 9 days before.
You may vote by mail if you are:
Going to be away from your county on Election Day and during early voting
Sick or disabled
65 years of age or older on Election Day
Confined in jail, but eligible to vote
Special thanks to
volunteer Ryan Thorson
for the new Bexar News
logo.
“no one on earth does a better job producing energy than Texans!” Commissioner Sitton
The long-term fundamentals for Texas’ energy producers are strong. It’s difficult to see that right now given the commodity price environment we are in (very low oil and gas prices). But just keep in mind; no one on earth does a better job producing energy than Texans!
From 2008 to 2014, Texas went from producing just under one million bar-rels of oil a day to producing over three million barrels of oil a day. That re-markable growth in the rate of production is a direct result of Texas’ innova-tion, entrepreneurship, and reasonable and predictable Railroad Commis-sion regulations. Unlike the federal government who is trying to shut down the fossil fuel industry, the Railroad Commission wants to see as much re-sponsible production of our natural resources as possible.
I’ve been hard at work at the Railroad Commission trying to make certain we are doing everything possible to foster and encourage responsible develop-ment. We’ve tackled tough issues like questions around induced seismicity, and we’ve developed unconventional fracture treated (UFT) field rules to make sure our regulations are keeping pace with industry development prac-tices. We are constantly working to become more efficient and effective - we have to. Because we are a fee-funded agency, when the industry experiences a downturn we have fewer resources and have to tighten our belt as well.
Even though the industry is experiencing the pains of depressed oil prices, the producers I talk to are all committed to weathering the storm and emerg-ing stronger. They are using this time as an opportunity to cut costs, be more innovative and develop strategies that will make them more efficient in the future.
Most people don’t realize that the Railroad Commission of Texas regulates the oil, gas and coal mining industries in our state. Our mission is to make sure that the production of those resources is done in a safe and responsible way. I encourage Texans to call my office if they have any oil and gas devel-opment related questions. My staff and me are here to serve the people of Texas in whatever ways that we can. My office number is 512-463-7144.
IN SPITE OF TOUGH TIMES, TEXAS ENERGY PRODUCTION WILL REMAIN STRONG
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Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton
Railroad Commission of Texas Post Office Box 12967
Austin, TX 78711-2967
512-463-7144
Your RPBC
has a new
website.
Have you
seen it?
No?...visit
the site here
BATTLE FOR TORT REFORM CONTINUES IN TEXAS
For over twenty years, business and community leaders in Bexar County have
joined with over 18,000 TLR supporters statewide to help advocate tort re-
forms that are keeping the Texas economy strong, helping create jobs and fos-
tering business growth and innovation.
Voters in Bexar County know the problems of lawsuit abuse first hand and
have rallied time after time against the job-killing trial lawyer agenda. Bexar
Counter voters strongly supported the landmark medical liability reforms of
2003 – a move which has increased the number of doctors – particularly neu-
rosurgeons, obstetricians and orthopedic surgeons -- in our area and through-
out South Texas.
In the over two decades since we began, TLR has helped pass venue reform
legislation, class action reform and proportionate responsibility. We have
worked in the last several legislative sessions to rein in asbestos-silica lawsuit
scams. We advocated for reforms that curb lawsuit abuse against the Texas
maritime industry as well as the 2011 Omnibus Tort Reform Act which includ-
ed fee-shifting “Loser Pays” provisions and the Texas Windstorm Insurance
Association (TWIA) reforms that stopped the astronomical attorney fee abuse
that had rendered that quasi-state agency virtually insolvent. Thanks to the
courage and leadership of Texas lawmakers, these reforms have passed and
the personal injury trial lawyer lobby has been unsuccessful in weakening
these laws.
But the battle for tort reform in Texas is not over. We are currently facing a
new challenge – hailstorm lawsuit abuse. We first saw hailstorm lawsuit
abuse in Hidalgo County in 2012 when thousands of lawsuits resulted after a
severe weather event there. Since then, the problem has spread to almost 90
other Texas Counties.
Storm-chasing trial lawyers, public adjusters and roofers are aggressively so-
liciting clients, using billboards, community booths and even going door to
door. They encourage property owners to file absurdly high insurance claims
– sometimes as much as $50,000 to $100,000 for dubious hail damage.
Then, when the claim is denied, they are enlisted to join lawsuits against their
insurance companies. Insurance companies report that they expect about 1
percent of homeowners’ claims to result in a lawsuit. But hailstorm lawsuit
abuse has caused that figure to skyrocket to as much as 25 percent. The result
of this lawsuit abuse is a loss of available coverage for homeowners in some
areas and higher deductibles and premiums for all of us. TLR will be working
the next legislative session to stop hailstorm lawsuit abuse.
If you would like more information about hailstorm lawsuit abuse or you want
to get involved in TLR, visit our website, www.tortreform.com or our Face-
book page and sign-up.
6
Sherry Sylvester is a senior com-
munications advisor to TLR. She
lives in San Antonio.
Phone Banking at RPT HQ
(same floor as RPBC HQ)
Mon.—Fri.
10 am—3 pm for
HD 118 race.
John Lujan
urgently needs volunteers.
Contact Cassie Luevano
at 210-289-1402
“Americans are less safe because of this administration” Rep. Lamar Smith
LT. GOVERNOR PATRICK ON
PRESIDENT OBAMA’S GUN CONTROL ANNOUNCEMENT
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Lt. Governor Dan Patrick of Texas and
President of the Senate
Office 512-463-0001
1400 Congress Avenue Austin, Texas 78701
Donation Request
The RPBC is looking for Christmas
Decorations to donate to families
in need next Christmas. Drop off
your new or used decorations at
HQ. You can bring them the night
of the CEC meeting.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Tuesday, January 5, 2016 512-463-0715
AUSTIN—Today’s presidential announcement on increasing gun control is simply
political posturing and more propaganda. President Obama’s rhetoric demon-
strates that he has no interest in protecting our Second Amendment right. He is
simply out of step with mainstream America and certainly out of step with the ma-
jority of Texans.
This is the latest example of the president’s offensive executive overreach and un-
constitutional use of executive action to try and do another end run around Con-
gress.
The president may not personally like it, but we have the constitutional right to
protect ourselves, our families and our businesses. If the president’s goal is to sin-
cerely help protect Americans he should make it easier to legally purchase, train
and use their weapons of choice for protection than trot out phony new regulations
to stand in their way.
I will continue to fight as I have as senator and lieutenant governor to defend the
very freedom that makes our country and our state, the envy of the world. Obama’s
proposed actions will slow and hinder the ability of law-abiding citizens to lawfully
purchase a firearm, thus impeding their Second Amendment right. My legislative
agenda has always been and will always be to fight against those who want to take
our Second Amendment right away.
###
Republican Party
of
Bexar County
909 NE Loop 410
Suite 514
San Antonio, TX 78209-1302
210-824-9445
Email:
Email Editor:
Website:
WWW.BexarGOP.org
Chair: Rober t Stovall
Vice Chair: Shir ley Martinez
Secretary: Deanna Abiassi
Treasurer: Scott Stratton
Director Operations: Becky Edler
Bexar News Editor: Vivian Brown
Corresponding Secretary: Sue Solcher
Comunications: Laura Koerner
Management Committee
Precinct 1 Dawn Lothringer
Ron Bunson
Precinct 2 Marian Stanko
Dr. Johnny Lovejoy
Precinct 3 Ann Chandler
Mark Dorazio
Precinct 4 - Jeanne Melendez
Justin Clark Political Advertising paid for by Republican Party of Bexar County