Senator Bryan Hughes Provides Leadership in Texas

State of Texas and Senator Bryan Hughes Secure a Donation of Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate from Amneal Pharmaceuticals for Texas Patients

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: AMRX) (“Amneal” or the “Company”), one of the largest U.S.-based generics manufacturers, and the State of Texas today announced that they are responding to the national COVID-19 health emergency. Amneal has donated 1,000,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to the Texas State Pharmacy, which will be directly distributed to hospitals for potential use in treating COVID-19 patients.

“On behalf of the people of Texas, I thank Amneal for this generous donation,” said Senator Hughes, who chairs the Senate’s Committee on State Affairs. “In trying times like these, Americans come together and put others ahead of themselves. Amneal’s donation is a shining example, and it reminds us of how blessed we are to be Americans.”

Senator Hughes added, “I also want to thank the leadership of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and many professionals at Franklin Scott Conway LLP, who were instrumental in securing this donation.”

Hughes first learned that Amneal wanted to help with a donation through a friend.

Senator Hughes (R-Tyler) worked with Amneal Pharmaceuticals to secure the donation.

Start Planning for Economic Restart

It is time to start planning for an economic restart and the first step should be to set a date certain to begin.

A rational examination of the issue is in The Washington Examiner.

When we emerge from our homes, what will we find? Small businesses, which employ 47.5% of our nation’s workers, have been hit particularly hard. Many restaurants and shops, with razor-thin margins, will find a stack of bills and empty cash drawers. Some may never reopen.

Larger industries, from manufacturing to distribution, will also find a brand new world, with lower demand due to falling consumer confidence and inventories with no place to go. In the oil and gas industry, workers are weathering two storms as Russia’s dispute with Saudi Arabia pushes prices to painful lows. Layoffs had already begun before the virus really hit.

Coronavirus fatality rate?

Stanford doctors: Coronavirus fatality rate may be far lower than current models predict. They believe a mortality rate of 0.01% is more likely. Their analysis is reported in the Wall Street Journal.

"If we’re right about the limited scale of the epidemic, then measures focused on older populations and hospitals are sensible. Elective procedures will need to be rescheduled. Hospital resources will need to be reallocated to care for critically ill patients. Triage will need to improve. And policy makers will need to focus on reducing risks for older adults and people with underlying medical conditions. 

A universal quarantine may not be worth the costs it imposes on the economy, community and individual mental and physical health. We should undertake immediate steps to evaluate the empirical basis of the current lockdowns. 

Dr. Bendavid and Dr. Bhattacharya are professors of medicine at Stanford."

Home School Tips

The Heritage Foundation has compiled a list of resources for home schoolers, which includes everyone with school age children.

Stay Home-Stay Safe Order Wreaking Havoc on Citizens

 The Stay Home-Stay Safe order is causing economic havoc on our citizens that will likely cause more deaths over time than people saved from death due to the coronavirus.

This article makes the case for more discussion and action to mitigate the harm to the broader population.

"A variety of extreme measures completely upending our economy and the lives of every American, including threatening job loss to tens of millions, mostly low-income workers, have been taken in response to the coronavirus. These measures have been taken in light of a feared worst-case effect of the virus and with no balancing of the harms the measures are themselves causing. It is time to have a real discussion about what the appropriate measures should be. 

Our leaders need to do what they are supposed to do—consider what is THE GREATEST GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER of people, or put another way, DO THE LEAST HARM. Don’t be afraid of being accused of not taking extreme actions to save lives from the virus, if you know that the actions that have been taken are wreaking far more havoc on the citizenry."

Governor Authorizes Restaurants to Sell Bulk Food to Public

The Governor issued guidance yesterday that allows restaurants to sell items like packaged meat, fruit and vegetables, and dry goods directly to the public to prepare and consume at home.

This guidance will allow distributors and restaurants to provide Texans another source of food outside of grocery stores and prepared food from restaurants. These bulk food items would be available for purchase through restaurants offering drive-thru, delivery, pick-up, and curbside service.

Governor Abbott recognizes there are two distinctly different supply-chains, and this modification can open one distribution valve.

Most consumers are not aware food consumption in the U.S. is now a 50/50 proposition. Approximately 50% of all food was consumed “outside the home” (or food away from home), and 50% of all food consumed was food “inside the home” (grocery shoppers).

Read the entire executive order at the link above.

Call your favorite local restaurant to see if they are participating and what they have available!

When Will Stay at Home Order be Lifted?

As is well known, the Williamson County Judge has issued a Stay Home-Stay Safe order with criminal penalities for non-compliance.

A critical question to be asked is:

What are the criteria that the County Judge will use to lift the "stay home-stay safe" order?

An objective, measurable criteria needs to be articulated to the public by the County Judge to assure the public that ad hoc decisions are not made! We do not need decisions made on a "hunch", or on who exerts the greatest political pressure on the Judge.

Our local well being need not be predicated on what is happening in New York or California!

All of Texas and Williamson County are not in pandemic situations and are not likely to be in a crisis over the term of the coronavirus. There may well be local "hot spots" that require social distancing orders, but, state wide or county wide orders are likely not necessary over an extended period to contain the coronavirus.

School trustees move election to Nov. 3

Georgetown ISD trustees voted unanimously Tuesday evening to move the district’s May 2 board election to Nov. 3. Five candidates have filed for two positions on the board.

City Elections Moved to November 3, 2020

Courtesy of Councilman Fought's newsletter:

Question-4.  City elections, for City Council and the Mayor, are set for May. I understand they have now been changed to 3 November.  Is that correct? 

 

ANS-4.  Yes.  The Council made that decision at the 24 March Council Meeting, following considerable debate.  There were three general arguments:

 

1.  Delay the decision to make the change until we had more information.

2.  Move the date, but make it a date earlier than November, so as not to mix the local election with the national election.

3.  Move the date to November so as to coincide with the national elections.*

 

I voted in favor of changing the date to November and making it coincide with the national elections because:

 

1.  That gives voters the most time to get to know the candidates and understand their positions.

2.  Making the local election coincide with the national election would most likely assure the highest voter turnout.

3.  Having 1 election for local and national offices, would save $ and probably generate more attention, and less frustration or "election fatigue", than having 2 independent elections.

 

In my simple world, if you give voters the greatest opportunity to understand the issues and the candidates, and get the largest voter turnout, you will get the best results.  Only option 3 accomplished that, so I voted for option 3.

Wilco Elections Will Not Host May Elections

Even though the City has not announced that the city elections will not take place May 2, Wilco Elections has announced they will not support May elections.

In a March 18 email obtained by Community Impact Newspaper, Williamson County Elections Administrator Chris Davis said the department will not be holding any local entities in May and asked entities to postpone their elections until the Nov. 3 election. If the entity chooses to continue with a May election, they will have to host the election themselves. 

"Please be advised that our office will not be conducting a May 2, 2020 election for any political subdivision. A political subdivision that opts not to postpone their election to November 3, 2020 will be responsible for administrating the elections themselves," the email read.

What is City Doing to Reduce Costs?

The on-going shutdown of business and people movement is having a significant economic impact on the city government as well as local business and residents.

The total sales tax expected to be collected by the city for FY 2020 is $31.8M, of which $17.9M is allocated to the General Fund. The General Fund budget, which funds police, fire, parks and the library among other functions, is $75.9M. Thus, sales taxes provide about 24% of the funds required for the General Fund.

Another category of funding funded by sales taxes is street repair and maintenance to the tune of about $4M.

The largest revenue source in the $378.4M budget comes from utility sales of $143.6M. It is likely those revenues will also not meet projections as many businesses are shut down.

The General Fund expects $8.1M to be transferred in from the Utility Funds. Is that going to be possible with the likely reduction in utility revenue?

The revenue from the hotel occupancy tax is also likely reduced as fewer people are travelling and business and social events have been cancelled.

Capital Projects were budgeted at $69.3M for this fiscal year. These projects are primarily funded using Certificates of Obligation and General Obligation bonds. Are the issuances of bonds going to be reduced or delayed?

As can be seen, this coronavirus pandemic is having a serious impact on city finances. So, the question is: What is the city doing to deal with the likely revenue shortfall?

Hiring freeze?
Capital project delays?
Promotion freeze for employees?
Travel restricted?
Operating hours reduced?
Equipment purchases deferred?
Sale of surplus assets?
Delay the downtown parking garage?

Or, is it spend as usual, using the contingency funds with plans to replenish them with higher taxes and fees in the future?

Is the City Council planning on full transparency with citizen involvement to address this change in city finances?

So many questions and so few answers so far!

Are the Governor's Orders Constitutional??

The various orders issued by the Governor and local officials raise the question of constitutionality under either the U.S. or Texas Constitution.

There are many different opinions given by legal scholars. Here are several excerpts from The Texan.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott took a nearly unprecedented step on Thursday — placing limits on the size of public gatherings, instructing restaurants to institute take-out and delivery only rather than dine-in restaurant options, prohibiting nursing home visitation, and closing all schools.

The executive order will be in effect at midnight today and will last until April 3, but can be extended if deemed necessary.

The orders instituted are as follows:

1. In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, every person in Texas shall avoid social gatherings in groups of more than 10 people. 
2. In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall avoid eating or drinking at bars, restaurants, and food courts, or visiting gyms or massage parlors; provided, however, that the use of drive-thru, pickup, or delivery options is allowed and highly encouraged throughout the limited duration of this executive order. 
3. In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, people shall not visit nursing homes or retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance. 
4. In accordance with the Guidelines from the President and the CDC, schools shall temporarily close.

He is not the first governor to implement such measures during the current coronavirus crisis. 

New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut jointly closed bars and restaurants; Nevada ordered “non-essential” businesses closed for 30 days; California has ordered all residents to stay at home; and Kentucky closed spas, gyms, and other similar businesses.

Compared with these, Abbott’s executive order is far less draconian. But the question still arises regarding the legal footing of his action.

Article 1, Section 28 of the Texas State Constitution states, “No power of suspending laws in this State shall be exercised except by the Legislature.”

Whereas, Chapter 418.016 of the Texas State Code reads:

1. a) “The governor may suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business or the orders or rules of a state agency if strict compliance with the provisions, orders, or rules would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with a disaster.

Subsection (f) permits the governor to suspend regulations for registration requirements such as for vehicular and medical-based permits — something he has introduced over the last week.

These disaster powers are part of the “Texas Disaster Act of 1975” and were passed this past session in 2019.

Scott Keller, former solicitor general of Texas, told The Texan, “The governor has been granted broad powers by the legislature under the emergency declaration provision.”

Those powers, Keller states, include using public and private resources and restricting the movement of people when a state of emergency is declared.

Rick Green, an attorney who in the past served in the Texas House and ran for State Supreme Court, agreed, telling The Texan, “From a constitutional perspective, [the governor and the health commissioner] definitely have the power to do what they’re doing.”

“They’re having to make impossible decisions to a problem we haven’t faced in 100 years — and [Abbott’s] taking the most balanced approach I have seen,” Green added.  

Austin attorney Tony McDonald took a different view of the executive action.

“In the order, you’ll note the governor does not prescribe any penalty for non-compliance, and I think the reason that’s lacking is because I don’t think there is any question if he has the authority to issue orders to individuals banning their activities, generally.”

Pointing to Chapter 418.016 of the state code, McDonald cited the provision, “The governor may suspend the provisions of any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business.” McDonald contends this subsequent clause pertains to the state itself, not its private citizens.

“If you look at the Texas Bill of Rights, we specifically ban the government from suspending laws — so the question arises whether [the emergency declaration provision] is wholly unconstitutional or whether it’s scope is limited beyond this usage.”

“But I think you can tell that they know what they’re ordering people to do can’t really be backed with any force of law because there’s no penalty,” McDonald underscored.

When Will City Announce Election Delay?

City Council unanimously voted March 19 to extend the local disaster declaration issued by Mayor Dale Ross on March 14 through May 11.

The extension follows a March 18 order from County Judge, Bill Gravell, which limits gatherings of 10 or more and closed County facilities through May 11. 

Yet we see no announcement about moving the May 2 city election to a later date!

How about some consistency City Council?

Common Sense Actions the City Should Take

Eliminate regulations  not necessary for public health and safety.

Make permanent all the freedoms granted through suspending regulations that hinder economic growth, prevent job creation, limit healthcare access and choice, slow medical and security response times, and harm employer, employee, and consumer freedom. There is no justification at any time, crisis or otherwise, for keeping regulations that negatively affect public health and safety or add to the cost of producing and accessing goods and services.

Put a hold on all non-essential government debt.

State and local governments should stop any attempt to put taxpayers deeper in debt. More debt will only slow our ability to recover quickly and saddle future generations with a deeper burden.

Protect individual liberties and prevent the expansion of government.

In times of crisis, there are often attempts to restrict basic freedoms and diminish individual rights. We must be vigilant in protecting against the lurch toward consolidating and expanding government power, like what occurred in so many instances following 9/11.

What is Impact of Coronavirus on City Budget?

As this post is written, the city, county and state governments are effectively shut down except those actions that can be accomplished over the internet. Many retail businesses are shuttered, especially restaurants and bars. People are restricted from gathering in groups of 10 or more.

It is uncertain how long these restrictions will remain, but, it is clear there is a signifiant economic impact, including the city budget.

Here is the top line expected revenues for the city's FY 2020 budget.

click to enlarge

The city has assumed revenues of $378.44M for the fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30.

Two revenue items that will be impacted are sales taxes and parks & recreation fees. They are projected to be $31,750,000 and $2,831,600 respectively.

Other areas will likely be negatively impacted as residents will have less income if they are furloughed or laid off from their jobs.

How does the city plan on coping with this reduced revenue?

Are they cutting unnecessary expenses or do they plan on using the contingency funds that are scattered throughout the budget?

Inquiring minds would like to know!

Property Taxes Still Out of Control

As Governor Abbott recently reported concerning the affordability of homes in Texas; “But that affordability issue is now beginning to bite Texas. One thing that is driving up the cost of housing and the cost of living is skyrocketing property taxes – skyrocketing property taxes that are beginning to force people out of homes they’ve lived for virtually in their entire lives.”

A recent article in the Houston Courant identified the property tax issue in Travis County. "In fiscal year 2015, the average Travis County homeowner paid property taxes totaling $5,471, most of which went into city and school district coffers. By fiscal year 2020, that same homeowner’s tax bill shot to $8,430, a whopping 54 percent increase."

The exact same trend is showing in Georgetown. The property tax receipts are up 54.8% over the last 5 years and the annualized increase is 9.13% per year.

When is this madness going to stop?

City Elections Coming Up

City and school board elections are coming up in May, 2020.

Early voting is April 20 to 28. Election day is May 2 and the last day to register is April 2.

Shawn Hood, Lisa King and Jason Wirth have filed to run in District 2; Rachael Jonrowe and Michael Walton have filed to run in District 6; and Larry Brundidge, Jonathan Dade and Josh Schroeder have filed to run for Mayor.

A Mayoral Forum sponsored by the Sun City Republican Club (SCRC) is scheduled at its regular monthly meeting in the Sun City Ballroom on March 19th. All three candidates--Larry Brundidge, Jonathan Dade, and Josh Schroeder--will be participating. Non-members can attend, but have to sit in the chairs lined up at the very back of the ballroom. If you are planning to do this, you should arrive about 6:30-6:45 pm.

On Saturday, April 4th, a Mayoral and City Council Forum is being sponsored by the Wilco Sun and Wilco League of Women Voters:
This event will be from 2:00 - 5:00 pm at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eight Street. A forum for the Georgetown ISD Board of Trustees will be held later in April.

Beware of the New York Time's 1619 Project Coming to Texas Schools

The New York Times initiated a project last year, entitled the 1619 Project, to rewrite the history of the founding of America. This rewritten history is beginning to be incorporated into American schools.

Notice the theme of this project is that the American Revolution was fought to preserve slavery.

Here is an excerpt from an article describing the project and how the top U.S. historians are fighting back.

“On August 19 of last year I listened in stunned silence as Nikole Hannah-Jones, a reporter for the New York Times, repeated an idea that I had vigorously argued against,” reads the first sentence of Friday’s essay by Leslie Harris, a history professor at Northwestern University.

Harris is just the latest in a string of academics to levy criticism on Hannah-Jones and the 1619 Project. She is the first, however, who actually took part in the project as a fact-checker. During the publication process for 1619, Harris “vigorously disputed” the idea that the American Revolution was actually about preserving slavery. Nonetheless, there it was in print come August 2019.

Be very vigilant to assure this "garbage" does not find its way into Texas schools.

How Much Do Your City Employees Make?

Here is a great website that identifies the city employees and their salaries. Click on the blue circle over "Georgetown" and then click the lower red balloon to see the table. 

This is a snapshot of the top wage earners.

Click image to enlarge

Of course these numbers do not include benefits!

Renewable Energy Subsidies Must Stop

Texans and Americans must stop the renewable energy subsidies as they result in higher and higher energy prices over time. For instance, the high voltage electric lines that rate payers funded to the tune of $7B to transport renewable energy from West Texas to Central, Eastern and Gulf Coast Texas will utimately cost about $19B over their lifetime.

More eye-opening information about the cost of the subsidies is available at Real Clear Energy

Texas is the nation’s leading producer of wind energy. Yet most of the thousands of wind turbines littering the Texas landscape would not exist if Texas had not built subsidized transmission lines. These “CREZ” lines were needed because while the wind blows best in West Texas, most Texans live far to the east and along the Gulf Coast. The CREZ lines will cost Texans around $19 billion over their estimated useful life. Wind and solar farms also benefit from more than $3.5 billion in abatements offered by Texas counties and school districts.

Other states have joined Texas in handing the hard-earned money of their residents over to companies like NextEra (Florida Power and Light), BP (British Petroleum), and EDF Renewables (Electricité de France). Most states have done this by adopting renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which mandate that a certain percentage of electricity used be generated by renewables.

There is only one way out of this madness; America must eliminate renewable subsidies before we find ourselves paying European energy prices, riding around in European-style mini-cars, and living on top of each other in European-sized apartments.

Violence UP in Georgetown

The Statesman reports more violence in Georgetown.

"Tuesday at 3:13 PM

GEORGETOWN ― A man fired from a collision repair shop in Georgetown is accused of shooting at 11 windows and a door at the business, an affidavit says.

Joshua Banker, 22, of Jarrell, was charged with criminal mischief, a state jail felony punishable by up to two years in jail.

Police were notified on Feb. 25 by an employee at Georgetown Collision at 7200 Interstate 35 North that someone had shot at several windows and the glass door in the front of the business, the affidavit says.

It says the cost to replace them was $14,000. An officer who arrived at the scene also saw that more windows on the north side of the building had also been shot out, the affidavit says.

The officer found several bullet casings and bullets from a .22 long rifle in front of the building, the document says.

It says video security cameras showed a man — later identified as Banker — with the lower part of his face covered firing three rounds at the front windows and the glass front door on Feb. 25.

Banker had previously been fired from the business for trying to steal items from a customer's vehicle, the affidavit says.

It says he drove up to the business around midnight Thursday — two days after police say Banker shot at the shop — but left after he saw an employee inside gathering security videos.

Banker was being held in the Williamson County Jail on Tuesday with bail set at $30,000."