The Flynn Report

With the recent close of the 80th Texas Legislative Session I wanted to express once again that I am very proud of the conservative leadership and our accomplishments.  Over the last three sessions lead by the conservative leadership of the Republican majority we have kept our promises to provide tax relief improve Texas schools and maintain fiscal accountability in state government without raising taxes. 

I am a conservative who came into the Texas House of Representatives with the historic republican takeover in 2003.   The most liberal of the minority party has never accepted governance by a conservative republican majority. 

From the beginning of republican majority rule they have sown as much chaos into the House as possible time and again creating obstructionism. It is also important that conservative republicans across the state hear the truth about how a handful of liberal and moderate republicans in the 80th Legislative session willingly participated with the minority party and their tactics to “vacate the chair of the speaker”.

The rebellion to unseat Tom Craddick as Speaker of the House had nothing to do with legitimate issues.  I will always defend anyone’s right to run for the office of speaker.  But there is an appointed time to run for that office!  Because one does not like the style or a ruling is not justification to disrupt the vital work of session.  One moderate republican who collaborated with the minority party has even suggested in a recent speech to a conservative group that it had to do with “not enough pro life issues reaching the floor” under Speaker Craddick.

Of course that is nonsense and conservatives should not be fooled. There has been more pro life and pro family legislation passed in the last three sessions than in any previous periods. In fact the whole episode was an attempted power-grab where a few ambitious liberal and moderate republicans sought to align with a block-vote of the democrat minority to install a new speaker from that alliance.

The politics that were played very nearly cost the people of Texas a special session. The attempted revolt was timed to coincide with the House-Senate budget negotiations threatening the entire budget and thus the entire regular session. Some of the members attempting to oust Speaker Craddick openly called for the House to kill the budget in order to force a special session giving them more time to attempt to unseat the Speaker. Speaker Craddick stood resolute and with the help of the solid majority of conservative republicans successfully finished the legitimate business of the legislature including the budget. 

It was disappointing that the actions of a handful of moderate and liberal republicans put their own personal ambitions ahead of the people’s business and the needs of Texas. 

It proved a disgraceful episode for all conservatives and our party.  Personal attacks on the republican speaker were used as cover and the democrat party is still celebrating the fact that this tactic was sold to the media as a bi-partisan revolt due to those few liberal and moderate republicans giving cover to their dirty tricks. The vast majority of republicans stood by our republican speaker. In the end we prevailed. 

I think all Texans Republicans and especially conservatives need to be proud of this stand and remember all of this when they go to the polls in the March primary.

It remains my pleasure and honor to represent all the people of House District 2.  My staff and I continue to welcome your input and your questions.  Contact our office located in the Capitol extension: E1.302.  Mailing address: P. O. Box 2910 Austin TX 78768.  Email District2.Flynn@house.state.tx.us. Toll free number 1-800-734-9515. 

May God bless you and our great state of Texas.