Bastrop County Republicans remembering Pearl Harbor Day. Never forget the sacrifices made by thousands of Americans during those turbulent times, December 7th, 1941. A day that will live in infamy.
On November 15, 2025, the Executive Committee of the Bastrop County Republican Party passed a resolution supporting the Bastrop County Judge and County Commissioners, whom voted unanimously to oppose the ASR water project. This is a crucial action in protecting the citizens and aquifers supplying Bastrop County residents water supply. Click HERE to read the full content of that resolution.
In our last article we described, how on Saturday, December 7, 2025 Representative David Cook was selected as the Republican Caucus nominee and that the Caucus rules state that all Republicans should support the caucus nominee.
As the Texas House opened for business on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, selecting the Speaker was the first (and only) work to be addressed.
David Cook received 55 votes (Rep 52, Dem 3) and Dustin Burrows received 85 votes (49 Dem and 36 Rep) to win the Speaker of the House race. It was clear that not all of the 88 Republican representatives were following the Caucus agreement. It is also evident that almost all of the Democrat representatives favored Dustin Burrow. District 17 House Representative Stan Gerdes voted for Dustin Burrows for Speaker.
No other business was conducted the rest of that day as well as for the rest of the week.
Without previously having addressed any legislative priorities, the house convened on Thursday, January 23, 2025 to review house rules. HR4 (House Rules) was delivered at 4am to the representative’s offices which contained 213 pages.
Some of the key changes included in the Rules package were:
It is easy to see how these Rules would empower Democrats to thwart the Republican agenda.
When the house convened, that day, 21 amendments were offered but Representative Jared Patterson (R-106) “called the question” a procedural maneuver that means there would be no debate nor amendments considered and the original proposal would go straight to a vote. A motion to call the question must have 25 seconds. Representative Stan Gerdes was one of the 25 who voted to second the motion.
Tom Glass commented in a recent newsletter that “Because such a motion denies voices speaking for the voters and because it negates the very essence of representative democracy, it is called the “nuclear option”. One indicator of this as a raw power move was that 47 Republicans and 42 Democrats were given enough advance notice of the motion to be able to sign on to the motion which requires a minimum of 25 to be introduced. Yet the 34 Republican grassroots members who voted against the suppression were blindsided by the move. They had spent their morning scrambling to craft amendments to the package. I saw the grassroots members hustling to confer with each other that morning, but there was strangely very little visible action by the group made up of republicans and democrats”.
Texas Scorecard reported that the new rules maintain and expand “a power-sharing arrangement between Republicans and Democrats, granting Democrat vice-chairs significant authority and introducing pathways for Democrat control of new standing subcommittees. While Republicans would only be eligible to serve as chairs, all vice-chairs would be required to be Democrats.”
On Monday, January 27, 2025, Speaker Burrows announced that they would not vote Housekeeping Resolution (HR3-36 pages) that details the speaker’s responsibilities, powers of the House Administrative committee, employment policies, accounting, caucuses and work place conduct. Instead, Speaker Burrows said they would change the office budgets without a vote.
On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Speaker Burrows blocked discussion on several pre-filed amendments. Among the amendments prevented from reaching the floor were proposals to:
On Wednesday, January 29, 2025, the house met and adjourned to February 4, 2025. It should be noted that other than “No Democrat Committee chairs”, no substantive legislative priorities have yet been addressed – a full three weeks into a 140 day session!
We are very excited to report, however, that the Texas House was able to meet on Tuesday, February 4, 2025 to pass a Resolution congratulating singer ‘Beyonce’ on her Grammy Awards. It’s comforting to know that the important work that the people of Texas demand is being thoroughly addressed. Or maybe not.
As of February 4, 2025, there are 119 days left in this session of the Texas Congress.
The clock’s a tickin’.
Since the days of Noah (or at least just after the Civil War), Texas was run by Democrats. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican president and thus the states of the south consistently selected Democrat representatives and executive leaders. Texas was part of the “Solid South”, a Democrat stronghold. That changed starting in the early 1990’s and was evident in the mid 1990’s when George Bush was elected Republican Governor. The Texas House and Senate both transitioned to a majority Republican in the 78th Congressional session in 2003. By the early 2010’s Texas was solidly Republican. Many politicians that had long ran as Democrats transitioned to running as Republicans. Some were truly conservative and aligned with Republican values but many simply found it expedient to change color of their coat to maintain power.
During this transition House Speakers, starting most notably with Speaker Straus, appointed Democrats as chairs of Committees. But as Republicans grew in numbers and power, subsequent speakers did not diminish the number of Democrat chairs. This caused a rift between the Republican voters and their elected legislators.
Q: What defines a Republican versus a Democrat? A: Their Party Platform and the resulting Legislative Priorities.
Things came to a head when the speaker of the 88th TX House, Dade Phelan, not only appointed Democrat chairs but actively fought legislative priorities of the Republican Party of Texas (RPT), Governor Abbott and Lt. Gov Patrick. He also led a Democrat inspired “lawfare” campaign against Attorney General Ken Paxton which included sneaky moves in changing the impeachment rules at the start at the 88th Session. The 88th Legislature was called back not once, not twice, but an unprecedented third time to work the key priorities of the Governor. Under Speaker Phelan and his Democrat chairs, they successfully avoided addressing these priorities. As a result, the average Republican voter became livid and outraged because nothing important was getting done.
This long history lead delegates of the RPT State convention to change RPT rules so they could be used to force the Republican house members to support the Legislative Priorities. The rules were changed to allow censure which is the threat of not allowing a representative to run as a Republican.
In order for the 89th Legislature to implement the Legislative Priorities, the House Republicans, wishing to exert their majority and the desire to align with the Legislative Priorities, held a caucus on December 7, 2024 to select a speaker who would not appoint Democrat chairs. Of the 88 Republican house members that were there to start the Caucus, 26 elected Republicans, including Stan Gerdes, walked out of that Caucus meeting before it was concluded and a Speaker selected.
The Bastrop County Republican Party (BCRP) held a meeting on December 21, 2024 to discuss the actions of our Representative, Stan Gerdes, who was one of the 26 elected representatives who walked out on the Republican Caucus. The BCRP examined the options open to them. A committee was directed to articulate our response to his actions. The BCRP reconvened on December 30, 2024 and approved the response which came in the form of a resolution condemning his actions and reminded him of his obligation as a Republican Representative. To read the full resoluiton, click here
Our next article will be the results of the first day of the 89th Legislature which occurred on January 14, 2025.
Written by: Doug Kelsay and Curtis Courtney
Great gift ideas for that special Republican in your life! These items are available for purchase and pickup at our office or purchase online HERE
Bastrop County Republican Office.
443 Highway 71 West Bastrop Texas 78602
To have your purchase shipped, please email us at
~ BCRP’s own Tumbler. Perfect for your hot or cold beverages. $20.00 ~
~ An AUTOGRAPHED copy of “TARGETED” One Mom’s fight for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, by Lindsey Graham, The Patriot Barbie. $20.00 ~
Online Order form HERE
The Bastrop County Republican Party (BCRP) and Lost Pines Republican Women (LPRW) joined together to generate a 2024 Voter Guide for early voting and on Election Day November 5th, 2024. Available in English and Spanish.
Remember cellphones and other digital devices are not permitted inside the polling place, but you can take the red boxed tear off section of candidates on the last page of the Voter Guide as your helpful notes.
If you have concerns for Election Integrity, Motivating your neighbors, Participating in the Election process, or just want to learn more, The Leadership Institute is looking for you to sign up to their Get Out The Vote training seminar. Please review the graphic below to see what will be presented. Click HERE for more information, or HERE to pre register. The seminar is is well worth the investment.
This event is TOMORROW August 16th!!
Please join our friends in Lee County and bring your questions for this great Texas advocate.
In lieu of our normal 4th Monday Informational Meeting, the Bastrop County Republican Party is partnering with several other Bastrop County and Central Texas organizations to present …
Monday, August 19, 2024
Time: Doors open at 5:30pm for networking, Meeting starts at 6:30pm
Location: Southside Market & BBQ, 1212 US-290, Elgin, TX 78621
Topic: Real-time current coverage of events of the day
In Partnership with …
Kimberly Fletcher is the Moms for America Founder & President. We’re excited to hear how MFA is Empowering Moms, Promoting Liberty, and Raising Patriots by providing educational resources, programs, and events to support moms in nurturing a love of liberty in the home, advance freedom in their communities, and protect it with their vote. Click here for more information on Moms for America.
August 12th Update: Jessica Colon, Donald J. Trump’s Texas State Campaign Director, will address the meeting with thoughts on campaign status, election, support and more. Don’t miss out!
One of our best attended Informational Meetings so far, with a full house and some of us standing in the hallway. Sergeant Miller spoke on the presence, dangers and Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office reduction efforts of the Fentanyl epidemic sweeping our County, State and Nation, and answered several questions at the end. The biggest take away is being aware of the symptoms:
These can quickly become serious health problems, resulting in permanent injury or death. The next biggest is knowing what forms Fentanyl is typically trafficked:
Don’t take chances and certainly DO NOT TOUCH anything suspicious, such as small plastic baggies with unknown pills, powder or other substances. It could contain products that, in the smallest quantities could cause you or others irreparable harm or death. If you see or find anything suspicious, or encounter someone who might need medical assistance Call 911 immediately. If you have any questions or would like further details, please call Bastrop County Sheriffs Office .
