Top Ten Texas News Stories of 2013

In addition to the top ten worst Texans of 2013, here's a look at the top ten news stories of 2013 - all of which we were proud to work on and impact throughout the year. Help us keep up the fight in 201

10. Tea Party Upset the IRS Makes Them Play by the Rules

    

    "Ignore the hysterica - get the facts" became a motto of ours in 2013, following a series of nonsense stories perpetuated by Tea Party lies about the IRS, Benghazi, and even Nelson Mandela's funeral services. The IRS story, though, really jumped the shark:

    • After the infamous Citizens United ruling, the number of organizations seeking 501(c)4 nonprofit status jumped from 1,591 in 2010, to 3,398 in 2012
    • The IRS scrutinized some of these nonprofit groups, which drove the Tea Party crazy - despite the fact that terms like "Progressive" and "Occupy" were also part of the broad search criteria
    • We were placed under additional scrutiny from the IRS. We accept this vetting process and we've abided by it. We all play by the same rules, and Tea Party groups should not be exempt from rules
    • The controversy got so ridiculous that the Tea Party began advocating for more government employees
    • The IRS scandal was a great example of our organization playing offense on an issue that many shied away from

9. Amid Ongoing Pressure, ALEC Loses Corporations, Legislators

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   One of our longest-standing efforts has been the fight to expose the influence of ALEC in Texas and their work pushing corporate-approved legislation and corporate talking points into the states:

   • The Texas Public Policy Foundation functions as a home-away-from-home for ALEC in Texas
   • We published a major report that shows how ALEC was able to get TPPF to advocate for 28 different model bills here in Texas
   • In recent weeks, a major expose from the Guardian has detailed that ALEC is $1.4 million in the hole, and has lost over 40 corporate sponsors and over 400 state legislators

8. Nuclear Option: Fight to Fill Texas Judicial Vacancies Leads to Filibuster Reform

   For years, we have worked day after day to raise awareness about judicial vacancies in Texas. At every turn, Texas' U.S. Senators have dragged their feet. Highlights from this ongoing story include:

   • Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz refusing to take action to fill the seven judicial vacancies in Texas' federal district courts
   • The refusal of our U.S. Senators to even take up unquestionable qualified nominees for seats on the D.C. Circuit court
   • Thankfully, the logjam broke - even slightly - when Senator Harry Reid successfully passed filibuster reform to ensure Presidential nominees got an up-or-down vote, which is what Senator Cornyn used to advocate for when there was a Republican president
   • 37 organizations have called on Cornyn and Cruz to fill Texas' vacancies, so we can put an end to Texas' judicial crisis

7. Jerry Patterson Forced to Stop Hoarding $300 Million from Texas Students

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   One of our biggest wins came right away in January 2013 - not bad for a bunch of slacktivists

   • Late in 2012, we launched a campaigndemanding Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and the School Land Board stop hoarding $300 million from Texas students
   • The campaign demanded Patterson and the School Land Board vote to release education funds voters previously approved through a 2011 constitutional amendment
   • Over 5,000 of our members petitioned Patterson's office to change his mind
   • On January 8, 2013 the School Land Board voted to release the $300 million

6. Thousands Boycott Macy's for Urging Rick Perry to Veto Equal Pay Law

   

   Greg Abbott remains silent about whether or not he would have supported Texas' equal pay law. Our campaign to hold Macy's accountable for jeopardizing equal pay for equal work led to over 10,000 Texans taking action in a large protest that generated lots of great TV stories (Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Austin) and showed Macy's - and any other business - that they can't fight against Texas women and get away with it. Story highlights:

   • Governor Rick Perry vetoed Texas' equal pay law early in 2013
   • The bill, authored by Senator Wendy Davis and State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, would have mirrored a law passed in 42 other states that ensures women have access to state courts for wage discrimination suits
   • Macy's sent a letter to Governor Perry urging him to veto the law
   • In protest, we boycotted Macy's on Labor Day weekend and on Black Friday

5. Ted Cruz and the Government Shutdown

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   Senator Ted Cruz wanted to torpedo the Affordable Care Act, even at the expense of the U.S. economy - all so Cruz could raise some money and cement his street cred with the Tea Party. One of the biggest national stories of the year is #5 here at home:

   • The disastrously selfish government shutdown Ted Cruz orchestrated October impacted 140,000 federal workers in Texas, forcing national parks to close and jeopardizing veterans' disability benefits - but still, Cruz wanted the shutdown
   • Texas is home to 22 of 30 counties in the U.S. that would benefit most from ACA - but still, Cruz wanted the shutdown
   • 69% of Americans want the Affordable Care Act to work but still, Cruz wanted the shutdown
   • At one point, Texas Congressman Blake Farenthold called the shutdown a "paid vacation" for federal employees losing their paychecks
   • Finally, Cruz used the opportunity to completely miss the moral of Green Eggs & Ham

4. Got ID Website Informs Texans of Voter ID Law While Abbott Pretends There Are No Problems

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   2013 was the first year Texas' restrictive and discriminatory voter ID law was in effect. Though Abbott tried to pretend there were no problems with the law, that statement was found "mostly false" by Politifact. The back-story and recent highlights include:

   • In 2011, the Texas Legislature passed a restrictive voter ID law. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice struck down the law because they found it would have a negative impact on minority voters
   • A federal court also found the law to be unconstitutional, writing that "a law that forces poorer citizens to choose between their wages and their franchise unquestionably denies or abridges their right to vote" - unfortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned part of the Voting Rights Act, allowing Texas' voter ID law to be in place
   • To help educate the public, we built an English/Spanish, mobile-friendly website as part of the "Got ID Texas?" campaign we launched in conjunction with numerous voting rights allies, including Empower the Vote Texas
   • The site ran smoothly for thousands of visitors during the low-turnout 2013 campaign, and we will continue promoting the site throughout the 2014 primary and general elections

3. Fighting for Better Health Care in Texas by Defending the Affordable Care Act

    

   hroughout 2013, we have stayed at the forefront of advocating in support of the Affordable Care Act. We worked with the Texas Organizing Project to organize a protest outside a press conference with Perry, Cruz, and Cornyn that was so loud the press called it a "deafening roar." We published a report detailing how Ted Cruz created a model for opposing ACA and shopped it across the naiton through ALEC. We even wrote up some Thanksgiving Day talking points for debate help around the dinner table on the law. Here's more on a story that will continue rolling throughout 2014:

   • If Texas expanded Medicaid, well over 1 million more Texans would have health care
   • As economic studies have shown, expanding Medicaid would create billions for our economy, creating as many as 231,000 jobs by 2016
   • Texas is home to 22 of the 30 counties in the United States that would benefit the most from ACA
   • A majority of Texas voters - as well as dozens of Chambers of Commerce, local governments, and health care nonprofits - support expanding Medicaid expansion
   • Despite the complete lack of leadership, Texas leads the nation in healthcare.gov sign-ups through the exchange created by the ACA

2. CPRIT Scandal Erupts as Abbott's Failure to Exercise Oversight Uncovered

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   The Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was created in 2007 to make Texas a leader in the fight against cancer. Failures by Greg Abbott and Rick Perry have, unfortunately, put the agency at the center of one of the biggest political scandals in years: 

   • Late in 2012, it was discovered that CPRIT awarded an $11 million grant without proper review, leading to a scandal that led to scientists quitting the agency
   • Meanwhile, Rick Perry claimed CPRIT was meant to create wealth
   • It got so bad at one point that Rick Perry issued what appeared to be a bribe/threat to try and shutdown the agency investigating the CPRIT scandal. 
   • Thankfully, Senator Wendy Davis took the lead on sweeping legislation to reform CPRIT
   • Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott failed to exercise any oversight of CPRIT despite sitting on its governing board
   • A grand jury investigation led to an indictment of a CPRIT executive for committing fraud - something Abbott and Perry completely neglected in their leadership roles

1. The Stand With Texas Women Movement

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   The biggest story of the year: the Stand With Texas Women movement from the summer. Though the law passed, it still faces serious hurdles in court. Ultimately, Senator Davis' historic filibuster led to a 10,000-person protest at the Capitol and a revitalized movement for progressives and women's rights that is setting the stage for 2014. Highlights included:

   • Most Texans support family planning and access to birth control and 80% of Texans didn't want abortion bills to be brought up in special session
   • In the Texas Senate, the fight was led by David Dewhurst - who held a press conference with a health care expert who thinks women need permission to work outside the home
   • In the Texas House, women were threatened with arrest for using sign language while others waited until the late hours of the night to testify only to be told their unique personal stories were "repetitive"
   • State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg thought you could use a rape kit to perform an abortion
   • In the Senate, visitors in the gallery were called terrorists while Dewhurst laughed, and it was decided that the topic of abortion was not germane to a filibuster about abortion
   • Senator Leticia Van de Putte laid the smack down about letting women Senators speak, and David Dewhurst forged a state document to lie about the time
   • Tampons weren't allowed in the Capitol, but guns were. And then there was the fake jars of urine and feces fiasco