Grassroots Leaders to Host Press Conference in Dallas Calling for Special Session on Lone Star Agenda

DALLAS — Leaders of grassroots groups from across the Lone Star State will gather in Dallas at 1:30 p.m. on October 30, 2019, calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to convene a special session of the Texas Legislature to address multiple issues raised since the 86th Texas Legislature adjourned.

Speakers include:

Daniel Greer, Direct Action Texas
JoAnn Fleming, Grassroots America – We the People
Cary Cheshire, Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Cindi Castilla, Texas Eagle Forum
Jeremy Newman, Texas Home School Coalition
Elizabeth Graham, Texas Right to Life
Fran Rhodes, True Texas Project

When: Wednesday, October 30, 2019 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: 4099 McEwen Road, Farmers Branch, TX 75244, Suite 660

Please find included statements from representatives of hosting organizations for use in your coverage.

Daniel Greer, Executive Director for Direct Action Texas:
“A year ago, grassroots leaders put Texas elected officials on notice that our voter rolls are inaccurate, leaving elections vulnerable to fraud. The Legislature failed to pass corrective laws in 2019 when it was clear bureaucratic attempts to correct the issue were failing. A September 2019 Texas Lyceum poll shows 83% of Texans support paper ballot backups to verify electronic voting. The same poll shows 84% of Texans believe it’s important that ineligible voters are prevented from voting, and only a coin flip of voters (53%) believe Texas is doing a good job of preventing ineligible voters from voting. This reflects a startling lack of trust in the current election system and why we need an immediate special session to safeguard Texas elections before 2020.”

JoAnn Fleming, Executive Director, Grassroots America – We the People:
“During the 2019 session, the Texas Legislature failed to pass an array of reform bills that would have protected Texans from the mad march from the political Left, but they failed to do so. As we have seen with the Pardo and Younger court cases, family rights and children are under assault as never before. Our Texas voter rolls remain unverified ahead of the 2020 elections, making it entirely possible that eligible voters will have their votes stolen by convicted felons, non-citizens and the deceased. To top it off, the mess Texas House Speaker Dennis Bonnen created remains. We need a special session to clean up all this unfinished business and we need it before Primary Election 2020.”

Cary Cheshire, Vice President of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility:
“The Republican leadership of the 86th Texas Legislature failed to keep the promises they repeatedly made to taxpayers both on the 2018 campaign trail and from the halls of the Texas Capitol. Going into the 2020 elections, these failures to prioritize long hoped for conservative reforms put the state at risk. Gov. Greg Abbott must convene a special session of the Texas Legislature on the widely supported Lone Star Agenda to address the growing concerns of the grassroots across the state and ensure the passage of conservative reforms Texans are desperate to see.”

Jeremy Newman, Director of Public Policy for the Texas Home School Coalition:
“In Texas, family rights are in crisis because the Texas Legislature did not act. In the 86th session, legislation was proposed to protect family rights that were well-known to be under assault. That legislation was not prioritized by the Legislature at large. Following this failure, Texas Home School Coalition and other pro-family groups warned lawmakers that families would continue to be torn apart in Texas because of this failure. That is exactly what has happened with the Pardo and Younger cases. Texas families cannot wait until 2021.”

Kimberlyn Schwartz, Director of Media and Communication for Texas Right to Life:
“By neglecting to pass any bills that would ban abortions this session, Texas House leadership’s apathy condemned over 100,000 unborn Texans to death before the next regular session will convene. Texas is desperate for bold Pro-Life leadership from our elected officials. This leadership must prove themselves to Texas voters before the 2020 Primary Election. Texas Right to Life is proud to join with our fellow grassroots organizations in calling on Governor Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Patrick to convene a special session to pass the policies of the Lone Star Agenda, especially ‘Increasing protections for unborn Texans’ through our Texas Abolition Strategy.”