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CPAC underway in Dallas area
A big political battleground took center stage in the Dallas area at a big conference for Conservatives. And in Austin, Liberal prosecutors in Travis County are back on the hotseat. FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski has the details.
AUSTIN, Texas - A big political battleground took center stage in the Dallas area at a big conference for Conservatives. And in Austin, Liberal prosecutors in Travis County are back on the hotseat.
CPAC underway in North Texas
The backstory:
Two different political spotlights were turned on Thursday. One was flattering, and the other would be pretty harsh.
The first lights flashed at the CPAC convention which is underway in Grapevine. Thursday afternoon, the annual gathering for conservatives put the Texas Attorney General's race on center stage.
State Senator Mayes Middleton was one of the guest speakers.
Mayes is in a bitter May runoff with Congressman Chip Roy for the GOP nomination. He recently got an endorsement from Aaron Reitz, who didn’t make the runoff. Middleton, known for his "MAGA Mayes" campaign ads, talked about his voting record while in the Texas legislature and accused Roy of not being a true Trump supporter.
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"This is a show me, don't tell me business. How tired are we of politicians telling us what they're going to do, right? They tell us all these things, they promise all these things. No, you got to show us the results. And I can show you those results," said Mayes.
Chip Roy, who is also speaking at the CPAC convention, was on Capitol Hill Thursday talking about tensions in the Middle East. On the campaign trail, he points out that Middleton has no real legal experience.
The other side:
Meanwhile, things are heating up under the Texas Capitol dome.
Speaker Dustin Burrows announced his to-do list for all house committees, issues to take up before the session next year.
His charge includes three new select committees. One of them is called "Government Oversight." House members assigned to that select committee have a broad focus, with an emphasis on city councils, school boards and local judicial systems. The committee will even look into how Texas could add some counties from New Mexico that are along the Texas border.
Lakeway republican Ellen Troxclair, who is on the committee, said the hearings will try to find and reveal misuse of tax dollars.
"I think that's what's most exciting about this committee is that it has really broad jurisdiction to look under the hood in a lot of different places," said Troxclair.
The committee may do a review of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and school boards. That could result in legislation to allow parents and taxpayers to file lawsuits.
"The law right now is that they cannot do so. No matter what, a government entity has immunity. And so, what do you think that sets up for? Good behavior or bad behavior? If you know that you cannot be sued for wrongdoing or the bar is so high that it's really not possible, that is an opportunity for abuse and fraud. And so, one of the things that I hope might come out of this committee is actually allowing the taxpayers and the parents to get the products and services that they deserve without their money going to fund things that are either illegal or inappropriate," said Troxclair.
The other two select committees announced by Speaker Burrows will also be busy. One is taking on access to affordable health care, and another involves general aviation, with an emphasis on improving flights into rural parts of Texas.
A list of charges for all House Committees is available here.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski