Dan Patrick

A key member of the Texas House’s Republican leadership blasted Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick as a Washington-style politician a day after the Texas Senate passed its version of a sweeping border security bill. 

A group of private citizens personally selected by Texas’ Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is crying foul on potential legislation that would expand Pre-Kindergarten classes in the state, going as far as to dub it “Godless” and a “threat” to parents across Texas.

These are bills that started out as a campaign promise for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and were later deemed a legislative priority at the start of the session, legislation that the members of the Lt. Gov.’s grassroots advisory board called a “threat to parental rights.” 

AUSTIN — Advisers to Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick described a major bipartisan pre-K initiative as socialist and keeping children in a “Godless environment,” in a letter sent to lawmakers Tuesday.

The letter was a rebuke over a preschool push being led by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, whose office responded by defending its plan while not addressing the criticism. It was written by a “grassroots advisory” board of conservative activists that Patrick, a Tea Party leader, assembled upon taking office in January.

“We are experimenting at great cost to taxpayers with a program that removes our young children from homes and half-day religious preschools and mothers’ day out programs to a Godless environment with only evidence showing absolutely NO LONG-TERM BENEFITS beyond the 1st grade,” the letter said.

AUSTIN — A Texas Senate education panel is considering a sweeping but divisive voucher plan that would let families get state funding to send their children to private and religious schools.

The proposal championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senate Education Committee Chairman Larry Taylor promotes what they call “school choice” by letting parents remove students from struggling public schools.

The plan will be heard Thursday in Taylor’s committee, which is likely to eventually approve it to the full Senate.

AUSTIN — Top Texas conservatives are now seemingly one-upping each other by pledging deeper and deeper tax cuts as part of the 2016-2017 budget, with all sides insisting that the state’s economy will stay strong enough to cover the costs of vital services despite the loss in revenue.