The STAR Republican News February 2023 Star Republican Women is a federated member club of the Texas Federation of Republican Women and serves members and communities within TFRW Region XII and Texas Senate District 24. www.StarRepublicanWomen.com In This Issue. Feb. 21 Meeting Details Sara's Shorts Call for Art Supplies to Help Phoenix Center Time to Renew Your Membership! Legislative Report from Rep. Murr Thank you Patrons & Sponsors! Laura Pressley To Speak At Feb. 21 Meeting Complimentary lunch begins at 12:30 p.m. Program commences at 1:00 CLICK HERE for Upcoming Area GOP Events Calendar TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP! PLEASE SEE INFORMATION BELOW AND ACT NOW! True Texas Elections Founder Dr. Laura Pressley To Speak at Feb. 21 SRW Meeting Dr. Laura Pressley, founder of True Texas Elections, will speak at the Star Republican Women's Feb. 21 meeting at Quail Point Community Center. The program will begin at 1 p.m., following a complimentary lunch that starts at 12:30 p.m. Dr. Pressley is first and foremost a Christian. Her research interests include electronic voting system technology, computerized voting tabulation processes and security, statistical analysis of electronic voting results, central counting station central accumulator audit logs, along with the study of state and federal election laws associated with the storage of backup records for elections. In 2018, Dr. Pressley founded True Texas Elections, LLC to address how our votes are counted . She has given over 500 presentations across Texas on the technical details of how Texas’ electronic voting machines, and Texas’ election officials around the state, are not adhering to state laws regarding retention of election records and counting of votes. Since 2016, she has trained over 600 central counting station election watchers, election judges, and clerks in more than 45 counties in Texas. Since 2020, Dr. Pressley has been a court-authorized voting system analyst testifying expert, consulting expert, and witness in several election related criminal and legal cases in Texas. She has testified before the Texas Senate and House on election security and technology issues and has also assisted state legislators in drafting election security laws. Dr. Pressley’s technology background includes: earning a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from U.T. Austin in 1994 and working professionally as a senior member technical staff and engineering manager for 17 years in the semiconductor industry. She holds 4 United States patents on semiconductor device technology and has authored and co-authored peer reviewed publications on the same. Kathy Hussey, Vice President of Programs Sara's Shorts For the Love of Patriots! “If you do not take an interest in the affairs of your government, then you are doomed to live under the rules of fools,” Plato 387 BC. Does that statement also describe 2023 AD society? It is hard to find answers when topics include massive immigration across our border, gender pronouns, a war in Ukraine where no one proactively speaks of peace or negotiations, and a Congress who has failed to produce a budget and keeps raising debt ceiling and taxes. Today's gender debate even shreds our birthright sexually for free choice, with hormone therapy or sexual alteration,even if nonfunctional. Artificial Intelligence is predicted to replace humans superiority in most situations rendering mankind inept to compete with technology mankind created. Have we gone mad? But alas, February is our month to shine! Why shine?? Because our birthright comes with the capacity to love and share love and to worship and praise. If we are going to turn this giant mess around, without sinking the ship, we need to find our humanity, cast out evil, and glorify loving kindness. Love is patient, and kind, not bragging or proud, appropriate, and not seeking own way. Love is not provoked, takes no account of evil, rejoices in truth, bearing believing and hoping all things. There is no finish line for love as it endures all things. Patriots, do not loose your patriotic, passionate love for our country, our freedom or each other. Love endures. Do not give up. Do not give in. Do not surrender!!!!! Instead,PRAY... Happy Valentine Day, Stars! Smile at a Democrat. Hug and encourage a Republican. Invite a new member to join us. . . Sara Boyd, SRW President Caring For America Art Supplies Drive To Benefit Local Phoenix Center Star's Caring for America Committee has launched a project to provide art supplies to Phoenix Center's art therapy classes for children of all ages. Located at its new facility in Marble Falls, the Phoenix Center inspires hope, health and healing by providing the highest level of mental health care to children and their families through innovative trauma-informed therapy and education. Following are the items, the Caring for America Committee is requesting that you bring to the Feb. 21 meeting: Individually wrapped packages of Crayola crayons Watercolor paper (8 x 10 or larger sizes) Blank canvases or canvas boards (assorted sizes) Washable Crayola paint Acrylic paint Sherry Olson, Caring for America Committee Chairman It's Time to Renew Your Membership! Please renew your Star Republican Women membership, which also includes a membership to the Texas Federation of Republican Women. Click on the button below to get a membership form to complete and bring to our next meeting, or drop in the mail along with your check. Membership is $30 and Associate Membership is $20. A small price to pay to gain special insight about issues that impact our lives as well as having so much fun with like-minded women! Name pins are an additional $6, and some of our members need to pick up their pins at the upcoming meeting. We appreciate your involvement in Star and the Texas Federation of Republican Women! And welcome new members: Paula Murray and Yuki Graves! Debbie Lambert, Membership Committee Chairman SRW Membership Form Legislative Report from Rep. Murr On Tuesday, January 10th, all 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives and 31 Members of the Texas Senate converged upon the Capitol in Austin to officially kick off the 88th Legislative Session. As mandated by the Texas Constitution, the Legislature is required to meet for 140 days in every odd-numbered year. Throughout the session, my colleagues and I will deliberate over a multitude of bills and ultimately cast our votes to decide whether the proposed legislation should become law. Many may not realize that in a typical regular legislative session, it is common to see upwards of 10,000 bills and resolutions introduced! However, usually, less than 25% of these cross the final line in both the House and the Senate and are signed into law by the Governor. As a member of the House of Representatives, I have the privilege of introducing legislation to better the lives of the people of House District 53. So far, I have filed more than 20 bills, which cover topics including property tax relief, election fraud, and landowner liability protections, among many others. It is my hope that the legislation I put forward will receive the support of my colleagues in the Legislature and ultimately be signed into law by Governor Abbott. You will find a flowchart with a better picture of how a bill from a House member becomes law in Texas by clicking here . Following is information about a few bill that I are on my priority list: House Bill 29 One of my priorities for this session is to push for meaningful, long-lasting property tax relief for Texans. One of the very first bills I filed for this session was House Bill 29, which would prohibit school districts from imposing Maintenance and Operations taxes on Texas property owners. This proposal, as written, would slash most individuals' property taxes by one-half. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to reduce the burdensome property taxes that plague Texas property owners. House Bill 39 Since the passage of Senate Bill 1 in the 2021 Special Session, I have remained committed to ensuring that voting fraud becomes reinstated from a misdemeanor to a state jail felony. As promised on the campaign trail, House Bill 39 was one of the first bills I filed this session and addresses the concerns regarding the lowered fraud penalty. During the 2022 Summer, Republicans all across the state gathered for the Texas GOP Convention and identified the felony penalty restoration as one of their top Legislative Priorities. Our election laws are some of the strongest in the nation, and making this legislative change will provide a legacy that Texans are proud of and that other states will strive for. Texas House Representative Andrew Murr, Dist. 53 SRW Patron and Sponsor Programs To Help Candidates & Communities Star Republican Women thank those who became sponsors and patrons in 2022, providing funds for Star's political contributions for the upcoming general elections and to support its Caring for America activities in local communities. If you want to participate as a Patron or Sponsor in 2023, please click on the link below for additional information. We welcome you recruiting others to participating in these programs as well. SRW Patron & Sponsorship Programs 2023 SRW Officers President Sara Boyd
[email protected] 817.475.6953 VP Programs Kathy Hussey
[email protected] 325.423.0418 Secretary Kathy Stahl
[email protected] 832.472.5437 VP Membership Debbie Lambert
[email protected] 512.748.0814 Treasurer Pam St. Clair
[email protected] 210.621.8220 2023 SRW Committee Chairmen Awards Linda Baker l
[email protected] 713.206.0711 Hospitality Julie Jackson j
[email protected] 512.961.0610 Bylaws Belle Guice
[email protected] 210.508.7803 Parliamentarian Belle Guice
[email protected] 210.508.7803 Caring for America Sherry Olson
[email protected] 830.596.3021 Chaplain Louraine Robertson
