Congressional Retirement Announcements 
Four Texas Congressional members have announced their intentions to retire since our last memo: Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land), Mike Conaway (R-Midland), Will Hurd (R-Helotes) and Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton). With the 2021 Texas Legislative Session’s focus on redistricting, these retirements are significant and they are not expected to be the last. For more perspective on these changes, click here.
TX Lege Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes 
There have been several announcements from Texas legislators in recent days as well. State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) announced his U.S. Senate campaign, adding his name to the growing list of Democrats who want to defeat incumbent Senator John Cornyn; as his state Senate seat is not up until 2022, he will not have to resign to run. State Representative John Wray (R-Waxahachie) announced he will not run for re-election, the second member of the Texas House to announce retirement after Rep. Jonathan Stickland in June. Most recently, State Representative and House Appropriations Chairman John Zerwas (R-Richmond) gave notice that he will resign his seat effective September 30th. On October 1st, Dr. Zerwas will join the University of Texas System as Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs, overseeing four medical schools, two dental schools and three nursing schools. Click here and here for recent articles about these changes.
Representative Mary González Named a Latina Leader to Watch by National Publication 
Representative Mary González (D-Clint) was recently named one of The Hill’s Latina Leaders to Watch in 2019. While previous editions focused on federal leaders, this year’s list features state legislators from across the country. Rep. González is singled out for her leadership as chair of the Texas House’s LGBTQ Caucus and as vice-chair of its Mexican American Legislative Caucus, as well as her work to raise awareness of the immigration issues facing her district. Rep. González also recently graduated with a Ph.D. from The University of Texas this May. To see the full list of leaders and read more about Rep. González, click here.
Capitol Blood Drive in Honor of El Paso Shooting Victims
On Monday, a blood drive was held at the Texas Capitol to aid and honor victims of the recent mass shooting in El Paso. A second trailer had to be brought to the site to accommodate the dozens of people lined up to donate. For more information, click here.
Only in Austin…or, It’s Matthew McConaughey’s Texas, and We’re “Just Livin’” in it…
