In today’s Brief: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has a primary challenger for 2018, and the state’s largest pretrial system has been thrown into confusion after its bail bond system was declared unconstitutional.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has a primary challenge from Trey Blocker, an Austin-based attorney and longtime lobbyist, in 2018, reports the Tribune’s Patrick Svitek.
Why this matters: Blocker's run against Miller could set the stage for the most serious primary challenge yet to a statewide official running in 2018. Miller, who's running for a second term, has been involved in a number of high-profile controversies while in office, including personal trips on the state's dime and the time his Twitter account tweeted a message referring to Hillary Clinton as the c-word.
In other 2018 news... State Rep. Helen Giddings, D-DeSoto, announced Tuesday she isn't seeking a 14th term to the Texas House in 2018, calling the decision "one that tugs at my heart." Giddings was first elected in 1992 and serves as vice chairwoman of the influential House State Affairs Committee and chairwoman of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.
BAIL BOND CONFUSION IN HARRIS COUNTY
Texas' largest pretrial system has been thrown into confusion after a federal ruling earlier this year determined Harris County's bail bond system was unconstitutional.
The ruling mandated that almost everyone in Harris County accused of misdemeanors be released from jail within 24 hours of their arrest, and it placed responsibility for issuing bail orders in the hands of the Harris County Sheriff's Office — which up to that point had no experience issuing bonds.
New data shows that since then, more than 40 percent of the defendants released by the sheriff under the court-mandated bonds aren’t showing up to their hearings.
“It gets complicated,” said one employee in the department who oversees processing at Harris County Jail. “There’s a big process that’s brand new to the sheriff’s office, so we had to create a new policy, our own forms.”
Other stories we're watching today
What does Texas Congressman Joe Barton's graphic photo mean for his re-election bid? We're talking about this and more on our live recording of TribCast today — join us on Facebook at noon. Got questions? Reply to this email or ask them on the Facebook post.
Project Veritas founder James O'Keefeis set to speak at Southern Methodist University today about bias in the media, among other things. His scheduled appearance comes shortly after The Washington Post reported that a woman with possible ties to O'Keefe's organization targeted a Post reporter in a sting operation.
BEST OF THE TRIB
• With six members gone and counting, Ross Ramsey says, a political earthquake is hitting the Texas congressional delegation.
• Texas is falling behind the rest of the country when it comes to getting vaccinated against the most common sexually transmitted infection.
• The last scheduled execution of the year in Texas was sent back to court over false testimony claims.
• New in TribTalk: To support business, reduce government bribes
Join us in Houston on Nov. 30 for a conversation on health care after Hurricane Harvey with state Rep. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, Elena Marks, president and CEO of the Episcopal Health Foundation, and executive director of Harris County Public Health Umair Shah.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
A Christmas tree is mounted inside the Texas Senate at the state Capitol on Nov. 28, 2017. Photo by Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune. See more photos on our Instagram account.
THE LAST WORD
"Asking our elected officials to be ethical shouldn't be too much to ask for."
— Trey Blocker, an Austin-based attorney and longtime lobbyist who's challenging Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in the 2018 GOP primary.
Thanks for reading The Brief, our daily dispatch on Texas politics, public policy and everything in between. Please shoot me your tips and feedback at cpollock@texastribune.org. Love this newsletter? Consider making a donation in support of our nonprofit newsroom. — Cassi Pollock
