Changes

On January 27, 2018, the sixty-two elected members of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee<ref>The sixty-two members do not include state party chairman [[James Dickey]] of Spicewood, west of [[Austin]], and the vice chairman. Therefore the committee has a total of sixty-four members.</ref> voted by just over the required two thirds vote, 44–19, to [[censure]] Straus for the "blocking of much of the conservative agenda advanced in 2017 by [[Governor]] [[Greg Abbott]]. [[Mark Dorazio]], the former interim Bexar County GOP chairman and a member of the state executive committee, said that Straus had subverted the party's platform and kept the state from becoming the conservative "shining city on the hill", as [[Ronald W. Reagan]] often spoke.<ref>Jonathan Tilove, "State GOP executive panel censures Straus: House speaker didn't go along with agenda," ''San Antonio Express-News,'' January 28, 2018, p. A6.</ref>  

On January 27, 2018, the sixty-two elected members of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee<ref>The sixty-two members do not include state party chairman [[James Dickey]] of Spicewood, west of [[Austin]], and the vice chairman. Therefore the committee has a total of sixty-four members.</ref> voted by just over the required two thirds vote, 44–19, to [[censure]] Straus for the "blocking of much of the conservative agenda advanced in 2017 by [[Governor]] [[Greg Abbott]]. [[Mark Dorazio]], the former interim Bexar County GOP chairman and a member of the state executive committee, said that Straus had subverted the party's platform and kept the state from becoming the conservative "shining city on the hill", as [[Ronald W. Reagan]] often spoke.<ref>Jonathan Tilove, "State GOP executive panel censures Straus: House speaker didn't go along with agenda," ''San Antonio Express-News,'' January 28, 2018, p. A6.</ref>  

Despite the snub among conservatives in his own San Antonio, community leaders across West Texas hailed Straus' leadership of the state House. Moderate Republican Mayor Dan Pope of [[Lubbock]] said that Straus represented rural Texas "admirably. His common-sense leadership in support of business and education - often in the face of criticism - will be his legacy.”<ref name=laj/> Straus championed the request of [[Texas Tech University]] to establish a school of veterinary medicine in [[Amarillo]] despite opposition coming from within the GOP. Texas Tech System Chancellor Robert Lloyd Duncan, a Moderate Republican former state senator, described Straus as "an advocate for higher education and its importance in making our state better. He is also a common-sense legislator who recognizes state needs and works to address them. His support was instrumental in the Texas Tech University System receiving funding to pursue a dental school and school of veterinary medicine. We will miss his pragmatic leadership.”<ref name=laj>{{cite web|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/2017-10-25/speaker-straus-commended-keeping-west-texas-policy-decisions|title=Speaker Straus commended for keeping West Texas in policy decisions|author=Matt Dotray|publisher=''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|date=October 25, 2017|accessdate=February 16, 2018}}</ref> State Representative John T. Smithee of Amarillo called Straus "a critical ally" for the needs of West Texas.<ref name=laj/>

Despite the snub among conservatives in his own San Antonio, community leaders across West Texas hailed Straus' leadership of the state House. Moderate Republican Mayor Dan Pope of [[Lubbock]] said that Straus represented rural Texas "admirably. His common-sense leadership in support of business and education - often in the face of criticism - will be his legacy.”<ref name=laj/> Straus championed the request of [[Texas Tech University]] to establish a school of veterinary medicine in [[Amarillo]] despite opposition coming from within the GOP. Texas Tech System Chancellor [[Robert Duncan]], a Moderate Republican former state senator, described Straus as "an advocate for higher education and its importance in making our state better. He is also a common-sense legislator who recognizes state needs and works to address them. His support was instrumental in the Texas Tech University System receiving funding to pursue a dental school and school of veterinary medicine. We will miss his pragmatic leadership.”<ref name=laj>{{cite web|url=http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/2017-10-25/speaker-straus-commended-keeping-west-texas-policy-decisions|title=Speaker Straus commended for keeping West Texas in policy decisions|author=Matt Dotray|publisher=''The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal''|date=October 25, 2017|accessdate=February 16, 2018}}</ref> State Representative [[John T. Smithee]] of Amarillo called Straus "a critical ally" for the needs of West Texas.<ref name=laj/>

On June 6, 2018, Straus called for the removal of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] plaque in the state Capitol. In a legal brief to state Attorney General [[Ken Paxton]], a strong conservative, Straus claimed the plaque "misleads visitors about the cause of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com|title=Meanwhile in Texas, Confederate Plaque|publisher=''Texas Monthly''|accessdate=June 8, 2018}}</ref>

On June 6, 2018, Straus called for the removal of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] plaque in the state Capitol. In a legal brief to state Attorney General [[Ken Paxton]], a strong conservative, Straus claimed the plaque "misleads visitors about the cause of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.texasmonthly.com|title=Meanwhile in Texas, Confederate Plaque|publisher=''Texas Monthly''|accessdate=June 8, 2018}}</ref>