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April 9, 2023
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
I hope you are enjoying your Easter weekend, as we remember Christ's sacrifice and His resurrection.
Before the weekend, the Texas Legislature met through Thursday night and gave a sign that one of Gov. Greg Abbott's top legislative priorities might be in peril.
In the House, lawmakers gave their initial approval to the state's $303 billion biennial budget. As part of that process, a Democrat member proposed an amendment that would prohibit any state funds from being used for any school choice programs.
In a vote of 86-52, house members approved that prohibition on school choice.
That could be a problem for Gov. Abbott, who has been touring the state promoting education savings accounts, individual state-funded accounts that families can use to pay for education expenses. School choice is also a legislative priority of the Republican Party of Texas.
At the same time, the Texas Senate passed its own school choice program last week. It's not without it's criticism, however, as some advocates have taken issue with the low number of students it would be available to, due in part to low funding and a $30,000 per student payout to the public school a child leaves.
What happens next will be worth watching. Despite the budget vote, the House Public Education committee is scheduled to consider several school choice bills when they meet on Tuesday.
This week...
- The Texas House will reconvene on Monday at 2pm.
- The Texas Senate will reconvene on Tuesday at 11am.
Upcoming Committee Hearings...
Featured
by Sydnie Henry
After hours of deliberations, lawmakers in the Texas House passed a preliminary $303 billion state budget.
Nearly 400 amendments to the budget in House Bill 1 were pre-filed Monday in anticipation of the deliberations on Thursday.
Over the course of the day, hundreds of amendments were withdrawn or moved to Article 11 of the budget (a legislative “trash can” or wish list), making for a much shorter debate—and less Republican opposition to Democrat amendments—than that of previous legislative sessions.
State
Texas Senate Bans Drag Shows Targeting Children
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says he will not allow kids to be “sexualized and scarred for life by harmful drag performances.”
Texas Medical Board Reinstates License of Doctor Who Defied Mask Mandates
Dr. Eric Hensen has been fighting the TMB for years over the mask mandate policy.
Gambling Expansion Moves in Texas House Despite Opposition in the Senate
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said casino expansion does not have support among Senate Republicans.
Local
Libs of TikTok Blasts Dallas School District Over Sexually Explicit Books
DISD administrators have not given any indication they intend to remove the books from school libraries.
Border Patrol Discovers More Than 140 Illegal Aliens in Stash Houses
Agents found the illegal aliens in two stash houses in the El Paso area.
Feds Bust Navasota ISD Teacher for Distributing Child Porn
Daniel Byrd is accused of using Telegram and Kik apps to download and share pornographic images of children.
Federal
Trump’s Support Among Texas Republicans Surges Amid Indictment
Fifty-two percent of Texas Republicans say Donald Trump is their top choice for president, following news of his indictment in New York.
Nikki Haley Touts Censured Rep. Tony Gonzales as the ‘Border King’
The former South Carolina governor toured the border with U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who has been censured for his opposition to border security efforts.
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Quoting...
"He is not here; He has risen!"
- Luke 24:6-7
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