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Good morning –

Today is the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. We must reclaim the sense of self-governance that motivated our forefathers to fight.

Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, April 19, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Just 40 Days Left There are 40 days left in Texas' legislative session. Anyone telling you to "stand down" on your legislative priorities and "let the process work" is ushering you to a defeat.

As a citizen and an activist, you should not trust anyone who tells you to "trust" the backroom processes that legislators and their sycophants have designed to aid their cronies and kill your priorities. Now is the time for you to speak louder and demand more. Tomorrow quickly becomes too late. Soros Targets El Paso, Pushing Unreliable Energy While Texans raise concerns about the reliability of the state’s power grid, liberal billionaire George Soros is funding an organization that wants to make El Paso dependent on unreliable energy sources. Katy Marshall has the details [[link removed]].

Soros' money is being used to bully citizens into adopting a “climate charter” that would all but eliminate the use of reliable energy sources in favor of costly unreliable power sources. Patrick Warns He Can ‘Create’ Special Session if Priorities Are Killed in House Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick isn't impressed [[link removed]] with the way the Texas House is slow-walking legislation. He told a television news crew that while he doesn't have the power to call a special session, he can "create one" by not allowing legislation critical to state operations to pass the Senate.

In 2017, Patrick did just that after the Texas House similarly failed to pass a number of conservative priorities. In response, Patrick did not bring up a “must-pass” bill needed to continue the functions of several state agencies, which forced Abbott to call lawmakers back in that July.

“If we don’t get some major priorities that the people want us to pass because [the House] acted very slowly during the session, then I think we ought to finish the job,” said Patrick [[link removed]].

Patrick also gave the House Speaker a nickname: " California Dade [[link removed]]." Lawmakers Push for Weaker School Bond Ballot Transparency

Republican lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate are pushing measures this week that weaken ballot transparency requirements for school bonds. The legislators' efforts are designed to make it even easier for school districts to win voter approval for new debt paid with higher property tax burdens. Erin Anderson has the details [[link removed]].

When voters approve school bonds, they also approve property taxes “sufficient, without limit as to rate or amount,” to repay the bond debt plus interest—imposing new tax burdens on local property owners for 20 or more years. In 2019, school finance reform legislation added a rule requiring school bond ballot propositions to include the statement, “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX INCREASE.”

School district officials, as well as vendors who benefit financially from school bonds, blamed [[link removed]] the new ballot language for voters rejecting more proposals. As such, school officials have been lobbying lawmakers to change the wording.

In the House, J.M. Lozano (R–Kingsville) filed legislation to change the required school bond ballot language to “THIS IS A PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASE.” The distinction, of course, is that the "rate" can go down, but property owners still experience much higher tax burdens as a result of the new debt.

Lozano’s legislation is scheduled for a public hearing tomorrow in the House Public Education Committee. An identical measure was introduced in the Senate by Tan Parker (R–Flower Mound); that is scheduled for a public hearing Wednesday in the Senate Education Committee.

So in the same session that the GOP-dominated Legislature is backing away from delivering historic property tax relief, we have Republicans trying to make it easier for Texas' property tax burdens to get heavier. Texas House Rejects Effort To Protect Children A proposal that would have prevented state funds from being awarded to hospitals that sexually groom children with psychological counseling as part of the gender mutilation process was voted down in the Texas House. Brandon Waltens has the details [[link removed]].

As reported yesterday, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) was blocked Monday by Speaker Dade Phelan from offering an amendment preventing children's hospitals from getting a new state grant if they perform gender mutilation procedures. On Tuesday, though, he succeeded in getting his colleagues to vote [[link removed]] on a related measure.

Tinderholt tried to block a new state grant from going to children's hospitals that sexually groom children with psychological counseling as part of the gender mutilation process. A minority of Republicans joined with Democrats to thwart Tinderholt's proposal. (The article lists how lawmakers voted [[link removed]].)

The author of the grant program – Jacey Jetton (R-Richmond) – used the language of the radical left to describe Tinderholt's proposal. Jetton said he didn't want a discussion on “gender-affirming care” on his legislation giving the taxpayers' money to children's hospitals.

Mr. Jetton is disturbingly comfortable handing out tax dollars to entities that work to mutilate and sterilize confused children. Thousands of Illegal Aliens Attempt to Evade Border Patrol A majority of the illegal aliens entering the U.S. in March did not cross a bridge and turn themselves over to Border Patrol agents; instead, the illegals crossed the border between the ports of entry in an attempt to evade law enforcement. Sydnie Henry has the story [[link removed]].

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, their agents encountered 191,900 illegal aliens in March, with 162,317 of those specifically crossing between the ports of entry. Senate Passes 'Vaccine Freedom Act' Texans would be shielded from coerced COVID-19 vaccines under legislation that has passed the Senate. Darrell Frost reports [[link removed]] the measure was adopted 20-11.

Senate Bill 177 by State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston) would require “informed consent” before a COVID-19 vaccine was administered. It would also prohibit any action intended to “compel or coerce” an individual into giving such consent, as well as prohibit taking an “adverse action” against someone for refusing to receive a vaccination for COVID-19.

Middleton said [[link removed]] he pushed the legislation because “no Texan should have to choose between their sincerely held beliefs on the COVID vaccine and their right to make a living and feed their family.” 🔒 Donate to Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Number of the Day

$104,161,641,326

Current outstanding debt levied by local school districts in Texas; 98.4 percent of that debt was voter-approved.

[Source: Texas Bond Review Board [[link removed]]]

Today in History

On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution began with the Battle of Lexington. By the time the British retreated to the safety of Boston, almost 300 of their number had been killed, injured, deserted, or taken prisoner. The Americans, meanwhile, had fewer than 100 casualties.

Quote-Unquote

“Young man, what we meant in going for those redcoats was this: We always had governed ourselves, and we always meant to and they meant that we shouldn’t.”

– Levi Preston,​

explaining why he fought at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

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