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April 23, 2023
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
It's hard to believe, but the legislative session in Austin is starting to come into the home stretch. When they return tomorrow, there will only be 35 days left in the legislative session.
And despite thousands of pieces of legislation being filed in the House and Senate, only one has made its way to the governor's desk.
That means there is a lot of work left to do in a short amount of time.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Senate, has placed the blame on the House. Speaker Dade Phelan, meanwhile, has avoided commenting on the slow pace of his chamber. The numbers speak for themselves. While the Senate has now passed all 30 of Patrick's priorities, the House has only passed one bill considered a conservative priority—a bill to tamp down on pornographic books in school libraries.
That means big issues like border security, protecting women's sports, ending child gender mutilation, cracking down on critical race theory and DEI programs in public universities, school choice, and banning "all ages" drag shows from targeting children are all in the House's court.
And while 35 days may seem like a lot of time, the reality is there's not as much time on the clock as it may appear.
In an analysis of the House deadlines published at the beginning of the session, Tony McDonald pointed out that—while House committees technically have until May 5 to pass bills and place them on a calendar—from a practical perspective they need to be passed by April 27 in order to have a realistic chance of passing.
That's this Thursday.
After that, House bills need to receive a vote by midnight on May 11. The chamber has until May 23, meanwhile, to approve legislation sent over from the Senate.
If they don't move expeditiously, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened last week that there could be a special session (aka legislative overtime). And while only the governor has the power to call 30-day special sessions on issues he chooses, Patrick says he can force the issue by not passing a must-pass bill like he did in 2017.
All of the means that the next few weeks will be make or break for conservative legislation in the House.
This week...
- The House will reconvene on Monday, Apr 24, at 1:00 pm
- The Senate will reconvene on Monday, Apr 24, 11:00 am
- The "How Many More?" rally for border security will take place at the state capitol on Saturday at 1pm.
- Texas Scorecard will launch the first two episodes of the new season of our podcast EXPOSED: Border Invasion on Monday.
Upcoming Committee Hearings...
Featured
by Darrell Frost
Legislation to remove sexually explicit material from public school libraries was approved by the Texas House, marking the first Republican priority to pass the chamber since the session began.
House Bill 900 by State Rep. Jared Patterson (R–Frisco)—known as the “Restricting Explicit and Adult-Designated Educational Resources (READER) Act”—cleared a major legislative hurdle with a bipartisan 95-53 vote following modest opposition from a few Democrat lawmakers.
State
Lt. Gov. Patrick Lauds Senate’s Efforts to End ‘Woke Policies’ in Higher Education
With the passage of legislation to end tenure for college professors, the upper chamber completed its tour de force against divisive social agendas in Texas colleges and universities.
Texas Republicans Rally Against Child Gender Mutilation
Republican activists recently converged on the Texas Capitol to rally for protecting children from dangerous, life-altering medical procedures.
Disapproval for Gambling in Texas Skyrockets
New poll reveals Texas Republican voters see bringing casinos to Texas as a “bad bet.”
Local
Lewisville ISD Teacher Faces 99 Years for Sexual Assault of 10-year-old Student
John Collett is a former Teacher of the Year at Camey Elementary.
San Antonio May Decriminalize Abortion And Other Crimes
The city’s May ballot includes Proposition A, which would prevent police from enforcing certain laws.
Psychologist Pushes Radical Gender Theory in Texas School Without Parental Consent
The licensed psychologist spoke to students about gender identity, drugs used in gender transition, and Christians’ lack of acceptance toward LGBTQ people.
Federal
Thousands of Illegal Aliens Attempted to Evade Border Patrol in MarchU.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that they encountered 191,900 illegal aliens in March, with 162,317 of those specifically crossing between the ports of entry.
New York Democrat Cites Tony Gonzales While Opposing Border Security Legislation
U.S. Rep. Gonzales has been censured by the Texas GOP for violating party values regarding the border.
Texas Scorecard TV App!
Have you checked out Texas Scorecard's streaming video apps for Roku and Apple TV?
In addition to our growing library of shows and video content, the Texas Scorecard TV app also includes gavel-to-gavel live coverage of the Senate and House chambers.
The app is available for free right now: simply go to the Roku or Apple TV app store, and search for "Texas Scorecard."
Quoting...
"Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."
- James Madison
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