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If you don't know what it means "to keep your squats low and your standards high," then you have not yet met one of Texas Scorecard's newest team members. 

Meanwhile, it looks like you aren't going to be getting much tax relief – but don't worry, Texas House members are padding their pensions.

Here is the Texas Minute for Thursday, April 27, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Advocates Worry Phelan House Won't Pass Border Security Measures

• As the Texas House slow-walks conservative priorities through the legislative process, concerns are growing regarding the status of much-needed border security measures. Sydnie Henry has the details.

      
• “Several priority bills remain stuck in committee, several without so much as a hearing,” said Chris Russo, president of Texans for Strong Borders. “Texas cannot afford to wait until next session. The crisis will worsen once Title 42 expires in May, and our state must be ready to respond.”
      
• After a marathon hearing in the House State Affairs Committee two weeks ago, nine pieces of border security legislation addressing various parts of the crisis–from law enforcement funding to increasing criminal smuggling charges–are still pending before the committee.  
      
• There is just one month left in the legislative session, which ends on May 29, 2023.

Miller Implements Dress Code For Ag Department

• Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller implemented a new dress code requiring Texas Department of Agriculture employees to wear clothing “in a manner consistent with their biological gender.” Katy Marshall reports repeated violations may include “remedies up to and including termination.”
      

• An employee of the Agriculture Department told Texas Scorecard that employees have been showing up to work in pajamas. Meanwhile, a man wearing inappropriate and revealing clothing has been using the women’s restroom, making female employees uncomfortable.

     

• The dress code includes standards for both men and women and encourages employees to “demonstrate good judgment and professional taste.”
      

• A lawyer with the leftwing American Civil Liberties Union claims the dress code violates federal law. Miller scoffed at that and said that the dress code follows state law.
      

• “Common-sense dress code policies are still legal in the state of Texas and at the Texas Department of Agriculture,” said Miller. “TDA’s policies are in the best interest of our employees and the constituents we serve.”

House Members Put Their Pension On Auto-Increase

• With the state collecting nearly $31 billion in surplus revenue and citizens begging for tax relief, lawmakers in the Texas House overwhelmingly gave initial approval to a scheme to increase their pension payouts upon retirement. Brandon Waltens explains how lawmakers are padding their own pockets.

      

• In the part-time Texas Legislature, lawmakers earn a relatively small salary of $7,200. That’s not the only cash they receive, however.
       

• They are also entitled to $221 in per diem during the legislative session, whether they are present or not. They can also collect the per diem every time they go to Austin for "legislative business" outside of the session. That adds up to more than $25,000 in additional pay.
      
• The big prize is the lucrative pension legislators give themselves. It is pegged to the base salary of a state district judge (currently $140,000) and lawmakers are allowed to vest in a pension after eight years in office. After 12 years in office, a lawmaker can begin receiving payments at age 50.
       
• Earlier this week, and with very little debate, the House passed legislation by State Rep. Mike Schofield (R–Katy) that would add automatic increases to the judges' salary tied to increases in the Consumer Price Index – which, in turn, will automatical increase the pension that lawmakers receive.
      
• So you aren't getting real tax relief, or even the surplus money the state over-collected from taxpayers, but Mike Schofield and his colleagues are putting their unethical pensions on auto-pilot.
         
• "Taxpayers deserve better than what these self-serving lawmakers are producing this legislative session.” – Tim Hardin, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility

Paxton Joins 22 States In Fight To Protect Women's Sports

• Even as the legislative fight across the nation and Texas continues over protecting female athletes, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced he is joining a Tennessee-led legal fight. Nearly half the states have signed on in support of legal filings in federal court as part of an effort to protect women’s sports against unfair and dangerous competition from biological men. Emily Wilkerson has the story.

      

• In 2021, Texas lawmakers passed legislation protecting girls' sports from kindergarten through 12th grade but stopped short of protecting collegiate sports.

      
• Last month, the Texas Senate passed a measure that would prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports at the collegiate level. The Texas House has not given the proposal a hearing.

One Republican Senator Opposes Ban On China Buying Texas Land

• State Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock bucked his GOP colleagues by voting against legislation designed to prevent hostile countries and their citizens from buying up land in Texas. Sydnie Henry asked him why.
      

• Senate Bill 147 by State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R–Brenham) would prohibit any purchase of real property in the state of Texas by hostile governments, entities affiliated with these countries, or their citizens. The legislation comes after concerns have grown over China’s acquisition of land across the country and in Texas. In 2021, for example, 130,000 acres in South Texas near Laughlin Air Force Base were purchased by a former member of the Chinese communist army.
      
• Gov. Greg Abbott has given the measure his support.
      
• On Wednesday, Perry joined the Democrats in opposing it.
      
• “Private property ownership is the cardinal of our jewel crown; it makes us unique to every country in the world, to accumulate wealth and develop wealth and to do the things that we need to do,” said Perry in an interview. “So, on private property law alone, I am unwilling to give a government any wiggle room in future use to take my property away.”
     
• While Perry acknowledged that Chinese land ownership is “arguably a real threat” to Texans, he says the rhetoric surrounding the issue is not supported by the numbers.
      
• “I like to say I trust the guy that I can see that moved next door to me probably more than I trust the government that I’m elected to work for right now. It will be used in a really, really bad way, in really quick procession.” – Charles Perry

Leander ISD Wants $763 Million In New Taxpayer-financed Debt Spending

• A large school district northwest of Austin with approximately 42,000 enrolled students is asking taxpayers to approve $763 million in debt spending during the May 6 local elections. Darrell Frost reports the pro-ISD campaign is selling voters on the idea their tax "rate" will not go up.
      
• In fact, the $763 million in principle (and nearly double that when adding interest) will result in higher property tax burdens for local taxpayers.
     
• Leander ISD is coming back to voters a year and a half after they rejected $739 million in proposed bond spending.
     
• The executive committee of the Republican Party of Williamson County voted this week to oppose the Leander ISD package.
      
• The school district currently has $1.569 billion (including interest) in outstanding current interest bonds (interest payments are made regularly until the bond is repaid), plus another $747 million in outstanding capital appreciation bonds (interest compounds annually until the bond matures, at which time the entire principal and interest must be paid).
     
• More than 100 school districts across the state are asking voters for approval to add a combined $25 billion in bond debt to the $104 billion outstanding.
      
• It is impossible to get property tax relief if you are voting for new bond debt.

Scorecard Spotlight

• One of Texas Scorecard's newest team members is Project Manager Kait Schober. She manages the flow of work around the Scorecard operations with the cheerful confidence of someone who likes getting things done.
      
• Kait is also a published author. She wrote 99 Days Across Texas about her experiences working on the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen West. She is also the author of Keep Your Squats Low And Your Standards High, combining her faith with her passion for physical fitness to explore the importance of setting practical and attainable goals.
      
• If you or someone you know is like Kait and enjoys working each day to serve the people of Texas, check out the employment opportunities with Texas Scorecard.

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