Good morning,

Closing out the week, Michael Quinn Sullivan reflects from Israel on what it means to leave an impact.

But first, here is the Texas Minute for Friday, June 2, 2023.

– Brandon Waltens 

Senate Won’t Accept House’s ‘Take It Or Leave It’ Tax Plan

• Despite the fact that the Texas House has packed up and left town, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the Senate will not accept their “take it or leave it” property tax relief plan.
   

• Hours after the regular legislative session ended on Monday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back for the first of several special sessions—this one dealing with border security and property tax relief.
   

• The two chambers have been at odds all year, however, on their approach to property tax relief. While the House has advocated for stronger appraisal caps, the Senate has supported an increase to the homestead exemption.
   

• Abbott’s plan, which he has increasingly embraced this week, shuns both approaches and instead would use funds from the state to help buy down—or “compress”—local school property taxes.
   

• On Tuesday, the House passed a bill to do just that. They then adjourned “Sine Die” that day, meaning they would not return for the remainder of the special session—a move meant to squeeze the Senate into accepting their proposal. 
   

• Patrick has been steadfast in his determination to have a homestead exemption increase as part of any property tax relief deal.
   

• “If the House thinks after abandoning the Capitol, and walking out on the Special Session, the Senate is going to pass their ‘take it or leave it’ property tax bill without a homestead exemption, they are mistaken,” Patrick wrote on Twitter.

Congress Votes to Raise Debt Ceiling

• Although the United States House overwhelmingly voted 314-117 to raise the debt ceiling, 14 U.S. House Republicans from Texas voted against the measure.
   

• Emily Wilkerson reports after weeks of negotiations between President Joe Biden and House Republicans, an agreement was reached to address the debt ceiling by rescinding about $30 billion in unspent COVID-19 relief funds and about $14 billion in IRS funding.
   

• On Wednesday evening, 14 members of Texas’ delegation voted against the bill, saying the deal violated an agreement to reduce federal spending when they agreed to vote for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Those voted against the bill included: 

  • Chip Roy
  • Michael Cloud
  • Keith Self
  • Wesley Hunt
  • John Carter
  • Ronny Jackson
  • Tony Gonzales
  • Nathaniel Moran
  • Beth Van Duyne
  • Pete Sessions
  • Morgan Luttrell
  • Lance Gooden
  • Pat Fallon
  • Randy Weber

Carrollton Church to Host Pride Event Targeting Children and Teens

• Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church in Carrollton, Texas, is partnering with Carrollton Pride to host several events during the month of June, with the first couple of events aimed at children and teens. Soli Rice has the story. 
   

• To kick off June “Pride Month,” the church is hosting a “Teen Pre-Pride Night,” where teens will decorate the church for their “2023 Carrollton Pride Day” the following day.
   

• The church is inviting all high-schoolers, as long as they are either a part of the LGBTQ+ community or have identified themselves as straight allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
   

• “Events like this, aimed at bringing sexuality to the absolute forefront with a focus on kids and teenagers, are disturbing,” said Austin Griesinger, policy director for Texas Family Project. “It is appalling that any church of any denomination would invest their resources in something like this.”
   

• It is unclear as to whether this event will feature sexually charged drag-style performances; however, last year’s pride events across the state included drag performances while allowing children to be in attendance.

TEA Names New Houston Superintendent

• Amid the Texas Education Agency taking over Houston Independent School District, the agency has chosen former Dallas ISD superintendent Mike Miles to be HISD’s new superintendent. Emily Wilkerson has the details.
   

• In 2019, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath ordered that TEA take over HISD after Phillis Wheatley High School received a failing grade on the state’s evaluation of schools for seven consecutive years. It was also uncovered through state investigations that there was evidence of malfeasance among the board of trustees and other district staff. 
   

• The board and a number of teachers sued the TEA to stop the takeover, but in January of this year, the Texas Supreme Court dismissed the injunction, allowing a board of managers to assume control of the district. 
   

• Before Miles was chosen, he was previously listed as the CEO of an education company called Third Future Schools, whose main mission is to improve failing schools. Third Future Schools has worked with many school districts in Texas, including Ector ISD, Midland ISD, and Austin ISD. 
   

• Miles also worked for Dallas ISD as the superintendent from 2012 before resigning in 2015. 

New Org to Compete with Texas Association of School Boards

• As demand grows for school districts to leave the embattled Texas Association of School Boards, a new alternative has been announced that aims to challenge their monopoly.
   

• Texans for Excellence in Education, led by Executive Director Hava Armstrong, says they are prepared to replace TASB as parents increasingly become frustrated with the organization. Currently local taxpayer dollars are used to fund TASB membership fees and services that include training, legal advice, and insurance. The association has also been criticized for lobbying against parents.
   

• In January, TASB advised its members to allow gender-confused students to use the restroom designated for the opposite sex and obscure a student’s preferred name and pronouns if their parents object to their “gender identity.” Last summer, TASB sponsored a conference promoting critical race theory. And in 2021, TASB declined to take any action regarding explicit books in school libraries after Gov. Greg Abbott sent them a public letter calling on them to do so.
   
• Earlier this year, Carroll ISD became the first school district to leave TASB. Now, they say, they are glad to have an alternative. 
   

• We believe competition is helpful and will result in lower prices and better services for all. With TEE, we now have an alternative for our board to consider.” —Cameron Bryan, Carroll ISD Board President

📺 WATCH: The Headline

• Be sure to catch this week's episode of The Headline, where we break down the illegal impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as lawmakers' failure to pass meaningful border security legislation.
      
• You can watch The Headline on the Apple TV or Roku apps, on an iOS or Android phone, or on the Texas Scorecard YouTube channel.

Friday Reflection:
Living To Make An Impact

It doesn’t look like much today, but the Israeli archeological site Tel Sheva is kind of a big deal. It was at the center of much of the narrative in the Bible’s Book of Genesis. We'd know the name back then as either Beer-sheba or Be’er Sheva.

(As you read this on June 2, my group will have just left Tel Sheva and will be headed to Jerusalem. Maybe you’d like to visit Israel with me in 2024? Find out more on our website.)

Beer-sheba is where Abraham and Sarah lived with Isaac, and where the great patriarch swore an oath of peace with his neighbor. As adults, Isaac and his son Jacob found themselves passing through or living in Beer-sheba at various times.

So everyone knew Beer-sheba… until they didn’t. The city was likely destroyed when the Babylonians invaded Israel and took the Jews into captivity around 600 B.C. The city was all but erased from the map, but its name and impact lived on.

The place was so well known its name was commonly used in describing borders and distances, even when its existence had passed into antiquity. An expansive area would often be described as spanning an area as if from “Dan to Beer-sheba.” (Tel Dan, as you might guess, is in the far north of Israel.)

When I think of Beer-sheba, I think about the trappings of modern success. It is easy to be consumed by our reputation, to be thought of as relevant. In this age of social media influencers, the culture pushes us to rate our value by the number of likes and retweets we get from our most recent hot-take. We hope that by “going viral” we will be remembered. It’s all an illusion.

Most multi-generation native Texans can’t name the governor from a century ago. Most Americans have a hard time remembering the name of the current vice president of the United States. Fame and notoriety are fleeting.

Beer-sheba didn’t strive to be remembered; it was simply useful. The place’s practical usefulness established its reputation and secured its name in history long after the city had vanished.

However exalted or self-important we may be, we all eventually become a footnote in the great story of history.

But yet, like Beer-sheba, our legacy and impact can go on.

The Greek statesman Pericles understood this when he wrote, “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”

Let us live not for recognition, but for impact. Let us not seek fame but rather to be of lasting value. Let us not build up our names, but let us instead build into the lives of those around us.

Get Your Copy: 'Reflections on Life & Liberty'

• The book comes in three formats: hardcover, paperback, and digital download.