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If you were a member of the State Republican Executive Committee, would you censure House Speaker Dade Phelan? Sound off in the One Click Survey at the conclusion of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Monday, July 17, 2023

Abbott Adds Fentanyl to Drug Death Data Dashboard Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of a new fentanyl data dashboard to track deaths and incidents in response to the fentanyl crisis. Matthew DeLaCruz reports [[link removed]] that experts say measuring the fentanyl crisis is key to ending it.

Between 2019 and 2021, fentanyl-related deaths increased by 400 percent. In 2022 alone, nearly 2,000 Texans lost their lives to fentanyl poisoning.

Abbott recently signed four new pieces of legislation that will heighten penalties for fentanyl dealers while providing more resources to those devastated by the deadly drug. NY-based Group Sues Texas Over Abbott's TikTok Ban Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over his prohibition of the Chinese social media app TikTok on government-issued devices. Katy Marshall has the details [[link removed]].

The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research against Abbott and other state officials last week.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese media company ByteDance, which employs Chinese Communist Party members and has a subsidiary partially owned by the country’s communist party. This has led many to raise concerns that the app poses a security risk for the U.S.

Last year, Abbott ordered all state agencies to ban TikTok from government-issued devices and networks.

The Knight lawsuit alleges [[link removed]] Texas is violating citizens’ First Amendment rights by “imposing a broad restraint on the research and teaching of public university faculty” conducting studies into TikTok’s effects on users.

The use of TikTok on government devices is currently banned by the U.S. Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security. Other states including North Dakota, Maryland, and South Dakota also prohibit the use of TikTok on government-issued devices.

Texas Tech Gets Top Rating on LGBT Campus “Pride” Index

As higher education continues to cater to ‘woke’ ideals, Texas taxpayers are funding an extensive “Office of LGBTQIA Education & Engagement” at Texas Tech University. As Syndie Henry reports [[link removed]], that is among the things which led the LGBT-oriented "Campus Pride Index" to give the university its highest marks.

Campus Pride rates [[link removed]] universities on their “LGBTQ-friendliness.” The only other Texas universities to hold 5 stars are The University of Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas Arlington.

“The deterioration of our public universities is undeniable,” said Brady Gray [[link removed]], president of Texas Family Project.

According to the Texas Tech website, “The Office of LGBTQIA Education & Engagement serves the Texas Tech University community through facilitation and leadership of programming and advocacy efforts aimed at strengthening the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) community.” Cruz Wants to Block JROTC Programs From CCP-Linked Schools U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has filed legislation to prohibit the Department of Defense from establishing Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at private schools affiliated with China. Valerie Muñoz has the story [[link removed]].

The Center for Immigration Studies has reported on the phenomenon of Chinese private equity firms and Chinese education companies purchasing American private schools.

In 2017, Cruz passed legislation that prevents the Department of Defense from funding Confucius Institutes—cultural institutes and schools directly or indirectly funded by the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Three years later, the U.S. Department of State designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (the network’s headquarters) as a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China.

Most recently, lawmakers have been pressuring the Biden administration to explain why the Primavera Capital Group, a Chinese organization, has been allowed to purchase an online tutoring service contracted with K-12 schools and the U.S. military. Big Tech Censures ‘Let Women Speak’ Event

In an attempt to curtail an event bringing women together to speak freely about issues affecting their lives, Emily Medeiros reports [[link removed]] the Eventbrite ticketing service is blocking the organizers from promoting the gathering.

The group Standing for Women holds public forums to talk with women who have become politically homeless due to the left’s support for ideology and legislation that harms women and their civil rights. The group hosts events that allow women to gather publicly and speak about protecting their sex-based rights to privacy, consent, safety, fairness, and female-only spaces. Additionally, the group covers issues such as transgenderism and its impact on women and girls in the country.

But when they attempted to schedule a gathering in Central Texas using the Eventbrite service, the company censured the event – claiming it violated its policy on hateful, dangerous, or violent content and events.

“Like so many corporations, Eventbrite is capitulating to a movement that elevates the desires and feelings of male fetishists over the rights of women. This event will continue as planned; women will not be silenced by this unhinged minority.” – Michelle Evans [[link removed]], 'Let Women Speak' coordinator Today In History

On July 17, 1835, a group of Texians met in modern-day Jackson County to discuss the abuses being perpetrated by the Mexican government of Antonio López de Santa Anna.

Number of the Day

35,000

Total population of Texas in 1835. In 2023, the population sits at 31,172,832.

[Source: University of Groningen [[link removed].]; Texas Demographics Center [[link removed]]]

Quote-Unquote

"There is much discussion of the haves and the have-nots, but very little discussion of the doers and the do-nots, those who contribute and those who merely take."

– Thomas Sowell​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

The Republican Party of the largest county in House Speaker Dade Phelan's district has censured him [[link removed]], opening the door for the State Republican Executive Committee to now do so. That action, in turn, would allow the state party to spend money opposing Phelan's 2024 primary bid.

If you were a member of the Texas SREC, would you vote to censure Dade Phelan?

YES; censure Phelan. [[link removed]]

... or ...

NO; don't censure Phelan. [[link removed]]

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!

Directory of Your U.S. & Texas Officials [[link removed]]

This information is automatically inserted based on the mailing address you provide to us. If you'd like to update your contact information, please visit our subscriber portal [[link removed]].

​ U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

John Cornyn - R

(202) 224-2934

U.S. Senator [[link removed]]

Ted Cruz - R

(202) 224-5922

Governor of Texas [[link removed]]

Greg Abbott - R

(512) 463-2000

Lt. Governor [[link removed]]

Dan Patrick - R

(512) 463-0001

Attorney General [[link removed]]

Ken Paxton – R

(512) 463-2100

Comptroller [[link removed]]

Glenn Hegar – R

(512) 463-4600

Land Commissioner [[link removed]]

Dawn Buckingham – R

(512) 463-5001

Commissioner of Agriculture [[link removed]]

Sid Miller – R

(512) 463-7476

Railroad Commissioners [[link removed]]

Wayne Christian – R

Christi Craddick – R

Jim Wright – R

(512) 463-7158

State Board of Education [[link removed]], District

Update your address ( )

Main (512) 463-9007

U.S. House [[link removed]], District

Update your address ()

Congressional Switchboard (202) 225-3121

Texas Senate [[link removed]], District

Update your address ()

Capitol Switchboard (512) 463-4630​​​​​​​

Texas House [[link removed]], District

Update your address ()

Capitol Switchboard (512) 463-4630

Speaker of the Texas House

Dade Phelan (R)

(512) 463-1000

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