Good morning!

Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, August 16, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

S&P Global Drops "ESG" Ratings Following Texas A.G. Investigation

• Texas’ Office of the Attorney General is calling S&P Global Ratings’ decision not to publish alphanumerical ESG credit ratings a “victory for Texas efforts against improper political activism by financial companies.” Sydnie Henry has the story.

     
• S&P Global Ratings publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities using a variety of factors. They had recently included "Environment, Social, and Governance" ratings pushed by left-wing activists. The system is intended to prioritize investments based on social or political desires rather than strictly on profits.
        
• Last year, Attorney General Ken Paxton and his counterparts in other states sought information as to how S&P Global incorporates ESG factors into its credit ratings analysis. Paxton also sued the Biden administration over a federal rule prioritizing ESG investing in American workers’ retirement accounts – allowing asset managers to consider non-financial factors when investing client funds.
     
• Now, S&P Global Ratings has pledged to end their alphanumerical ESG ratings, though they will still provide analysis on ESG factors inside their credit reports.

COMING TOMORROW: The Texas Heist

• Thursday, August 17, will mark the premier of Texas Scorecard's new documentary, The Texas Heist. It will explore the question raised by many Texans about how the GOP-dominated chamber seems to be controlled by Democrats.

Teachers Reportedly Told to Hide Students’ ‘Gender Identity’ From Parents

• Middle school teachers in Round Rock Independent School District were allegedly instructed during a staff session training to withhold information from parents regarding their children’s sexual “identities.” Soli Rice has the story.
   
• While district administrators claim this has “never been part of any district-wide professional development,” documents obtained independently appear to show otherwise. The presentation apparently took place as part of a gender dysphoria acceptance presentation.
      
• The presentation was titled “Names and Pronouns: Supporting and Respecting Our LGBTQ+ Students.” Among the slides reportedly shown to teachers, one instructed them not to contact a child’s parents or family members if the child “comes out as transgender or non-binary.”
       
• Michelle Evans of the Independent Women’s Network said parents have “long suspected” RRISD staff and administrators were being trained to withhold information from parents.

A&M Interim President Says Regents Won’t Determine Who The University Hires

• Texas A&M interim president Mark Welsh has assured the Faculty Senate that the university’s Board of Regents will not determine who is hired to work at the university.

      
• “Somebody can call and offer an opinion on something, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept it,” said Welsh in his comments.
       
• His comments follow backlash from TAMU asking a proponent of radical leftist propaganda to helm the institution's journalism department. An investigation found school officials privately worried the professor's background would cause consternation if it were known, and they sought to minimize publicity.
      
• Instead, reporting by Texas Scorecard caused students, donors, and regents to oppose the hiring. The professor ultimately did not take the position after it was watered down by university officials.
      
• An Obama administration appointee, Welsh told the A&M faculty that he would not pass along regents' concerns about hiring decisions to department heads.

Taxpayer-Funded Institutions Participate in LGBT Event

• During last weekend's LGBT parade in Austin last weekend, Emily Medeiros reports taxpayer-funded institutions were out in force supporting the movement's political agenda. 
      
• In attendance as parade participants were the Austin Police Department, Austin EMS, and the Austin Fire Department. Notable sponsors of the event included the University of Texas and Austin Community College District.
       
• Austin police went all out, with an officer driving a patrol car covered in rainbow designs and lettering that proclaimed, “LGBTQ+ Officers and Allies Supporting and Protecting You.”
      
• The Austin Fire Department's entry was a standard fire truck, but with multiple female employees sitting at the top holding a sign reading, “I’m not a firefighter, but my wife is.”
       
• Meanwhile, the Austin Independent School District bused students and faculty to the Saturday event. 

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