Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Monday, September 25, 2023.

– Brandon Waltens 

Texas GOP: Dade Phelan Should Resign

• In a 58-2 vote, the Republican Party of Texas approved a resolution calling on Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan to resign.
   

• The resolution was approved during the State Republican Executive Committee meeting in Corpus Christi on Saturday, and cites Phelan’s embrace of the failed impeachment against Attorney General Ken Paxton as well as his appointment of Democrats to leadership positions:
   

• "THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Republican Party of Texas calls on Speaker Dade Phelan to step down from his leadership role as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and to allow a new Speaker to be elected after a caucus vote in accordance with the Republican Party of Texas Platform; and
   

• BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that should Speaker Dade Phelan fail to step down from the Speaker chair for this upcoming special session, the Republican representatives should vote to vacate the chair and allow for a new Speaker who has pledged to honor and support the priorities and principles of the Republican Party to be elected."
   

• The resolution comes after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said that Phelan is "undeserving of his leadership position."
   

• The only two members of the SREC to vote against the resolution were Bill Fairbrother of Round Rock and Morgan Graham of Brownsville.
   

• Phelan has not yet commented on the Texas GOP's action.

WATCH: Dan Patrick Offers Inside Look Into Impeachment Trial

• Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is offering a behind-the-scenes look into the historic impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
   

• Patrick, who presided over the trial, released the video over the weekend, which features commentary from himself as well as interview with senators who were involved in the trial.
   

• Paxton was acquitted on all impeachment charges following a ten-day trial in the Texas Senate earlier this month. Since then, Patrick has criticized the Texas House for rushing through the process and not following proper procedure in their impeachment. To that end, he has called for a constitutional amendment to reform the impeachment process.
   

• He has also requested an audit into the full cost of the impeachment.

New Braunfels Public Libraries Filled with Sexually Explicit Books

• Two New Braunfels public libraries are being exposed for having sexually explicit books targeting children. Emily Medeiros has the story. 
   

• Joeylynn Mesaros, a mother from New Braunfels, shared with Texas Scorecard sexually explicit books she and other moms found in their local public libraries. The books were found in the early readers, juvenile, and youth sections of the libraries. 
   

• Mesaros was shocked to discover that most of these books were in a closed section of one library reserved for ages 13-18. According to the sign in front of the section, staff members can relocate adults from the area. 
   

• In the books shared by Mesaros, graphic images depicted masturbation and sexual acts. They also showed various pictures of “transgender” individuals naked—teaching children that it’s normal to use sterilizing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones and remove healthy body parts. 
   

• One book, entitled ‘Sex is a Funny Word,’ shows images of various body parts and explains that touching those body parts “can feel good.” The book was labeled with a ‘J,’ meaning it was for juveniles. 
   

• Texas Scorecard reached out to New Braunfels Mayor Neal Linnartz, as well as the New Braunfels Library Director Gretchen Pruett and Youth Services Librarian Whitney Hasler, but has not received a response.

New Data Shows Thousands More Foreign Nationals Paroled into US Than Reported

• As the border crisis rages on, the Center for Immigration Studies has discovered that “221,456 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans” have flown into “still-unspecified interior U.S. ports.” Sydnie Henry has the details. 
   

• Texas is currently suing the Biden administration over its executive parole program that creates “lawful pathways” for Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians to enter the country.
   

• The Office of the Attorney General argues, “Congress has authorized parole only for foreign aliens who meet very specific standards that have not been met in this instance. Yet, contrary to existing law, the program creates a pathway for program participants to apply from their home country and gain lawful status to enter and stay in the U.S. for up to two years, or even longer.” 
   

• Meanwhile, as Texas’ lawsuits work through the federal court system, Texas continues to come under siege from illegal border crossings.
   
• The Huffines Liberty Foundation released a report recently on the cost to Texans. It estimates the cost of illegal immigration to taxpayers is between $10-20 billion, with Texas spending an estimated $6.6 billion just on educating illegal alien children in the 2022-2023 school year. 

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson Switches to Republican Party

• Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a former Democrat, has announced that he is switching parties and becoming a Republican.
   

• Johnson made the announcement in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal where he blasted the failed policies in Democrat-run cities across the country.
   

• Before being elected as mayor in 2019, Johnson previously served a decade in the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat.
   

• Even before his party switch, Johnson has bucked Democrats on the Dallas city council, as he has opposed efforts to defund law enforcement and drastically increase the city budget.
   

• Texas GOP Chairman Matt Rinaldi welcomed Johnson to the party.
   

• “I served with Eric in the Texas House and found him to be an intelligent and pragmatic Democrat who would be more at home among Republicans,” Rinaldi told Texas Scorecard. “I’m glad he came to that same conclusion and welcome him to our party.”

Season Finale of Exposed

• The season finale of Exposed Season 6: The Dark Side of Texas Schools is now available. 
   

• This final episode examines how schools can be held accountable. You can check it out here, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

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