Good morning!

Yesterday, we asked readers about the upcoming special session on "school choice." Find the survey results and a sampling of the answers below.

Here is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

10 Texas Congressmen Raise Concerns About Colony Ridge

• Ten members of Texas’ Republican congressional delegation have sent a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton raising concerns about an illegal alien housing development in Liberty County. Soli Rice reports the area has been marketed specifically to illegal aliens.
    
• The Republican congressmen who signed the letter include Brian Babin, Kay Granger, Troy E. Nehls, Chip Roy, Ronny Jackson, Morgan Luttrell, Michael C. Burgess, Michael McCall, Keith Self, and Randy K. Webber.
         
• The letter notes the increase in violent crime in the area, including “several high-profile murders, the largest drug busts in the history of Liberty County, and continuous drug cartel activity.”
      
• They allege Colony Ridge is causing “negative impacts” in the local school district and for local infrastructure.

• NOTE: Brandon Waltens and I went to Colony Ridge yesterday for an on-the-ground look at the housing development ahead of a planned "legislative" tour later this week. Brandon will review what we saw in a report at noon today.

Conservative House Members Defect From Texas Freedom Caucus

• Yet another member of the Texas Freedom Caucus is resigning from the group. Brandon Waltens reports the group has seen its membership decline as its most conservative members depart. 
     

• The latest to depart is State Rep. Nate Schatzline (R–Fort Worth). Other notable departures have included State Reps. Steve Toth and Tony Tinderholt.

      
• The Texas Freedom Caucus was founded in 2017 with the stated mission of “amplifying the grassroots.” During its inaugural session, it served as a means for the chamber’s more conservative members to organize against then-Speaker Joe Straus. Following Straus’ departure, however, the group’s mission has become murkier as members have generally sided with House leadership. 
      
• For example, the caucus' vice-chairman, State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), gave a speech on the House floor in 2021 in support of Democrats holding committee chairmanships in the chamber.
     
• Cain and State Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton) were among the "House managers" leading the failed attack on Paxton.
     

• Notably, the caucus is not part of the Freedom Caucus national network, which is affiliated with the conservative caucus in Washington D.C. 

The Infiltration and Usurpation of Texas A&M

• Leading off a new investigative series, Valerie Munoz reports on the bad international actors and leftist American political organizations that are funding Texas A&M. 
   

• These include Communist China, Qatar (whose government is accused of having ties to terrorism), and an organization run by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.  The university has also partnered with entities affiliated with George Soros and the Kellogg Foundation.

      
• Texas A&M has been widely criticized for its lack of transparency regarding donations from foreign countries.

Petition Filed to Remove Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo

• Five Harris County residents have filed a petition calling for the removal of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo from office, arguing she has abandoned her duties and responsibilities as the elected head of the county government. Emily Medeiros has the details.
      
• The petition was filed by Dave Wilson, a Houston Community College Trustee; Thomas Thrash; Thomas Bazan; Milinda Morris; and former Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner Tom Slocum.
   
• Their petition explains that the government code states that a county judge or commissioner's seat is considered “vacant” if the member is absent for three regular consecutive meetings or “unless the member is sick or has first obtained a leave of absence at a regular meeting.”
      
• According to the plaintiffs, Hidalgo has missed six meetings: August 8, August 17, August 22, August 29, September 12, and September 19. In early August, Hidalgo’s office announced that she would be taking a medical leave of absence to seek in-patient treatment for depression.
      
• Hidalgo's office blasted the petition, calling it “meritless.”

Von Ormy Citizens Say ‘No’ to Property Taxes

• Citizens of Von Ormy successfully fought off efforts to impose a city property tax on city residents after overwhelming numbers showed up at a public hearing to oppose the plan. Erin Anderson reports the small city of about 1,200 people was incorporated in 2008 as a “liberty city.”

     
• The intent was to avoid annexation by the city of San Antonio while offering citizens and businesses limited government regulation and taxation.
      

• Von Ormy abolished property taxes in 2014. Sales taxes and fees fund the city’s operations.
     

• The city's new administrator proposed adopting a property tax rate of $0.65 per $100 of valuation. Critics said that would take the city from having no property taxes to the second-highest in Bexar County.

Dallas ISD Partnered With Controversial Sex Ed Program

• According to new records obtained by Dallas Express, the Dallas Independent School District is contracted with an organization that promotes cross-sex hormone usage to high schoolers. 
     
• New documents reveal that "Healthy Futures of Texas" will teach Dallas ISD students about gender, sexual orientation, and “LGBTQ+ bias.”
       
• A DISD spokesman recently told Texas Scorecard that the district was not in partnership with the organization. However, a document obtained by the Dallas Express shows that DISD signed an official partnership agreement with HFT on January 31, 2023.

Y'All Answered

Education freedom is a long-standing priority of the Republican Party of Texas. While supported by Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and the Senate, proposals for "school choice" have died repeatedly in the Texas House despite having a GOP majority.

Yesterday, we asked readers if they believe lawmakers will pass a comprehensive "school choice" plan in the upcoming special session. 

Here is the sampling of the responses we received...

• “If legislators wish to remain viable in the upcoming election, they will.” – Nancy Burrus
      

• “A bill might be passed, but it will be so watered down it will be useless.” – Lamar Lawson 
      

• “Taxpayer-funded lobbyists and RINO allegiance to Phelan and the Democrats will prevent any meaningful legislation from being passed.” – Ed Scruggs 
     

• “The Republican party has a history of not following through on the goals, so I don’t trust them to deal with school choice. I pray they will deliver school choice as our public schools have been failing students for years, but I do not trust the Republicans to follow through.” – Virginia Platt
      

• “It will be interesting to see who is running the house in two weeks. See if Phelan’s money is more powerful than the grassroots’ megaphone…” – Gerald Dietz
     

• “I’m afraid Dade Phelan will plan another impeachment instead.” – Sharon Sapp
      

• “They need to clean up all the schools and start teaching our children instead of indoctrinating them and lowering the standards. It's a shame that our children are so far behind other countries.” – Sandra Crawford
     

• “There have been many quality education activists, including myself, who have worked tirelessly to call attention to this issue being a trojan horse for the federal / state governments to be able to mandate curriculum to all schools and to teach the destructive woke agenda that has permeated the nations schools and destroyed our children's minds. Religious-based and other private schools will be destroyed once they accept vouchers.” – Cynthia Grubb
      

• “Abbott's School Choice bill is substandard and discriminatory, plus Democrat-controlled Phelan won't allow a true school reform legislation to pass.” – Debbie Wolgemuth
     

• “As long as Dade Phelan is allowed to remain the speaker, there will be no meaningful legislation passed.” – Stan Lewis
      

• “The Legislature is not interested in doing what the PEOPLE want, they only want to consolidate their power.” – Charlene Roberson
       

• “Perhaps if the House had less Democrats who call themselves Republicans a la Dade Phelan type, but not much hope now, so I put ‘No.’” – Rachel Salajean
       

• “While I certainly hope so, I don't see how the same cast of clowns should be expected to do something different.” – Joseph Tortorice
       

• “The Texas legislature has had ample opportunity to address school choice, as well as border security. However, they have failed miserably! I don’t believe this special session will end any differently.” – Kent Kirby 
      

• “I hope I’m wrong, but the current “Republicans” in the house can’t seem to pass anything Texas Republicans demand. The house is pathetic under Phelan’s watch.” – Eric Knutson
      

• “Unfortunately, most Texas politicians do a lot of talking without results. If Abbott wanted to close the border he would actually do something about it. If RINO Dade wanted to get things passed he’d bring important issues to the floor. The list goes on!” – Priscilla Love
      

• “The Texas Senate will, but the Texas House of Representatives won't even pretend to take action.” – David Crouch
       

• “If past voting records are any indication of what will happen during a special session,  no, nothing productive will happen. Our state representatives are a joke and need to go... all being leg by the corrupt Dade Phelan!” – Deb Hillis 
    

• “Texas should fund our public schools as stated in our constitution. No public funds should be used for private, parochial or other unregulated school systems.” – Charlene Shafer
       

• “The political pressure on Gov. Abbott guarantees some form of “school choice” bill will be passed.  How “comprehensive” it will be remains to be seen.” – Karole Fedrick
      

• “Despite having a Republican Majority in the House of Representatives, we unfortunately have a Speaker that is a liberal RINO. As long as Dade Phelan presides as speaker,  allowing liberals to chair the committees, we will never have any good conservative laws passed.” – Reed Vestal
      

• “I hope they don't pass their school choice agenda because it really isn't school choice; it's just a way for them to defund public schools.  Charter schools need to be defunded, and any school that does not have to follow state mandates for education should not receive public funding.” – Rhayma Keith
       

• “I wish they would vote for school choices in which tax dollars followed the child. With the current RINO’s controlling the House, I have doubts it will happen.” – Steve Sullivan
       

• “School vouchers are a veiled way of putting state money into private schools.  Next, will come the state’s claim that they have the right to make some regulations in private school decisions since there is government money now spent on these schools!  It also hurts public schools and does not come near close to helping defray the cost of a private school!” – Karen Richards
       

• “School Choice legislation is an issue that Texas is past due in addressing. The only issue now is how many compromises will it take to get to the governor's desk.” – Thomas Camardo
       

• “I believe they will pass something, anything that's called school choice or educational freedom,  just so they can check it off the list and move on.” – Fran Rhodes
       

• “I do think they will pass some sort of school choice,  but it won't be comprehensive. I find it difficult to believe that the same group that has repeatedly failed to deliver on their promises will do so now. “ – Douglas Miles

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