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Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, October 11, 2023

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Mexico’s President Attacks Texas in Diplomatic Note

• Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador sent a diplomatic note to the United States this week protesting Texas’ increased truck inspections. Emily Medeiros has the details.

       
• The inspections have come in response to the deadly surge in people being smuggled across the border.
     
• Mexico's president said Gov. Greg Abbott was being “very irresponsible” and “complicating the migration situation.”
       
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced last month they would temporarily suspend cargo processing at the Bridge of the Americas port of entry in El Paso, citing a need for agents to process illegal crossers instead.

Senate Moves Forward On School Choice, Vax Legislation

• While the Texas House has begun the special session by taking three days off, the Senate has begun committee hearings on the agenda items.
   
• In the Senate's education committee, a measure by Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) was vetted by senators that would create education savings accounts for Texas students. As Katy Marshall explains, students would be eligible to use the funds if they were enrolled in a government school for at least 90 percent of the previous school year, are attending pre-kindergarten or kindergarten for the first time, or attended a private school on a full-time basis the year prior.
      
• Students enrolled in the program would receive an $8,000 education savings account, which they could use to pay for tuition at a private school in the state. Families could also use the funds to pay for materials their school requires, academic assessments, a private tutor, transportation to school, or fees for educational therapies.
       
• The measure was voted out of committee and is expected to be considered by the full Senate on Thursday.
      
• The same goes for legislation prohibiting private businesses from mandating COVID-19 vaccines. Sydnie Henry reports the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services advanced legislation by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston). His measure would authorize the attorney general to bring an action against the employer, and it creates a penalty of up to $1,000.
      
• The House has so far not had any committee hearings and is not scheduled to conduct any business until Thursday.

Another Impeachment Manager Draws Primary Challenger

• State Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro) is being challenged in the March 2024 GOP primary by business owner Kerri Kingsbery. Spiller's financial backing has come almost exclusively from House Speaker Dade Phelan and a lobby group that heavily promoted the attacks on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
       
• Spiller was first elected in 2021. He was among the 60 Republican House members who voted to impeach Paxton earlier this year, and then served as one of the 12 House impeachment managers leading the disastrous trial in the Texas Senate.
      
• Paxton announced earlier this week that he would be filing a criminal complaint against Spiller for the lawmaker's role in the release of the Paxton family's home address on the internet—a state crime punishable by up to six months in jail.

Cruz Campaign Raises More Than $5 Million in 3 Months

• Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz has raised more than $5 million over the past three months as the race for his senate seat amps up.

       
• Cruz had more than 34,000 unique donors, which included 10,000 first-time supporters. The donations came from 240 of Texas’ 254 counties and individuals from every state.
      
• While no one has announced a campaign against Cruz in the GOP primary, at least three Democrats are vying in their primary for the opportunity to lose to him in the general election.

Hurd Drops Presidential Bid

• Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) has dropped his long-shot GOP primary bid for the White House and endorsed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Brandon Waltens has the details.
     
• Known only for a liberal voting record and his opposition to Donald Trump, Hurd never generated enough support to qualify for the opening GOP debates.
   
• Trump blasted Hurd as “a nasty and jealous guy, who truly doesn’t have what it takes.”

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