Good morning, 

Here is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

How to Replace the Speaker

• Since the end of the regular session earlier this year, talks about efforts to remove and replace House Speaker Dade Phelan have intensified among grassroots activists. Brandon Waltens explains the process.

     
• Last week, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) attempted to ask Phelan some parliamentary inquiries on the process of making “a motion to vacate the chair.” In response, Phelan barred Tinderholt from asking any more questions without prior approval.
     
• When it comes to that process, any member of the Texas House can make a motion to “vacate the chair,” or remove the speaker. That could be combined with a motion to replace him with another candidate, or it could just be a stand-alone motion.
      

• Such a maneuver would be considered a privileged motion, which is of such urgency or importance that it is to be considered immediately. In 2007, when Tom Craddick was the speaker of the House, members tried to make motions to remove him from the speakership. He refused to recognize them, leading to a standoff and parliamentarians resigning. He was eventually replaced at the start of the next legislative session in January of 2009.
       

• Under the House Rules, a member not recognized for a motion to vacate the chair can override the ruling by presenting a letter signed by 76 House members.

Three Texas Republicans Vote Against Jim Jordan

• Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio lost the first round of voting yesterday in his bid for Speaker of the House, with three Republicans from Texas’ delegation voting against him. That included U.S. Reps. Jake Ellzey, Tony Gonzales, and Kay Granger.

     

• Ellzey cast his vote for U.S. Rep. Mike Garcia. Gonzales and Granger, meanwhile, voted for U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise. Neither Garcia nor Scalise were nominated for the position, and both men voted for Jordan.

Whistleblower Says TxDOT is Still Pushing DEI

• A whistleblower has come forward to Texas Scorecard with screenshots revealing the Texas Department of Transportation is still pushing left wing political agendas on their employees. As Soli Rice reports, the TxDOT employee, whose name is being withheld for privacy reasons, came forward after reading Texas Scorecard’s previous reports on TxDOT’s "DEI" practices. 
      
• "DEI" is short for diversity, equity, and inclusion, the banner under which radical leftist ideologies are pushed in government and corporate structures. 
   
• According to the new whistleblower, Texas Scorecard's previous reporting on the agency leadership's DEI push did slow things down. Now, the agency is again pushing DEI content on its internal employee website.
      
• Employees are being provided a digital "toolkit," which includes several video and book resources, articles, icebreakers, and presentations. The titles of some of the videos include “Inclusion Starts with I,” and “Kendi on how to become aware of privilege.” 

      

• TxDOT is managed by a commission appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Texas Soldier Assaulted By Venezuelan Illegal Aliens

• Two illegal aliens from Venezuela attacked and injured a Texas National Guard Soldier in El Paso, reports Emily Medeiros.
      
• A female grabbed the soldier by the neck, attempting to push him down, while a male grabbed the soldier’s left leg, causing him to fall into the concertina wire. 
     
• The illegal aliens were later identified as a 38-year-old female and a 33-year-old male. Both were charged with assault; the female was charged but allowed to remain free because she was traveling with minors.

Pro-life Groups Sue San Antonio Over Abortion Fund

• Several pro-life groups are suing San Antonio over the city council’s creation of a “Reproductive Justice Fund.”

   

• The Reproductive Justice Fund directs $500,000 of taxpayer dollars to organizations that pay for abortion travel and assist illegal chemical abortions in Texas. 

      

• Texas law currently prohibits anyone from “knowingly procur[ing]” an abortion for a state citizen.
       

• “It is a criminal offense to donate money to abortion funds that procure out-of-state abortions for Texas residents,” said Michael Knuffke, the president of the San Antonio Family Association.

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