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November 12, 2023
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
Could it be a Christmas in the Capitol?
As the fate of school choice legislation hangs in the Texas House’s hands, Gov. Greg Abbott says he could call lawmakers back repeatedly if it fails.
A top priority for Abbott this year, school choice legislation has never before reached a vote by the full House. On Friday, the issue hit a new milestone after a school choice bill was passed out of a House Committee, preparing the way for a vote by the full body.
The omnibus education bill includes an Education Savings Account program in addition to increased school funding and teacher pay raises. While there have been rumors that the House could strip the ESA provision out of the bill, Abbott says he will call additional special sessions to get it passed.
“We’d be spending December here, maybe January here, maybe February here,” Abbott said during a bill signing on Friday. “And I know one thing about both the House and Senate—They want to get out of here.”
The remarks differed from a previous statement made by him in September, where he suggested that if school choice failed to pass during a fourth special session, he would take the issue to the primary elections.
The record for most special sessions called during a legislative session is six. That was set by Gov. Bill Clements in 1990.
If
the Texas House fails to pass school choice in the coming weeks, that record could soon be broken.
Featured
By Michael Quinn Sullivan
In what has been a recurring theme for the Texas House under the leadership of Speaker Dade Phelan, members of the chamber refused to show up for business again on Saturday. This marks the fourth time in two weeks a quorum was not present to conduct business.
But unlike previous years when the Democrats were breaking quorum to thwart policy work, the work stoppage has been caused by members of both parties.
State
Texas Senate Passes Entire Special Session Agenda in Two Days
All eyes are on the Texas House after the Senate moves quickly on Gov. Abbott’s agenda.
Texas Democrat Lawmakers Call for Ceasefire With Hamas
Texas has taken numerous steps to show support for Israel since the start of the conflict over a month ago.
Texas Voters Approve All But One Constitutional Amendment
13 of the 14 proposed amendments were approved by Texas voters.
Local
Rangers Launch Investigation Into Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Office
The investigation is tied to the 2022 federal indictments against three of Hidalgo’s high-level staffers over misuse of information and tampering with a government record.
Conservatives Sweep Cy-Fair School Board
Three seats were won by pro-parent challengers, bringing the conservative majority to six out of seven seats.
Tarrant County GOP Urges Gov. Abbott to Fix Primary Elections
The county GOP is asking for legislation to keep 2024 Republican Primary Election expenses down.
Federal
Donald Trump is First GOP Presidential Candidate to File in Texas
An October poll of likely Republican voters shows Trump leading with 58 percent of the vote.
U.S. 5th Circuit Hears Galveston County Redistricting Appeal
The case could transform how electoral boundaries are drawn across Texas and beyond.
DOJ Protects D.C. Brothel Customers… As Congress Votes For New FBI Facility
DOJ press release explains “elected officials” among the brothel’s clientele but does not name any of them.
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Quoting...
Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
- Booker T. Washington
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