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November 19, 2023
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
After being brought to the floor for a vote for the first time in decades, school choice was killed by members of the Texas House, leaving the fate of the fourth special session uncertain.
House Bill 1 by State Rep. Brad Buckley (R–Salado) included billions of dollars in teacher pay raises and additional school funding. The omnibus legislation also included a school choice element.
The legislation as it was brought to the House would create an education savings account of approximately $10,500 available to any child. A child who is homeschooled would qualify for $1,000.
The plan also included teacher pay raises. In year one, full-time teachers, nurses, counselors, and librarians would earn a $4,000 bonus, while part-time employees would earn $2,000. In year two, the continuation of pay increases would be set by local districts using the state’s basic allotment process.
Despite being a priority of the Republican Party of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott, the House has repeatedly rejected school choice programs. This vote was no different, as members voted to strip the school choice element out of the bill entirely.
The amendment was authored by State Rep. John Raney (R–Bryan), who announced he would not be seeking re-election earlier this year.
State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington) objected to the amendment by calling a point of order, arguing that stripping the ESA portion would materially change the bill’s original intent and differ from what Abbott instructed lawmakers to pass during the current special session. House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) overruled the point of order.
Raney claimed school choice would not help his district, and called it an “entitlement program” that the state could not afford.
State Rep. Glenn Rogers (R–Graford) spoke in favor of the amendment, calling a proposition from 2022 on the Republican Primary ballot that showed 88 percent of Republican voters support school choice “biased.” Rogers was endorsed by Abbott in 2022.
State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), meanwhile, called the attempt to strip school choice from the bill “anti-parent” and “anti-student.”
In a vote of 84-63 members voted for the amendment, removing the school choice program from the school spending bill.
Following that vote, Buckley moved to send the bill back to committee, meaning there was no vote for now on the overall spending package. The House will now stand at ease until Tuesday.
Featured
Texas can enforce a new law requiring age verification to access online pornography after the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted an injunction against the measure.
The law, known as House Bill 1181, requires commercial porn websites to use “reasonable” methods to verify that users are at least 18 years of age before they access X-rated content online. Violators face hefty fines.
State
Texas A&M Names Pro-DEI Obama-Appointee as Sole Finalist for President of the University
Mark Welsh has served as interim president of the university since July.
AG Ken Paxton Calls on Texas House to Reveal Cost of Impeachment
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick requested a full audit following the trial in September.
Texas House Passes Border Security Measures
The two measures will provide funding for border barrier infrastructure and create a criminal penalty for illegal entry into the state.
Local
Houston Teacher Accused of Having Sex with Student in Classroom
Christopher Williams was Eastwood Academy’s “Teacher of the Year” in 2020.
Suspected Human Smuggler Identified as 17-Year-Old Honduran
Texas DPS confirmed Luiz Alfredo Mencias-Escobar from Honduras is responsible for causing a head-on collision that killed eight while attempting to evade police.
Judge Lina Hidalgo Used Encrypted Messaging App for Harris County Business
The WhatsApp encryption hides communications from everyone except the sender and receiver—meaning in some cases, even law enforcement cannot review the records.
Federal
Texas Congressmen Introduce Legislation to Block ‘Remain In Texas’ Policy
The legislation would prohibit U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas from enforcing the proposed policy.
Illegal Immigration Costs American Taxpayers Nearly Half a Trillion
A new report reveals that taxpayers are losing around $451 billion per year to the border crisis.
Pat Fallon Reverses Course, Will Run for Re-Election in Congress
Fallon had already earned the endorsement of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick for his planned return to the Texas Senate.
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Quoting...
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