Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, February 8, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

State Board of Education Sets New Guidelines on Instructional Materials

• New guidelines for reviewing and approving instructional materials to ensure suitability for students have been set by the State Board of Education. Emily Medeiros has the details.
      
• Notably, the guidelines require instructional materials to align with Texas’ constitutional goal for education: to prepare students for self-governance in our constitutional republic. 
       
• Instructional materials must not teach that one race or sex is superior to another, or that an individual—by virtue of the individual’s race or sex—bears responsibility, blame, or guilt for actions committed by other members of the same race or sex. Commonly known as "critical race theory," instructional materials also cannot be derived from the propagandist tool known as the "1619 Project."
       
• The 15 members of the SBOE are elected to four-year terms in districts around the state.

Putting Homeownership In Reach

• In the latest edition of his podcast, Charles Blain explains that there are a lot of things driving up the cost of housing and shutting young people out of the market. But one thing that can be controlled, he says, are zoning ordinances and other regulations that significantly impact the cost of housing.
      
• Listen to the latest edition of Texas Tomorrow.

Pushing 'Trans' at A&M

• Despite Texas A&M's historic reputation as a conservative, tradition-bound institution, a two-part series this week has been examining how the university is pushing hard to the left. As Robert Montoya reports, that includes university money being spent in pushing transgenderism.
      
• It's not just being spent on political indoctrination. The Texas A&M Health Center provides "hormone replacement therapy" for Aggies seeking to change their physical sex appearance under the Orwellian guise of "gender-affirming care."
     
• "If you want a sex change, pay for it with your own damn money. I’m already demanding answers from A&M about their undergraduate minor in LGBTQ studies, and I’ll look into this as well." – State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian)

Lawsuit Alleges Texas State Stifles Free Speech

• A campus free speech group is moving forward with its lawsuit against Texas State University over the school’s discrimination-harassment policy, claiming it chills students’ First Amendment rights. Luca Cacciatore has the report.
         
• The lawsuit filed by Speech First argues that TSU's policy creates an environment where students are afraid to speak up over concerns they might offend someone.
   
• “Texas State University has joined the far too numerous ranks of higher education institutions that use speech codes to chill and suppress constitutionally protected ideas,” said Travis Barham of the Alliance for Defending Freedom, which is among the groups that support the Speech First lawsuit.

After Citizens Speak Out, McKinney Council Won't Extend Terms... For Now

• McKinney City Council members tabled a proposal to extend the term limits for themselves after citizens overwhelmingly opposed the idea, but the council may consider putting the issue to voters in November. Erin Anderson has the details.
        
• The tabled proposal would have allowed the mayor and the city council members to hold their seats for three consecutive four-year terms, an increase from the current limit of two consecutive terms.
      
• The current term limit structure was established by voters in 2011.

Texans for Vaccine Choice Issues Recommendations Ahead of March Primary

• The grassroots organization Texans for Vaccine Choice has issued its 2024 recommendations for voters. Amelia McKenzie has the story.
      
• The organization's political director, Michelle Evans, said recommendations are based on a candidate's likelihood to champion vaccine choice.
      
• “We are confident that the candidates who have been recommended will defend medical liberty for all Texans by supporting, authoring, and fighting for strong policies to protect informed consent, medical privacy and vaccine choice.” – Michelle Evans

Race for Harris County GOP Chairmanship Heats Up

• As the March primary election quickly approaches, two candidates are vying for the Republican Party chairmanship in Harris County. Sydnie Henry profiles the race to lead the state’s largest county's GOP.
       
• The incumbent, Cindy Siegel, was elected in 2022 after previously serving as the mayor of Bellaire. She is being challenged by Bobby Orr, a Houston businessman and activist.
       
• Both candidates were asked a series of questions, the responses to which can be found in the full article. 
     
• Siegel said her priority is securing Harris County elections and driving turnout among Republicans and "Independents who lean Republican."
      
• Orr said his top priority would be recruiting qualified Republican candidates for each race, noting the number of local races in Harris County with Democrats running unchallenged.

Quote-Unquote

"The thought that so many people get their news from social media really is scary."

– Rush Limbaugh​

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