Good morning! 

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, April 4, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Tom Oliverson Promises Republican Representation as Speaker

• In an interview with the Luke Macias Show, Republican State Rep. Tom Oliverson of Cypress explained how he would use the speakership to change the structure and culture of the House. Sydnie Henry reviews their conversation.
   
• Oliverson announced his candidacy for the speakership last month. He described the results of the March GOP Primary as Texans “calling for a change.”
       
• Central to his campaign is ending the practice of Democrats serving as chairmen in the GOP-dominated chamber. “The simplest explanation [for Democrat chairs] takes a minimum of 10 minutes and it really doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
       
• Oliverson wants to end the delay tactics employed by incumbent Speaker Dade Phelan and his predecessors to ensure the priorities of the governor and the GOP are addressed earlier in the session. 
      
• Significantly, Oliverson said he will impose a two-term limit on himself if elected speaker.
      
• 📺 Watch this full interview.

UT Austin Closes DEI Office

• In response to a new state law, Luca Caccaitore reports the University of Texas at Austin is closing its diversity, equity, and inclusion office and reallocating its funding towards “teaching and research.”
       
• UT Austin President Jay Hartzell revealed the news in an email sent to school faculty and administrators this week.
      
• “As part of this reallocation, associate or assistant deans who were formerly focused on DEI will return to their full-time faculty positions,” explained Hartzel. “The positions that provided support for those associate and assistant deans and a small number of staff roles across campus that were formerly focused on DEI will no longer be funded.”
       
• State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) authored the legislation prohibiting public universities in Texas from establishing a DEI office, using DEI criteria in their hiring practices, or requiring employees or prospective employees to attend DEI training sessions. He told Texas Scorecard that he is glad the university is “taking steps to ensure compliance” with the law.

Dallas Considers Ranked-Choice Voting

• Dallas city voters could be asked to consider approving ranked-choice voting in future municipal elections, even though the controversial process is not allowed by state law. Erin Anderson breaks down the story.
       

• With ranked-choice voting, also known as preferential or instant runoff voting, voters rank each candidate in a race by order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-place votes, then the lowest-ranked candidate is eliminated and voters who preferred that candidate have their votes transferred to their second choice. The process continues until one candidate accumulates a majority.
        

• Proponents of "RCV" claim that the process avoids costly, low turnout runoffs.
      

• Opponents, though, argue that ranked-choice voting is confusing, slow, and disenfranchises voters who don’t have enough information or time to rank long lists of candidates on a ballot.
      

• “RCV means longer ballots, longer lines, voter confusion, inaccuracy, and results in voters being disenfranchised. It should not be allowed in Texas or anywhere else.” — Christine Welborn, president of Advancing Integrity

Tarrant County will Use Pre-Numbered Ballots as Security Measure

• Ahead of the November election, the Tarrant County Election Board voted this week to use pre-printed consecutively numbered ballots to add another layer of security to elections. Emily Medeiros reports the board voted along party lines in adopting the measure. 
     
• Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare said residents’ top request was for the next election to use pre-numbered ballots. “The more you can do, within reason, where people have trust that this (election) is accurate, it truly reflects the vote, I think we’re all the better.”
       
• “Securing our elections is paramount. There have been many changes to the way we vote over the years,” said Bo French, a member of the Election Board and chairman of the county's Republican Party. “Next up, we desperately need to close our primaries, eliminate countywide voting and return to precinct voting.”
       
• Meanwhile, Collin County reportedly intends to purchase pre-numbered ballots in 2025, after the county’s blank ballot stock is used up in the November election.

City Officials Consider Property Tax Increases and Garbage Fee

• In the first Budget and Fiscal Affairs meeting of the year for Houston’s new city council, council members were told the administration would possibly seek to lift both the city’s local property tax cap and the state-imposed property tax cap in one ballot measure this November. Charles Blain has the details.
      
• Houston faces a $160 million budget deficit for its Fiscal Year 2025 budget. If a settlement with the city's firefighters is approved, it will add at least another $72 million annually for the next 5 years.

Quote-Unquote

"The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed."

– William Henry Harrison​

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