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April 14, 2024
NEWS DIGEST
by Brandon Waltens
Good morning,
A group of current and incoming Republican lawmakers are proposing a Contract with Texas, a set of reforms promising to improve the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the Texas House.
The letter—now signed by 25 members, members-elect, and candidates in runoff elections—notes that while Republicans hold every statewide office and both chambers of the legislature, Democrats have held an outsized role in determining policy in the Texas House.
The group is calling on the next Speaker of the House to implement the following 12 reforms:
- Only solicit support for Speakership from Republican members
- End the practice of awarding Democrats with committee chairmanships
- Ensure all GOP legislative priorities receive a floor vote before any Democrat bills
- Replace the current liberal Parliamentarians with staff committed to only offering advice on adherence to House rules, not to advancing their personal ideology
- Limit the Speaker to two terms to reduce their power over individual members
- Ensure there are no longer any Democrat-majority committees
- Stop parliamentary abuse by requiring only substantial adherence to House rules to keep hyper-technical points of order from killing good legislation
- Allow audio/video recording of all House proceedings, including point of order debates
- Start substantive work as soon as Session begins to end delays that kill priority legislation
- Reform the Calendars Committee to increase transparency and accountability
- Select a Republican as Speaker Pro Tempore
- Decentralize power by prohibiting the distribution of political funds from the Speaker
Featured
Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that the state is suing Harris County over its “Uplift Harris” guaranteed basic income pilot program that the county launched at the start of the year.
The program was funded using $20.5 million in federal relief aid to give 1,900 families, who are 200 percent below the poverty line, $500 per month for 18 months. Applicants were required to live in one of the predetermined zip codes and could receive the money through direct deposit to their bank account or a prepaid debit card.
State
Property Tax Relief and Higher Ed Reform Among Patrick’s Charges Ahead of Next Session
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick also noted that he may release an additional—albeit shorter—list of interim charges before the session begins in January.
Texas A&M Advancing Race-based Hiring in Schools
The terms “diversity” and “equity” are used repeatedly in a program the Biden administration funded with federal taxpayer monies.
In Their Own Words: Runoff Candidates on Gambling Expansion
With gambling expansion being a popular debate topic, runoff election candidates voiced their opinions on how much expansion Texas should allow.
Local
Fort Worth Employees Can Become DEI ‘Champions’
A flyer showcases six different events that employees can attend to become “Diversity Matters Champions.”
Klein ISD Teacher Jailed for Allegedly Sex Trafficking Students with Son
Klein Cain High School teacher Kedria Grigsby and her son Roger Magee are in Harris County Jail.
Houston Police Department Finds DNA Matches for Uninvestigated Rape Kits
Thus far, 76 rape kits tested for DNA have resulted in CODIS matches.
Federal
Two Texas Congressmen Buck Speaker Johnson
Concern over warrantless surveillance delayed FISA reauthorization.
Federal Authorities Recapture Terrorist Watchlist Suspect
Afghan national Mohammed Karwan was released into the U.S. twice previously.
New York City Mayor Continues to Blame Texas Amid Influx of Illegal Aliens
However, experts note over 20 percent of the city’s illegal alien population have arrived by direct flights from foreign airports.
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