Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers if taxpayer-funded schools should be required to collect information on the immigration status of students. You will find those results below.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Largest School Debt Push in Texas History

• The largest school bond in Texas history will be on the ballot this November. Charles Blain writes that Houston Independent School District is asking local voters to take on $4.4 billion in debt. Taxpayers will owe a lot more.
        
• More than half of the funds will be used to upgrade facilities, enhance campus security, and for other health and safety issues. Approximately $1 billion will be used for career and technical education.
      
• The $4.4 billion is just the principal on the debt and does not include the interest. The full cost—principal and interest—is expected to run in excess of $8 billion, which would be paid by local property tax burdens.

"Did God Spare President Trump?"

• At 7 p.m. tonight, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will participate in a roundtable discussion on the spiritual aspects of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The program will air on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

INVESTIGATION: The Nonprofit Promoting Gender Mutilation

• In the first of an investigative series this week, Robert Montoya exposes Out Youth Austin, a nonprofit organization that markets itself to LGBT minors and has promoted gender mutilation procedures to them.
       
• Among other things, Out Youth Austin’s "Trans Resource Guide" directed minors to hormone replacement therapy providers, even though the providers have denied offering such services to underage individuals. The guide, which is now blocked from public view, also listed a medical center for gender-related surgeries. The center denied providing such services to minors.
     
• Out Youth Austin has been behind the push for "Gay Straight Alliance" clubs in Texas schools, though some are now being rebranded as "Genders and Sexualities Alliance."
      
• Part two of the series, out later today, will explore how the nonprofit pushes the LGBT ideology onto minors.

Paxton Launches Investigation Into CenterPoint

• Attorney General Ken Paxton has opened an investigation into why CenterPoint Energy failed to protect Houston residents’ power ahead of and during Hurricane Beryl. Will Biagini has the details.
       
• The energy giant has been accused of harming Houston-area residents by increasing rates, failing to prepare for power outages, and imposing long wait times to restore power. Paxton said Monday that there are allegations that CenterPoint's conduct might constitute a violation of state law.
       
• “If the investigation uncovers unlawful activity, that activity will be met with the full force of the law,” said Paxton.
       
• The investigation's announcement was met with support from State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), who said "ratepayers and the whole community deserve to know" how the situation was able to go so poorly.

Video Seized by Kamala Harris Now Released

• A 2015 undercover video that showed Houston-area Planned Parenthood abortionists admitting to being willing to sell fetal organs has now been released, eight years after Kamala Harris seized the video in 2016. Valerie Muñoz has the background.
      
• The video was taken by pro-life journalist David Daleiden. It showed abortionists remarking that fetal organs can be harvested “without too much difficulty at all.”
      
• In an effort to protect Planned Parenthood, California's then-Attorney General Kamala Harris authorized a raid of Daleiden’s home for the footage. Her office also worked with Planned Parenthood to amend the California penal code to make recording undercover conversations with “health care providers” a crime.
        
• The footage has now been released after being subpoenaed for use in a congressional hearing hosted by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on “the Black Market of Baby Organ Harvesting.”
        
• Daleiden is still awaiting trial.

Rockwall Parents Protest Handling of Abuse Allegations

• This weekend, families gathered outside the Rockwall courthouse to pray with a mother who believes her child was abused by a teacher in Rockwall Independent School District. Erin Anderson reports that members of the community are upset that school officials kept the case quiet and let the teacher return to the classroom.
      
• Corey Booth went public Friday with the shocking story of a female teacher abusing her then 4-year-old son. With school starting, she and her husband decided to end their months of silence so unsuspecting families would be made aware of what happened and could demand changes in how Rockwall ISD handles allegations of abuse.
      
• Corey said her family regrets not speaking up sooner, but the sheriff’s office, school officials, and the district attorney told them to keep quiet because talking publicly would jeopardize their case.

Quote-Unquote

"Prudence, therefore, seems to dictate that we should still stand aloof and maintain our present attitude, if not until Mexico itself or one of the great foreign powers shall recognize the independence of the new Government, at least until the lapse of time or the course of events shall have proved beyond cavil or dispute the ability of the people of that country to maintain their separate sovereignty and to uphold the Government constituted by them."

– Andrew Jackson
Letter to Congress, December 1836​

Y'All Answered

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state's Health and Human Services Commission to begin collecting data from hospitals on the costs of treating illegal aliens.

Yesterday, we asked readers if Gov. Abbott should also require Texas schools to similarly collect information on the immigration status of students. Less than three percent of readers opposed the idea, while 97.1 percent supported it. 

Here's a sampling of the responses we received after folks answered the survey...

• “We should know how many illegal aliens we are supporting in any institution in the State of Texas.” – Bruce Delater
      

• “As a former teacher, I said 'no.' Though some may be obvious, others might require that children turn against their parents.” – Glenda Piacenti
      

• “No, the state should not be requiring anyone (outside law enforcement) to check immigration status. Illegal immigration is not going to be resolved by clamping down and asking everyone for papers, please comrade. It has to be stopped at the border and by eliminating incentives. Build the wall, and stop giving away free (taxpayer funded!) stuff.” – Chris Breaux
      

• “I think the general populace would be shocked and appalled at what the state/federal governments are paying for illegal aliens.” – Dara Richardson
      

• “We need to know how much these illegal aliens are costing Texas taxpayers, especially when school funding via the property tax seems to increase every year. Enough is enough!” – Charles Koenig
      

• “I am in favor of limiting services for illegal immigrants, but not at the level where identifying them at school is helpful. Treat them like students, not like a special category.” – Jason Fry
       

• “Absolutely, schools should report expenses incurred for enrolled illegal aliens in public schools. This directly affects taxpayers.” – Sharon Sapp
       

• “Having concrete figures on what we are spending on illegal alien children might open eyes which are currently tightly shut.” – Bonnie N Wallace
      

• “If Texans’ tax dollars are supporting anyone in this country illegally, we have the right to know.” – Sharla Miles
      

• “It is past time to rein in the costs of illegal aliens in our society. A good first step is to identify where the costs are and develop a plan to address the problems.” – Duaine Goulding 
      

• “We taxpayers deserve to know how much of our hard-earned dollars are being used to fund all aspects of the invasion.” – Cindy Armstrong
      

• “We should absolutely know the immigration status of those attending our publicly-funded schools!” – James Douglass
      

• “Since Texans are responsible for paying school taxes, it is appropriate to collect the information regarding who is attending our schools. The current federal administration (Biden/Harris) has allowed millions of illegals to flood our country and our state, so let everyone pay the cost of educating the illegals by reimbursing our state instead of the Texas taxpayer carrying the heaviest burden.” – Sara Parr
      

• “If we're paying for it, we have a right to know.” – Joseph Tortorice
       

• “Taxpayers have every right to know how our hard-earned money is being spent.” – Andra Haney
      

• “If Governor Abbott truly wants to know and track the costs of illegal aliens, he needs to get reports from all services, including schools.” – Kenneth Gardner

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