Good morning,

As of last night, Dade Phelan has five Republicans and a Democrat challenging him for the Texas House speakership. I want to know what you think about his chances to keep the office in today's One Click Survey.

This is the Texas Minute for Monday, Sept. 16, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Paxton Cautions Against Unsolicited Voter Registration Applications

• Attorney General Ken Paxton advised local governments against sending—or hiring third-party entities to send—unsolicited voter registration applications before the November election. Ian Camacho reports the new advisory comes in the wake of mass mailouts of unsolicited forms by third parties at taxpayers’ expense.
      
• According to Paxton, local governments exceed their authority by engaging in these programs.
     
• "There is no issue more important to our political system than election security," said Paxton. "Receiving a voter registration application does not necessarily mean you are eligible to vote. If you are ineligible and attempt to register anyway, you are committing a crime."

Ag Commissioner Calls for Self-reliance Amid Water Shortage

• Because Mexico is not adhering to its 1944 Treaty with the United States, the South Rio Grande Valley has been suffering from water shortages. As a result, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller wants Texas to become more self-reliant on water. Addie Hovland has the story.
       
• According to the 1944 treaty, Mexico was to deliver approximately 350,000 acre-feet of water annually to the South Rio Grande Valley. In turn, the United States was to distribute 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico annually from the Colorado River.
     
• While the U.S. has been delivering its agreed-upon part according to the treaty, Mexico has not. Mexico started to fall behind in delivering water from the Rio Grande in 2020. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, along with U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, have openly criticized Mexico for failing to deliver the agreed-on water.
        
• Miller said the state "can’t sit around waiting on Washington, D.C or Mexico." He wants Texas to maximize its resources by prioritizing catching stormwater, reusing treated waters, upgrading the efficiency of delivery systems, increasing storage capacity, and ensuring long-term water movement across the state. 

Fifth Republican Announces Bid to Unseat Phelan

• Amarillo Republican John Smithee is now the fifth member of the Texas House to announce a challenge to the speakership of Dade Phelan. Brandon Waltens has the details.
       
• First elected in 1984, Smithee has represented Amarillo in the Texas House for nearly 40 years. Last year, Smithee was an outspoken critic of the process employed to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
      
• Smithee joins State Reps. Tom Oliverson, Shelby Slawson, David Cook, and James Frank in challenging Phelan for the GOP caucus nomination for the speakership. Cook and Frank both voted for impeachment, while Slawson joined Smithee in opposing; Oliverson was not present for the vote.

RELATED NEWS

• Caucus rules bind members to support their nominated candidate in January, although they are under no legal obligation to do so.

MORE SPEAKER NEWS

• The official vote for speaker will take place on the first day of the legislative session, January 14, 2025.

More Than $1 Million Worth of Methamphetamine Seized at Border

• Officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection have thwarted the shipment of 124.78 pounds of methamphetamine at the Del Rio International Bridge. Will Biagini has the details.
       
• CPB estimates the narcotics, which were hidden inside a trailer, had a street value of $1,115,472.

Third-Grade Teacher Arrested in Weapons and Narcotics Conspiracy

• Federal authorities said they caught Houston-area elementary teacher Jessica Ferguson on a wiretap taking part in an illegal weapons and narcotics operation... while at the school. As Luca Cacciatore reports, the woman teaches at Sheldon Independent School District in Harris County.
       
• "She was on a call, taking part in that drug conspiracy while she was at school," explained Alamdar Hamdani, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. "And you can hear the children in the background."
     
• Ferguson is an alleged associate of the Rich Kingz gang, which is affiliated with other criminal networks in the Houston area and has cartel connections. The gang was the target of a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation that nabbed Ferguson.
       
• Meanwhile, parents have said the district waited more than 24 hours after the teacher was arrested to acknowledge it occurred and did not immediately fire her. Instead, they opted to place her on administrative leave. Sheldon ISD officials did not respond to a request for comment.

Fort Worth ISD Earns ‘C’ in Unofficial Accountability Rating

• While the state faces legal battles preventing the release of official school accountability ratings, some districts have decided to reveal their own scores. The Texas Education Agency’s A-F Accountability System evaluates districts in three key domains—student achievement, school progress, and closing the gaps—in order to assess academic performance.
       
• Recently, local officials have criticized the Fort Worth ISD for failing to help students meet grade-level standards, so the district announced this week that it earned a "C" rating.
       
• As Emily Medeiros reports, FWISD's last official rating was in 2022, when it received a "B." District officials calculated last year that had the ratings been released, they would have received a 64—a failing score.
      
• The district says it has improved by six points to a 70, which is the lowest passing rating.

Rental Rates Drop, Construction Booms, Tax Hikes Loom 

• Adam Cahn reports the cost of living in Texas’ capital city is a mix of good and bad news.
      
• Rental rates have continued their multi-year decline, driven by a surge in construction. On the other hand, local and county government entities are preparing to hit taxpayers with big increases.
     
• It has been characterized as a looming "tax bloodbath."

Today In History

On Sept. 16, 1620, the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, for America with 102 passengers. Headed for Virginia, storms pushed them north. They eventually made landfall in Massachusetts on November 21.

Quote-Unquote

"All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage."

– William Bradford,
Governor of the Plymouth Colony​

ONE CLICK SURVEY

There are now five Republicans challenging Dade Phelan for the speakership of the Texas House. They are John Smithee of Amarillo, Tom Oliverson of Cypress, Shelby Slawson of Stephenville, David Cook of Mansfield, and James Frank of Wichita Falls.  All five previously supported Phelan. (Here's a brief explanation of how the caucus nomination works.)

Do you think Phelan will secure the GOP caucus nomination ahead of the 2025 legislative session?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!