Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers what they thought about the future of the Texas Lottery. Below, you will find the results and some of their responses. 

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, October 22, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Investigation Finds Potential Donation Laundering on Democrat Platform

• According to Attorney General Ken Paxton, foreign actors can dump donations into American politics with “trivial ease” using ActBlue, a Democrat fundraising platform. Daniel Greer reports that the A.G.'s office has now independently corroborated public allegations against the platform.
      
• In the summer of 2023, O’Keefe Media Group released a report suggesting that donations made on the ActBlue platform were being misattributed to random strawmen. In one instance, an elderly woman denied that she donated $18,000 to the Biden campaign, as donation records indicated. Another man, who records list as making hundreds of donations to ActBlue, was unemployed.
      
• The attorney general’s office opened its investigation in December 2023 and found that donations were being made with false identities “through untraceable payment methods.”
        
• Paxton’s office is now petitioning the Federal Election Commission to implement regulations to close fundraising loopholes found during the investigation. Left unchecked, Paxton's office says the activities uncovered during the investigation could amount to an attack on American election integrity.
       
• “Our investigation into ActBlue has uncovered facts indicating that bad actors can illegally interfere in American elections by disguising political donations.” – Ken Paxton

Abbott Challenges House for Violating the Separation of Powers

• Gov. Greg Abbott is arguing that a Texas House Committee “stepped out of line” in halting the execution of a convicted murderer. As Brandon Waltens reports, the governor asserts that only he has the constitutional power to delay executions for additional review.
      
• Robert Roberson was convicted in 2002 of killing his two-year-old daughter Nikki. He was scheduled for execution last Thursday after exhausting all appeals. A group of 54 Democrat and 32 Republican lawmakers have sought to stay the execution. Roberson's legal bids to delay the execution were rejected by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the Board of Pardon and Paroles, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
       
• In a last-minute effort, House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee members—led by Democrat State Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso—subpoenaed Roberson to testify before the committee. While a Travis County judge supported the subpoena just hours before Roberson’s scheduled execution and issued a temporary restraining order, the Court of Criminal Appeals—the highest court on criminal matters—quickly struck it down.
       
• Republican Jeff Leach of Allen, a member of the committee, then filed a petition with the Texas Supreme Court. The state’s highest civil court sided with Leach on Friday and put the execution on hold.
       
• In a letter revealed yesterday, Abbott’s general counsel, James Sullivan, argued over the weekend to the Supreme Court that only the governor has the sole authority to offer a one-time 30-day reprieve unless the Board of Pardon and Paroles recommends otherwise.
       
• "Only at the eleventh hour, when the Constitution empowers the Governor to make the last move, did the House Committee decide to violate the Separation-of-Powers Clause," wrote Sullivan.

Ag Commissioner Miller Signs Executive Order to Use Water from the Rio Grande

• With Mexico refusing to adhere to the terms of a 1944 treaty, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has signed an executive order allowing farmers and ranchers to use water from the Rio Grande. Addie Hovland has the details.
      
• Miller’s order states that agriculture producers and irrigation districts will have immediate access to water from the Rio Grande, as water is critical to these industries.
       
• Under the 1944 Treaty, Mexico is to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water to the Rio Grande Valley, while the U.S. is to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River. When Mexico began to fall behind on delivering the agreed amount of water in 2020, farmers and ranchers along the river began to notice the effects.
      
• According to Miller, Mexico’s reservoirs have been overflowing, with the excess water running into the Gulf of Mexico unutilized even as the nation has not fulfilled its obligations.

Individuals From Africa and the Middle East Caught at Texas Border

• Will Biagini reports a group of 134 individuals was detained in Maverick County after illegally crossing the border, with seven identified as having come from Iran and Angola—resulting in their classification as “special interest” aliens.
      
• Special interest aliens are individuals identified by the Department of Homeland Security as potentially posing a national security risk to the United States based on their country of origin or travel routes.

A.G.: Dallas County Voting Machines Cleared by Tests

• According to Attorney General Ken Paxton, Dallas County’s voting machines have made “significant progress toward resolving all outstanding issues” that had been identified, despite claims to the contrary. Ian Camacho has the story.
      
• Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Allen West claimed that four of the voting system components “are illegal or were illegally certified by the Texas SOS that, as of now, will be used in Dallas County’s November election.” If so, this would impact not just Dallas County but all 140 counties using ES&S equipment.
       
• Paxton said the DCRP’s press release was “premature” and contained “several inaccuracies.”
        
• West’s claims were based on a failed September 18 Logic and Accuracy (L&A) test. The same tests were performed the next day and the machines passed, with appointees of Dallas County’s Republican and Democrat parties signing the certification. Additional tests were performed on Oct. 8, again with no issues detected.

Austin Council to Consider ‘Buffer Zones’ Near Schools

• Adam Cahn reports that the lone conservative member of the Austin City Council is taking advantage of a new state law to protect children near schools.
       
• The proposal by Mackenzie Kelly would create “child safety zones” around “premises where children commonly gather.” Registered sex offenders would not be allowed in those areas, including near schools and even parks.

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Quote-Unquote

"One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results."

– Milton Friedman​

Y'ALL ANSWERED

While state law requires lottery tickets to be sold only in person, it was revealed last week that the Texas Lottery Commission has allowed retailers to sell “digital” scratch-off games online. Pitched to voters in the early 1990s as a way to fund public education, all the proceeds generated since its inception would not be enough to pay for a single year of operation.

The lottery is under Sunset Review by the Legislature to determine whether it should be continued. Yesterday, we asked readers whether lawmakers should keep it or disband it. Just over 88 percent of readers believe it should be disbanded, while 11.48 percent want to keep it.

Here is a sampling of replies from folks who participated in the survey...

• “Gambling is like a Trojan horse, looks like a gift but leads to addiction and poverty for many.” – Sherrye Nail
      

• “The Texas lottery is a disaster. Like all gambling, it ends up hurting the poorest among us and never delivers on what it promises. And when they say it can also be for entertainment purposes, they willingly turn a blind eye to gambling addiction.” – Joe Wooddell
      

• “Texas should keep the lottery but enforce the law. Those who broke the law should be fired from their jobs and punished for any criminal actions. Governor Abbott needs to take action to reform the Lottery Commission.” – John Pringle
      

• “The government should never run a lottery or any other gambling operation.” – Kevin Wade
       

• “Of course, we should keep the Texas Lottery Commission and the various games...however, the profits do not seem to be filtering down to fund education and schools, infrastructure, healthcare... the money could/should be used for some important unaddressed issues like quality water...more stable electrical grid, roads and transportation...so many IMPORTANT issues to resolve...” – Michelle Zara
       

• “The lottery, meant to fund public education, is just one example of how government involvement often leads to broken promises and inefficiency, with the public left to bear the cost.” – Molly Gail
     

• “It seems the Texas voters have been taken advantage of. It the Texas Lottery Commission can't even follow the rules, why should they still exist? Get rid of the whole thing. There are plenty of other gambling venues that people can use if they want, but Texas shouldn't be one of them.” – William Chapman
      

• “The Lottery Commission has blatantly violated state law... period. This disregard for the law is a clear example of why government involvement often leads to mismanagement and negative outcomes for its constituents.” – Sharla Miles
      

• “I never wanted the lottery instituted in the first place. The research even before 1991 reveals that it has negative outcomes that compromise the fiscal, mental and social factors of a culture. Gambling is a process addiction, often more difficult to overcome than a chemical one. This is why I am against the legalization of casinos in Texas. Research reveals, again, that communities deteriorate in their vicinity. ” – Mark Bigley
      

• “‘For the children’… what a load of bull. Anytime you hear that expression guard your wallet, it's a scam.” – Paul McDowell
       

• “The Texas Lottery was only approved by voters under the false pretense that the money would go to public education. It has never gone to public education and, therefore, should be done away with.” – Rhayma Keith
       

• “I would keep it but get rid of online sales of all games.” – Mike Masterson
       

• “Surprise, Surprise! It doesn't do what liberals said it would do!” – Glenda Piacenti

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