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Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Dustin Burrows Faces Scrutiny Over ‘Speaker-Elect’ Claim An official request has been made of the Office of the Attorney General to legally scrutinize State Rep. Dustin Burrows' use of the title “Speaker-elect” without securing a clear majority of pledged votes. Brandon Waltens details the issue [[link removed]].

The request was made yesterday by State Rep. J.M. Lozano (R-Kingsville) after Burrows began using the title in high-dollar fundraising solicitations.

“Our statutes provide a number of reasons to be concerned,” wrote Lozano [[link removed]] in his letter to Paxton. He cited Penal Code Section 37.11. That section of state law makes it a crime to use a title if there is an “intent to induce another to submit to the person’s pretended official authority.”

After being defeated in the Republican caucus nomination vote on Saturday by State Rep. David Cook (R–Mansfield), Burrows claimed to have 76 pledges for the speakership of the Texas House. That list has been shrinking ever since.

Within hours of his announcement, eight Republicans and a Democrat said Burrows had falsely used their names. In the days since then, more Republicans have withdrawn support for Burrows and backed Cook.RELATED NEWS State Rep. Sam Harless (R-Spring) is the latest lawmaker to renounce Burrows [[link removed]] and throw his support to the official Republican caucus nominee. Harless made his announcement on Tuesday, less than 12 hours after two other Harris County lawmakers—Mano DeAyala and Charles Cunningham—switched their support to Cook. Ironically, Burrows is set to be in Houston for a high-dollar “Speaker-elect” fundraiser for himself on Thursday. Every member of the Harris County GOP delegation, except [[link removed]] Lacey Hull, is backing Cook for speaker.

Emily Medeiros reports [[link removed]] more than two dozen GOP county chairs have signed a letter declaring their full support for State Rep. David Cook for speaker of the Texas House. Led by Tarrant County GOP Chairman Bo French, the coalition said there will be accountability for lawmakers who fail to support the caucus nominee.

Federal Judge Blocks Biden Rule Providing Health Insurance to Illegal Aliens A federal judge has blocked a Biden-Harris administration rule that required health insurance coverage for those brought across the border illegally as children. Valerie Muñoz has the story [[link removed]].

Texas and 18 other Republican-led states sued the federal government over the rule, allowing some illegal aliens to enroll in a federally run health insurance plan under ObamaCare.

The states successfully argued that the Biden rule forced U.S. citizens and legal residents to fund health care for illegal aliens.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded [[link removed]] the decision on social media. “Today, we prevented yet another attempt by the Biden Administration to spend our hard-earned tax dollars on radically unpopular policies that put illegal aliens ahead of America[n] citizens.” Texas Can Help Take Back Pharmaceutical Manufacturing from China According to recent research from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, China is the chief producer of key ingredients for pharmaceutical medicine, and its dominance in this field is only continuing to grow. As Addie Hovland reports [[link removed]], Texas lawmakers could reorient the pharmacological landscape.

A new analysis of import data finds that the number of pharmaceutical chemicals from China to the U.S. increased by 600 percent between 2016 and 2021.

TPPF has four policy recommendations for Texas lawmakers concerned about the future of safe and reliable pharmaceutical supplies. Those include origin labeling, state quota contracts and bids, reform of state drug regulations and market dynamics, and an analysis of the vulnerability of the supply chain. Mayoral Candidate Admits to Mail Ballot Fraud More than four years after he was caught with a box full of fraudulently obtained mail-in ballots, Carrollton mayoral candidate Zul Mohamed pleaded guilty this week to 109 voter fraud felonies. Erin Anderson reports [[link removed]] a Denton County jury will now determine the punishment, which could range from 2 to 20 years in prison or probation.

Mohamed ran for mayor in 2020 after losing a Carrollton City Council race two years earlier. In September 2020, Denton County Elections officials received dozens of suspicious ballot-by-mail applications, all with similar writing and requesting ballots be sent to the same address—which turned out to be a commercial mailbox store.

Denton County Sheriff’s Office investigators placed trackers in a box of ballots, staked out the store, and traced the scheme back to Mohamed. He was charged with submitting fraudulent mail ballot applications and possessing mail-in ballots or carrier envelopes without the voter’s knowledge or request.

He also lost the race, receiving just 6,540 votes of the nearly 26,700 cast. UT-Austin LGBT Course Promotes Sexualization of Minors Robert Montoya reports [[link removed]] that the University of Texas at Austin has been offering an “Introduction to LGBT Studies” course this fall. One of the required course textbooks promotes the sexualization of minors.

The course itself claims to provide “an intersectional perspective on LGBTQ+ studies.”

One of the required books for the course is “The Routledge Queer Studies Reader,” which argues for the sexualization of minors. The author complains about “the systematic separation of children from queer adults.”

"The LGBT movement, like everything else on the left, becomes more radical by the day. It has morphed from a movement about redefining marriage to one openly advocating for the mutilation of children and pedophilia." – Brady Gray, Texas Family Project [[link removed]] Border County Judge Joins Republican Party, Citing Democrats' Leftward Drift Once a member of the Democrat Party, Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina announced yesterday he is switching to the GOP [[link removed]].

Webb County, which includes the City of Laredo, has historically been a Democrat stronghold. However, in November, the county flipped and voted for President Donald Trump—the first time in a century that Webb County supported a Republican presidential candidate.

Tijerina’s decision reflects a broader political shift occurring in South Texas. In November, 12 of the state’s 14 border counties voted Republican.

“For years, I’ve watched the national Democrat Party drift further left, embracing policies that don’t reflect the values of our community. This is not about politics; it’s about staying true to my principles and the people of South Texas. The party left me, and the people of South Texas, behind.” — Tano Tijerina [[link removed]] Conservative Leader Award 2024 Jennifer Thatcher of Zapata [[link removed]]

“I am nominating Jennifer because she has been the driving force of change in her border town community and South Texas as a whole, showing unwavering courage to take a stand for conservatism. ... Jennifer exemplifies servant leadership, demonstrating the passion and drive needed to make a positive impact on her community.” – Julie Dahlberg

Previously announced 2024 Awardees...

⚔️ Brooks McKenzie [[link removed]]

⚔️ Tammy Warren [[link removed]]

⚔️ Jackie Wakin [[link removed]]

⚔️ Laura Giles [[link removed]]

⚔️ Jim McIngvale [[link removed]]

Support Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Number of the Day

132,918

The estimated population of Carrollton, Texas, on July 1, 2023.

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

Quote-Unquote

"The way you solve things is by making it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing."

– Milton Friedman​

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