Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Report: Texas Land Still Vulnerable to Ownership by Hostile Nations

Experts find that hostile foreign powers can easily buy land in Texas. Robert Montoya reports that the road to addressing this may not be easy.
In 2023, State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R–Brenham) proposed a measure to take on the issue. Shortly after it passed out of the senate, though, Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) killed the proposal in the Texas House. She is trying again in 2025.
Gerald Klassen, a research data scientist at Texas A&M’s Texas Real Estate Research Center, has told lawmakers the current systems tracking land ownership may make it difficult to screen out bad actors representing hostile powers from buying up land.
Chuck DeVore of the Texas Public Policy Foundation has argued the issue must be addressed as a matter of national security. He has pointed to recent warnings from the FBI about the CCP’s covert intelligence operations in America.
"It’s crucial we act decisively to prevent further encroachment and ensure that our natural resources remain under the control of those who prioritize the safety and prosperity of our country." — State Sen. Lois Kolkorst

Ken Paxton Calls for Republican Unity Ahead of Legislative Session

At venues around the state, Attorney General Ken Paxton is calling on Republican lawmakers to unify around the GOP caucus' nominee for speaker of the Texas House. Brandon Waltens reports on Paxton's stop in Central Texas' Williamson County.
Having served in the Texas House for nearly a decade, Paxton said he is concerned that intraparty divisions threaten Republican unity in achieving the reforms voters want.
Last month, State Rep. David Cook (R–Mansfield) won the Republican nomination for speaker. Despite this, State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R–Lubbock) and a small faction of Republicans are attempting to form a coalition with Democrats to seize the gavel.
Paxton directly criticized Burrows for what he described as hypocrisy and arrogance. He noted that Burrows wrote the caucus rules that the Lubbock Republican is now violating.
"We want Republican representatives to vote with Republicans to elect a Republican speaker so we can get Republican issues done," said Paxton.

RELATED NEWS

Dan Patrick Warns Against ‘Counterfeit Speaker’ in Texas House Race

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has issued a strongly worded statement ahead of the speaker election, urging Republicans to support the party’s caucus nominee. More importantly, perhaps, Patrick rejects what he called a “counterfeit Speaker” scenario where a Republican is elected with Democratic backing.

Patrick said Cook was nominated “fair and square” by the House GOP caucus, with 57 Republicans pledging their support to his candidacy. He said voters deserve better results.
"For most of the last 15 years, there have been a dozen or so House Republicans who undermine the Republican Party by getting all or most of the Democrats to join them to pick a Republican who the Democrats can then control." – Dan Patrick

REAL TEXANS Will Premiere on Sunday

This Sunday, we're launching a new weekly interview show called REAL TEXANS. These will be conversations with men and women working every day to make the Lone Star State shine brighter.

The first interview will be with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, talking about his expectations for the 2025 legislative session.
But the show won't be limited to politicians. We'll be talking to folks from all different walks of life eager to make Texas a better place for Texans.

Trump Pledges to Reverse Biden Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he would ban oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Yesterday, President-elect Donald Trump condemned Biden's action and said he would reverse it.
Biden's action closed more than 625 million acres of the ocean under the authority of the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The move was seen as a way to block the incoming administration's emphasis on domestic energy production.
Trump said he would reverse the action on the first day on the first day of his administration, even if it had to be challenged in court.

Experts Warn Enrollment-based School Funding Would Be Wasted on ‘Ghost Students’

While some Texas school districts are advocating for a new system of funding based on student enrollment, public policy experts say the process would force taxpayers to pay for "ghost students." Valerie Muñoz has the details.
A ghost student is a student who appears on a school’s roster but has moved to another district or dropped out. Districts like Arlington ISD want to raise their per-student funding by basing it on enrollment rather than attendance.
In a new paper from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, Jorge Borrego warns that the scheme would "force taxpayers to pay billions more per year to fund students" who are not actually in the classroom. In many cases, he finds, tax dollars would be "paying twice to educate the same child."
According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), the gap between statewide district enrollment and average daily attendance is about 474,640 students. With the current base allotment, this would increase spending by nearly $3 billion on students who are not present in school.

Gov. Abbott Appoints Blacklock as Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Jimmy Blacklock as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. Luca Cacciatore reports Blacklock will take over the chief justice position from Nathan Hecht, who was forced to retire after serving on the court since 1989.
The Texas Constitution requires judges to retire at 75.
Blacklock, a member of the Federalist Society, has served on the Texas Supreme Court since January 2018. Before that, he worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a private litigator, and spent six years in the Texas attorney general’s office.
To fill the vacancy created on the court, Gov. Abbott appointed James P. Sullivan to serve in Place 2 on the bench. He formerly served as the governor’s general counsel.

Harris County Commissioner Launches ‘Wasted Potential’ Campaign

Harris County’s sole Republican Commissioner, Tom Ramsey, has announced a new campaign called “Wasted Potential,” drawing attention to how much taxpayer money is being spent on new programs and departments, largely driven by the Democrat supermajority. Charles Blain has the story.
The commissioners recently raised taxes by more than 15 percent on Harris County residents. But, after considering the increases in property appraisals, an analysis found that the average Harris County homeowner saw a 25 percent increase in just the county portion of their property taxes last year.
A dozen new programs and departments have been created by Democrat County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the three Democrat commissioners, with Ramsey often being the sole vote against them.

Quote-Unquote

"Whenever there is a proposal for a tax cut, media pundits demand to know how you are going to pay for it. But when there are proposals for more spending on social programs, those same pundits are strangely silent."

– Thomas Sowell

Today in History

On Jan. 8, 1884, the Texas Legislature made it a felony to cut fences. The issue involved landless cattle owners who wanted their stock fed on the open range and resented landowners fencing in their property. Things came to a head during the drought of 1883, forcing Gov. John Ireland to call a special session to deal with the problem.