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Good morning,

Yesterday, we asked readers about funding for public libraries that host "drag show" events targeting children. The survey results and a sampling of readers' responses can be found below.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, March 4, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

But First...

• Texas Scorecard is taking applications now for our paid fellowship program's Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and Spring 2026 cycles. The program is designed for individuals aged 18 to 25 to explore a career in journalism, research, and non-profit administration.

Officials at Taxpayer-funded TASB Receive Massive Salaries

• Records show a taxpayer-funded school lobbying organization is paying over a dozen of its employees salaries higher than that of the governor. Will Biagini has the details.
     
• The Texas Association of School Boards is a lobbying organization that is funded almost exclusively by Texas taxpayer dollars through property taxes. According to records filed with the IRS, TASB paid a combined total of nearly $1 million to just two of its employees during fiscal year 2023.
     
• A TASB representative told Texas Scorecard that all of its employee salaries are informed by continual market analyses conducted by a New York-based consulting firm. TABS claims school districts are saving money by using its services.
       
• Policy experts do not see evidence for that claim. James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation said TASB is siphoning money "from Texas public education."

Senators Consider Stronger Safeguards Against Sexually Explicit Books in Schools

• State Sen. Angela Paxton (R-McKinney) has re-introduced legislation that would increase safeguards against sexually explicit books in school libraries. Her legislation, a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, is among nearly a dozen measures relating to parental rights in public education. Erin Anderson has the story.
       
• In a hearing last week, Paxton said Senate Bill 13 would provide increased structure and transparency to school library standards. It would also prohibit school libraries from containing content that meets the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of indecent content.
     
• The legislation would require parental access to school libraries, library catalogs, and their child’s library checkout records.
       
• “Sexually explicit content has no place in a school library. This content is euphemistically referred to as adult content, but it’s also legally referred to as harmful content, and that’s for a reason. It is not suitable for children.” – Angela Paxton

MORE SENATE NEWS

Senators Weigh Religious Protections for Public School Employees

The measures would include protections allowing public school teachers to use students’ biological pronouns and to pray in school.

Proposed Law Would Ban All THC Products

Senate proposal aims to close loopholes permitting consumable THC products created by a 2019 law legalizing industrial hemp.

House Committee Considers Property Tax Relief

• Yesterday, the Texas House Ways and Means Committee met to consider a package of bills aimed at reducing Texans’ property tax burden, with an emphasis on lowering school district tax rates. As Brandon Waltens reports, this is a markedly different approach than that pursued by the Senate, which focused on increasing the homestead exemption.
       
• House Bill 8 by State Rep. Morgan Meyer (R-Dallas) proposes $2.8 billion in additional rate compression, reducing the maximum compressed tax rate by 3.31 cents per $100 valuation. Combined with the rate compression already included in the House budget, this would bring the total new compression to 10.11 cents by the end of the biennium. The plan would accomplish this using a portion of the state’s nearly $24 billion budget surplus.
      
• This approach follows more closely Gov. Greg Abbott’s push for at least $10 billion in tax relief, which he declared an emergency item in his State of the State address last month. Both the House and Senate have allocated approximately $6 billion for property tax relief in their respective budget proposals.
      
• Andrew McVeigh, president of Texans for Fiscal Responsibility, argued that homestead exemptions only benefit some homeowners, whereas tax rate compression benefits all property owners, including renters and businesses.

MORE HOUSE NEWS

House Member Proposes Measure to Stop Warrantless Game Warden Searches

The Texas Constitution does not protect open land from government search and seizure.

Harris County Approves Nearly $900k in Legal Reimbursements for County Judge & Staff

• Harris County Commissioners approved a hefty reimbursement of nearly $900,000 for County Judge Lina Hidalgo and her staff to cover legal expenses tied to the 2022 bid-rigging investigation despite no charges ever being filed against Hidalgo herself. Michael Wilson has the full report.
      
• In 2022, felony indictments were filed against Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s chief of staff and two other staffers in connection with an $11 million COVID-19 contract and bid-rigging investigation.
     
• The case was turned over to the Office of the Attorney General in 2024. Earlier this year, the A.G.'s office dropped two charges against the staffers and reduced the charges against Hidalgo’s chief of staff in exchange for a pre-trial intervention agreement.
      
• Last week, Harris County commissioners approved a reimbursement of $873,298 for Hidalgo and her former staffers to cover legal fees related to the investigation and lawsuits. Even though Hidalgo was never charged, the county taxpayers are reimbursing her for legal bills of approximately $672,000.

Are you tired of the taxpayer-financed media feeding you the Austin establishment's narrative?

Quote-Unquote

"Worst damnfool mistake I ever made was letting myself be elected Vice President of the United States. Should have stuck with my old chores as Speaker of the House. I gave up the second most important job in the Government for one that didn't amount to a hill of beans. I spent eight long years as Mr. Roosevelt's spare tire."

– John Nance Garner​

Y'All Answered

Legislation by State Sen. Bryan Hughes (R–Mineola) would cut off funding to libraries that facilitate "drag queen story hours," which he says are a form of political activism rather than education.

Yesterday, we asked readers what they thought. More than 95 percent of readers believe libraries allowing drag shows should have their funding cut off, while 4.6 percent do not, hoping lawmakers find a different way to address the issue.

Here is a sampling of the responses we received from folks after they took the survey.

• “Restoration of common decency has to start somewhere!” – Dana Kay
     
• “Drag queens and drag shows have no place in the public square, and certainly not in any place receiving tax dollars.” – Shilo Platts
     
• “We don't need our kids exposed to that.  Notice they aren't targeting the nursing homes!  If they want to have their filthy shows, they can self-fund and hold their show on private property.” – Deborah Wilkey
     
• “I have a daughter who is a librarian, and her boyfriend is a transitioning male. They are both great adults and I love them both, but that is the lifestyle they choose. I do not believe that taxpayer dollars should be used to promote any lifestyle.” – Ernie McCloud
      
• “Libraries are meant for education, research, reflection, enjoyment...But, there are rules, especially when funding is involved. And, for not following said rules (ex: drag story hours/shows), there are consequences. If telling them isn't working, then cut off funding! Funding speaks volumes.” – Michelle Lantz
     
• “Regarding drag storytelling, why are people so afraid of alternative lifestyles? We are all human beings.” – Jeff Vandersteeg
      
• “Grooming and child abuse are already a criminal offense. Drag Queen Story Hours are not simply ‘activism,’ and it is not simply normalizing transvestites. It is a recruiting tool designed for making children and their parents lower their instinctual guard to degenerate overtures. The proof is in the fact that Drag Queen Story Hours only ever target children. Never at a VA hospital or elderly care center.” – Wib Gridley
       
• “Why close the library? Simply fire those who are allowing such buffoonery to take place in the library.” – Karen Breazeale
     
• “Nothing says ‘change of behavior’ like money.” – Glenda Piacenti
     
• “It’s amazing to me that our moral character has been degraded to the point where we even have to have this discussion.” – Randy Schroder
     
• “I wholeheartedly agree that libraries should not receive taxpayer funding if they do not follow the law.” – Susan Valliant
      
• “We should not contribute to the darkness of the world.” – Jeff McClarty
     
• “Drag events have no purpose beyond the fact that the people performing in them are grooming children to join in with their form of sexual deviancy.” – Andrea Ingram
      
• “The only possible explanation for hosting ‘Drag Queen’ story hour with children is to ‘normalize’ something that is not ‘normal.’” – Michael Belsick
      
• “I can’t believe we are at a place in our culture where this is even a question. Drag shows have no place in libraries or schools. Drag shows should take place in bars.” – Sylvia McLeod
      
• “Yes, cut the funding for public libraries. But not just because of drag shows. Just eliminate public libraries, period, because we don't need them. We all have the internet on our phones and computers.” – Chris Breaux
      
• “Drag queens have always been adult entertainment, so go ahead have them at bars & fraternities, but limit the audience to over 21 & stop forcing adult entertainment on children. Why do adults think that's ok?” – Virginia Choate

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