Good morning,
This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, April 3, 2025.
– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Lawmaker’s Real Estate Ties Raise Eyebrows in Texas House Deal
- A Democrat lawmaker is under scrutiny at the Texas Capitol after pushing legislation that could benefit his private real estate firm—while taxpayers are left footing the bill. Brandon Waltens has the details.
- State Rep. Rafael Anchía of Dallas filed a bill this session that appears to crack down on Housing Finance Corporations—entities used by developers to secure long-term 99-year property tax exemptions under the guise of affordable housing. But while Anchía claims to be reining in these deals, his own firm, Civitas Capital Group, profits directly from them.
- Civitas has used HFCs to develop at least six housing projects across Texas. Due to their tax-exempt status, those developments represent more than $167 million in property value shielded from taxation.
- Anchía filed his legislation in February. Just weeks later, Republican State Rep. Cecil Bell (Magnolia)—who chairs the committee that would hear the matter—filed an identical piece of legislation that was given a lower bill number and fast-tracked for a hearing. None of that would happen, Capitol insiders note, without the approval of Speaker Dustin Burrows.
- Seems like every property owner in Texas would like to get in on Anchía's special 99-year property tax exemption deal ...
Texas Lottery Vendor IGT Has Been Fined for Contract Violations
- The Texas Lottery Commission has fined its primary lottery operator, IGT Solutions Corporation, $180,000 for violating its contract by making political contributions in Texas. Daniel Greer has the story.
- The penalty, issued weeks after Texas Scorecard reported on the contributions, comes amid growing concerns over the lottery’s operations, including a bulk purchasing event in 2023 that lawmakers have called a money laundering operation.
- Campaign finance records show that IGT has contributed over $280,000 to various political caucuses since 2015. These donations raise questions about potential violations of the “improper influence” clause in the company’s contract. According to its contract with the state, IGT can be fined up to $10,000 for every violation of the improper influence clause. In this case, the Lottery Commission is assessing fines for 18 political contributions.
- In response to the sanction, IGT has sued the state, claiming its contributions were not made in violation of its contract because they went to caucus functions rather than specific lawmakers. For example, IGT claims that the political donation to the Mexican American Legislative Caucus was simply for “golf outings.”
- It’s unclear if IGT was sanctioned for a $25,000 donation it made to then-House Speaker Dennis Bonnen’s Texas Leads PAC in 2020. Such political contributions to leadership political action committees are routinely viewed and described as purchasing access.
Attorney General Alleges Houston ISD Engaged in Electioneering
- Joseph Trimmer reports that the Houston Independent School District is accused of illegal electioneering by the Office of the Attorney General.
- At issue is the district’s use of taxpayer dollars to promote its $4 billion bond measure, which voters rejected in November 2024. Houston ISD budgeted $2 million for a campaign to promote the bond, which included advertisements, mailers, and social media outreach. Critics, including parents and state officials, have questioned the legality of the district’s actions.
- Texas' Election Code states that “An officer or employee of a political subdivision may not knowingly spend or authorize the spending of public funds for political advertising.”
- Next steps by the AG’s office have not been announced but could involve a full investigation or civil penalties if evidence of wrongdoing is substantiated.
OTHER HOUSTON NEWS
While the City of Houston pushes for wider lanes to accommodate traffic flow, some residents argue that walkability and pedestrian safety must come first—a debate playing out in the controversial Montrose Boulevard project.
DOJ Charges Canadian National for Texas GOP Website Hack
- The U.S. Department of Justice charged a leftwing cyber-activist from Canada with hacking and stealing sensitive data from the Republican Party of Texas. As Ian Camacho reports, the hack was allegedly committed in retaliation against the Texas Heartbeat Act, which prohibits abortions when fetal heartbeats are detected.
- The hacking incident took place on Sept. 11, 2021.
- The charges against Aubrey Cottle could result in up to five years in federal prison. The man has already been arrested by Canadian officials, who are exploring additional charges.
- Cottle has claimed on LinkedIn to have founded Anonymous, a decentralized hacker group devoted to leftwing causes.
Number of the Day
40,030,579
The population of Canada. In comparison, Texas has a population of
31,290,831, and the United States has 340.1 million.
[Source: Worldometer; U.S. Census Bureau]
Today in History
On April 3, 1944, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Texas Democrats' "white primary" rule was unconstitutional. The Democrats had enshrined that restriction in law to deny blacks the opportunity to vote in the party primaries.
Quote-Unquote
"The only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed."
– William Henry Harrison
Directories of Elected Officials
