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Good morning,

As members of the Texas House take up the state's budget today, below you'll find readers are responding to proposals defunding universities that push leftwing propaganda.

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, April 10, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Texas Teachers’ Retirement System Funded Chinese Firms Even as the Trump administration ramps up its pressure on China, the Teacher Retirement System of Texas is continuing to fund the Communist regime—in apparent defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s divestment order. Robert Montoya has the details [[link removed]].

In November 2024, Abbott ordered state pension funds to divest from Chinese firms. TRS claimed to have done so at the end of January. Yet records show that TRS cast corporate proxy votes with more than 10 Chinese companies since January 1, 2025, with five being new investments. A TRS report for February 2025 also showed continued investments in Chinese funds.

A TRS spokesperson admitted that the system still holds "indirect" investments in China and Hong Kong through commingled funds, where TRS is one of many investors. TRS is refusing to say exactly how much Texas money it is sending to the CCP.

“To the extent you have any current investments in China, you are required to divest at the first available opportunity.” – From Gov. Abbott's executive order [[link removed]] SALCEDO STORM: Ken Paxton on Running for the U.S. Senate On the latest edition of his Salcedo Storm podcast [[link removed]], Chris Salcedo visits with the "most effective conservative Attorney General in the U.S., Ken Paxton," about the decision to challenge Sen. John Cornyn in the 2026 GOP primary.

Listen to the Salcedo Storm on your favorite podcast app or at the Texas Scorecard website [[link removed]]. Texas House Overwhelmingly Rejects Motion To Remove Speaker Burrows A motion to remove Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) from the speakership of the Texas House was swatted down yesterday by a vote of 141-2, with five members present but not voting, and two others absent. Brandon Waltens explains the story [[link removed]].

State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) forced a vote Wednesday on a resolution he authored to remove Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows. Harrison said Burrows has betrayed Republican voters and handed power to Democrats. He accused Burrows of “committ[ing] the greatest form of voter fraud by cutting a deal with Democrats to become Speaker” and “empowering them by appointing pro-abortion, DEI-supporting, open borders Democrats to key positions in House leadership.”

State Rep. Cody Harris (R–Palestine), a Burrows loyalist speaking briefly in opposition, dismissed the resolution as a waste of time.

Even conservatives who routinely vote with Harrison were dismissive of the effort. For example, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R–Arlington), who ran for speaker in 2023, issued a statement [[link removed]] saying the time to litigate the speakership of Dustin Burrows was over. “There was no path to improving our chamber today. A coalition of conservative legislators stood together. Representative Harrison stood for himself.”OTHER HOUSE NEWS Budget Amendments Put Spotlight on Illegal Immigration’s Burden to Taxpayers [[link removed]]

Several Republican members of the Texas House will be using the amendment process during today's budget debate to spotlight the growing cost of illegal immigration on state services.

Texas House Committee Hears Parent-Driven Education Reforms [[link removed]]

With contentious school choice hearings behind them, education committees in the state House and Senate are turning more attention to reforms requiring Texas schools to protect students’ safety and respect parental rights.

Texas Democrats Try Again to Gut Death Penalty [[link removed]]

Democrats at the Texas Capitol are once again attempting to advance legislation that critics say would effectively abolish the death penalty in the state.

Proposal Would Require Healthcare Providers To Report Vaccine Side Effects Members of the Texas Senate are considering a measure requiring healthcare providers to report the adverse side effects of vaccinations and other drugs. Luca Cacciatore has the report [[link removed]].

Senate Bill 269 by State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) would also require Texas physicians to report patients’ serious adverse effects from experimental or investigational drugs to the federal MedWatch program. 900 People Charged With Murder Are Free on Bond in Houston Mayor John Whitmire said that 900 people charged with murder are free on bond in Houston during a city council meeting this week. Joseph Trimmer reports [[link removed]] that the judge of the 248th District Court has been repeatedly criticized for releasing people charged with violent crimes—including capital murder—back into the community.

For example, last week, Houston police recovered the bodies of Austin Collette and his girlfriend. Authorities say he likely shot her before killing himself. Collette had pleaded guilty to murder back in 2019, but the 248th's judge, Hillary Unger, authorized his release and had not scheduled a sentencing hearing.

Earlier this year, Unger released on bond a man accused of murdering a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy. Houston ISD Announces Teacher Pay-For-Performance Structure In an effort to reward high-performing educators, Houston Independent School District is replacing its tenure-based pay system with a performance-driven model. Michael Wilson reports [[link removed]] the new system will launch for the 2026-2027 school year.

According to district officials, the teacher evaluation system will be used during the upcoming 2025-2026 school year to determine salaries for the following year. The salaries will range from $64,000 (for those rated as unsatisfactory) to $96,000 (for those with an exemplary rating).

A “hold harmless” policy ensures that no teacher will earn less than their current base salary through the 2029-2030 school year. Similarly, teachers can only move up or down one level at a time.

Special education teachers will operate under a separate system, with their salaries set at around $90,000.OTHER EDUCATION NEWS Two Texas Teachers Sentenced in Separate Student Sex Crime Cases [[link removed]]

Former Lewisville ISD teacher John Collett was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while ex-Nacogdoches ISD teacher Annaleigh Andrews received two years.

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

478,891

The number of retired school employees drawing pension benefits as of August. 31, 2024.

[Source: Teacher Retirement System of Texas [[link removed]]]

Quote-Unquote

"The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much."

– Ronald Reagan​

Y'All [[link removed]] Answered [[link removed]]

When members of the Texas House take up the state budget for debate today, numerous amendments will be considered to defund the state's universities if they continue to allow leftist indoctrination programs—like DEI—to operate.

Yesterday, we asked readers if it is appropriate to defund a university over the existence of a DEI program. While 93.1 percent of readers agree with defunding those universities, 6.9 percent do not.

Here's a sampling [[link removed]] of the responses we received ...

“It’s time the Texas Legislature cleans and defunds DEI and associated liberal antics up, once and for all.” – Lane Burgess

“This kind of indoctrination is intentional and a poison to the minds of the next generation. Defunding is a start if they will not stop.” – Wendy Nylaan

“No sense in using taxpayer dollars to help destroy our society. These places exist at OUR pleasure, and taxpayers should not fund them if their DEI ideology is hurting us.” – Stephen Casey

“If they can’t even teach ‘male’ and ‘female’ correctly, how can we trust them at all to teach correctly?”– Kenny Carpio

“Universities need to teach, not indoctrinate students.” – Elyce Mouskondis

“Because these universities are sowing the seeds of division, they should lose their funding.” – Molly Gail

“While free speech and a free exchange of ideas are part of what makes a university education desirable, we the people should not send our tax dollars to fund speech that works for the demise of our way of life. Professors and students may say what they wish, but the curriculum of university courses paid with our money should extol our societal goals, and the overall theme professed by scholars should be the edification thereof.” – Brian Heitman

“Why should anyone be satisfied with mediocrity, even in oneself? Knowing you achieved your spot based on your own merit, not because you made the 'quota' should make you feel your hard work was worth something.” – Renee Walker

“DEI is a way to normalize abnormal behavior. Starve those efforts by defunding, and these abnormal behaviors will wither.” – Margie McAllister

“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Future legislators may apply this restriction to subjects (movements) that may be beneficial to students and a free society. Slurping the current soup de jour may result in a foul taste or worse when the table has been reset.” – Connie Voss

“When the money dries up, so does the BS—and I’m not talking about degrees.” – Garry Ludwig

“Taxpayers should not be on the hook for supporting/ funding issues that are contrary to God and nature!” – Deb Hills

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