Good morning,
Throughout history, people have had a curious habit of creating barriers designed to keep God out of their lives. I end the week reflecting on how such attitudes end up imprisoning us in lives of misery.
This is the Texas Minute for Friday, April 11, 2025.
– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Dan Patrick Uses Board Game to Make Case for Homestead Exemption
- In a video he posted on X, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made his case for raising the homestead exemption on school property taxes by using a familiar childhood prop: the game of Monopoly. Brandon Waltens has the details.
- Patrick used the visual to draw a direct comparison between property taxes and rent, arguing that even homeowners who have paid off their mortgages are essentially paying “rent” to their local school districts for the rest of their lives.
- Patrick touted the Senate’s passage of Senate Bill 4 earlier this year, which would raise the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for most homeowners and $150,000 for seniors. But he said the real goal—agreed to in conversations with House Speaker Dustin Burrows—is to go up to $200,000.
- Currently, the Texas House has continued to emphasize “compression”—a mechanism that reduces the school district tax rates by using state funds to lower the rate. While this can lower the overall tax burden for all property owners, including homeowners, businesses, and rental properties, it does not target homeowners as directly as a homestead exemption does.
- Patrick describes "compression" as a "roll of the dice," because it requires constant legislative approval, while the "exemption" becomes enshrined in the Texas Constitution by voters.
- "For the average senior homeowner in Texas, you will not be paying any more school taxes. We will achieve that goal for you this session." – Dan Patrick
Texas House Advances Largest Budget in State History
- In a marathon session that lasted until after 3 a.m. this morning, the Texas House moved forward with its version of the state’s biennial budget—the largest in state history at $337 billion.
Despite 393 amendments having been pre-filed on Senate Bill 1 ahead of the debate, most never saw the light of day. In a move that significantly shortened what is typically a marathon session, lawmakers adopted more than 300 of those amendments in a single sweeping motion at the outset, sending the bulk of them to Article XI—the so-called “wish list” portion of the budget reserved for items that rarely survive to the final budget.
In one of the more notable early floor actions, members approved an amendment by Democrat State Rep. Mary González (El Paso) to zero out funding for the Texas Lottery Commission, the Commission on the Arts, and the Trusted Programs in the governor’s office. But the move was more procedural than substantive.
Rather than signaling intent to strip these items from the budget, the maneuver served to block other lawmakers from offering similar amendments later in the process. The expectation is that funding for those programs will be restored during the conference committee process, where a small group of House and Senate members will hammer out the final version of the budget. By zeroing out those programs, House leadership was able to prevent substantive debates on those issues.
The budget was approved in a vote of 118-26. The Senate unanimously passed its version of the budget last month, with a proposal largely similar to the one advanced by the House.
Senators Consider Safeguards For Students From School Predators
- As Erin Anderson reports, members of the Texas Senate heard powerful testimony this week on two key public education reforms to safeguard students from predatory school employees. Specifically, the measures address how administrators report alleged sex crimes committed against students by teachers and other school employees—what the state calls “educator misconduct” or “inappropriate relationships.”
- For example, legislation authored by State Sen. Kevin Sparks (R–Midland) would require superintendents to report allegations directly to outside local law enforcement within 48 hours. Superintendents failing to do so would face a state jail felony and an administrative penalty of up to $10,000.
Texas Tech Class Pushes Radical Feminism
- Materials in a Texas Tech course promote anti-Christian, anti-male attitudes and argue that Marxism is not drastic enough for feminism.
- As Will Biagini reports, the course fulfills one of Texas Tech’s requirements for a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies.
- Among the required readings are “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy” and “The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism: Towards a More Progressive Union.”
- The course syllabus opens with an image that proclaims: “If I had a hammer … I’d smash Patriarchy.”
Parents Back Legislation Requiring Parental Approval for App Store Purchases
- A new poll by the Texas Public Policy Foundation shows that a majority of parents and voters surveyed support legislation that would require parental approval before children can download applications from the app store. Debra McClure has the story.
- Legislation has been filed in both the House and Senate imposing restrictions on the "inappropriate content" that children can access through apps downloaded onto mobile devices. According to the TPPF poll, 79 percent of Texas parents support such a measure.
- Concern about the influence Big Tech companies have over children continues to gain urgency with lawmakers. As Texas Scorecard previously reported in December 2024, officials investigated several top companies to analyze their privacy practices and handling of children’s data.
Mall Investigation Uncovers Massive US Theft Syndicate Tied to Cartel
- Michael Wilson reports that authorities in Katy have uncovered a vast criminal operation they believe is tied to a South American cartel, following a string of high-value retail thefts across the country. Investigators estimate this particular faction is responsible for over $100 million in stolen merchandise nationwide.
OTHER HARRIS COUNTY NEWS
Harris County is suing the Trump administration over funding tied to a clinic that provided free health care to illegal aliens.
Race To Replace Paxton Begins
- With incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton now challenging John Cornyn for the U.S. Senate, the race to succeed him is officially underway. The first candidate to enter the ring, John Bash, is no stranger to high-profile legal battles.
- As a former federal prosecutor for the Western District of Texas under President Donald Trump, Bash is known nationally for representing actor Alec Baldwin in the high-profile “Rust” movie set shooting case. He also counts Elon Musk among his clients.
- In his campaign launch message, Bash warned of threats facing the state and laid out a vision of a tough-on-crime, constitutional conservative ready to step into the role on day one.
This Sunday on REAL TEXANS
ADAM LOEWY
- In Sunday's edition of REAL TEXANS, I sit down with personal injury attorney Adam Loewy to discuss access to the courts and the importance of disagreeing agreeably. Mr. Loewy also opens up about philanthropy and the importance of sobriety.
- As a Democrat, he offers a candid look at what's happened to his party.
Friday Reflection
Never Gonna Break God’s Stride
by Michael Quinn Sullivan
How sturdy must a wall be built to keep God out? And why are we so insistent on trying? Those questions have weighed on me each time I visit Mount Olivet, looking toward Jerusalem’s ancient city walls.
Though today it is covered with family crypts, 2,000 years ago, the hillside was dotted with olive groves, producing its name and the region’s most important fruit. But its place in history is even more significant.
Before Jesus entered Jerusalem in the last week of His ministry, He looked out over the city from the Mount of Olives. Then, before being arrested, Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, which is nestled on the hillside.
For modern visitors, it’s a convenient point from which to photograph the ancient walls of the Old City, the Temple Mount, and the golden Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine.
One detail is easy to overlook. From the Mount of Olives, you are looking at the Old City’s eastern wall. From this place, you see the outline of what would have been a massive gate; it was permanently sealed in 1541 by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman.
The Jewish crypts blanketing the Mount of Olives were placed there for the same reason those Muslims sealed the gate: this is where, in the Jewish Talmudic belief, the promised Messiah would enter Jerusalem at the end of time, resurrecting the dead in His wake.
The Jews wanted a good seat, and the Muslims wanted to block His entry.
Did the sultan think that through? If he were concerned enough to seal the gate, maybe he should have considered that a few feet of stone wouldn’t cause this divine and victorious Messiah to even break His stride.
Fifteen hundred years earlier and less than a mile away, a similar decision had been made. The Roman prefect overseeing Judea sealed the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid, pacifying the rent-a-mob stirred up by the Jewish political leaders.
Just as those efforts proved not to impede the risen Jesus, neither shall the work of 16th-century Muslim masons.
It’s easy to laugh at sealed gates and heavy stones, but we should reflect on how often we create similarly meaningless barriers to God, individually and corporately. Whether it’s the unconstitutional “separation” of state from church, bans on school prayer, or simply an adamant (and arrogant) denial of God’s very existence, our flimsy barriers have no impact on His reality.
The God who spoke the universe into being goes where He wants. The only thing accomplished by our flimsy barricades is denying ourselves the joy of knowing Him.
In sealing up our hearts to God, we imprison only ourselves. By tearing down those barriers, we will find real joy in this life and the next.
Quote-Unquote
"In a fallen world, we must be willing to face the fact that however lovingly we preach the gospel, if a man rejects it he will be miserable. It is dark out there."
– Francis Schaeffer
