Good morning,

Now that the Texas House "quorum bust" has ended, readers sound off on what they think should happen to the participants.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

House Regains Quorum as Democrats Return From Walkout

• For the first time in two weeks, the Texas House was able to gavel in with a quorum on Monday after enough Democrats returned from their out-of-state quorum break. Brandon Waltens has the story.
     
• The chamber had been unable to move forward with legislation since Democrats fled to Illinois and other states in protest of congressional redistricting plans.
      
• House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that Democrats who had participated in the walkout would remain under close watch. According to Burrows, they will be escorted by Department of Public Safety officers to ensure their attendance. The full House is slated to return on Wednesday at 10 a.m., though committees have begun work.
       
• While Monday’s floor proceedings were brief, the return of a quorum has reignited debate about how to handle the Democrats who fled. Some Republican lawmakers have suggested stripping them of vice chairmanships and the added office budgets those positions provide, arguing that members who abandoned their duties should not continue to hold leadership posts. 

Texas A.G. Investigates AI Chatbot Companies

• Addie Hovland reports that the Office of the Attorney General has launched an investigation into AI chatbot platforms Meta AI Studio and Character AI for deceptively marketing themselves as mental health tools.
       
• In announcing the investigation, Attorney General Ken Paxton said that both platforms have gone beyond offering general therapeutic advice. He said they instead come across as professional therapeutic tools despite lacking the necessary credentials and oversight. He also asserted that while the AI chatbots claim confidentiality, the terms of service show that all interactions are logged, tracked, and used for targeted advertising.
      
• Both companies told Texas Scorecard they post clear disclaimers about the services they offer.

UT-Austin Received $2.5 Million From Late-Term Abortion Group

• A research project at UT-Austin focused on “self-managed medication abortions” received nearly $2.5 million in funding from an abortion advocacy group. Adam Cahn has the details.
     
• The Society of Family Planning is a Colorado-based organization with a self-described mission to become “the source for abortion and contraception science.” The organization opposes legislative efforts to protect life.
     
• The money was funneled to UT-Austin from late 2018 through earlier this year.

Harris County Jail 2025 Death Toll Climbs

• Michael Wilson reports that the Harris County Jail has now had its 12th in-custody death of 2025, just as officials prepare to redirect funding to confront chronic understaffing and overcrowding issues.
     
• In comparison, the jail recorded 10 in-custody deaths in 2024 and 19 in 2023.
     
• Concerns about the jail were compounded this week when the sheriff’s office confirmed that an inmate was mistakenly released from custody. Earlier this year, a capital murder suspect was mistakenly released after a paperwork mix-up with another inmate sharing the same last name.

South Texas Judge Rebuffs Records Request About Scandal-Plagued Auditor

• In the face of public calls for an auditor’s firing, a South Texas judge responsible for hiring the auditor has rebuffed a records request. As Robert Montoya reports, a statement from the auditor indicates she may be under investigation.
     
• Earlier this month, Texas Scorecard sent Judge Roland Andrade of the 63rd District Court a Rule 12 request for records regarding Kinney County Auditor Cheryll Jones. The request followed an investigative report about local pleas for her termination.
      
• The judge has refused, citing an exemption for records related to investigations of a person’s character or conduct.
      
• Appointed by Andrade in October 2024, Jones’ tenure as auditor has been controversial. Five months after her appointment, the Kinney County Commissioners Court unanimously stated she abused her authority and lost their confidence to serve as county auditor. Jones previously served as Wichita County auditor from 2020 until August 2024, when she was escorted from that office by security.

Court Rejects ‘Qualified Immunity’ for Lorena ISD Admin in Sex Abuse Lawsuit

• An appeals court rejected a Lorena Primary School principal’s claim that she is immune from liability in a civil lawsuit for failing to protect a pre-K student from a teacher’s sexual abuse. Erin Anderson updates the ongoing legal fight.
     
• Such immunity shields school officials from federal civil liability unless their conduct violates a clearly established constitutional right to an extent that “shocks the conscience.” The decision is a win for local families seeking justice for a victim identified in court records as “Jane Doe,” allowing them to proceed with their 2023 civil suit against April Jewell.
        

• The family alleges Jewell ignored multiple warnings from several staff members about the teacher's behavior towards their daughter. They say the teacher continuously molested the girl in her classroom from October 2020 through May 2021, and has confessed to victimizing at least one other girl in the pre-K class.

     
• Earlier this year, Texas lawmakers eliminated school districts’ immunity from civil liability in sex abuse cases brought in state court.

Quote-Unquote

"The way you solve things is by making it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing."

– Milton Friedman​

Y'All Answered

Yesterday, we asked if readers would be satisfied if quorum-busting Democrats only faced fines, or if they should have other penalties.

More than 94 percent of readers want "other penalties," while 5.8 percent said "fines are fine."

Here is a sampling of the responses.

• “I think all of those Democrats that pull such stunts should be kicked out—period.” – Claudia Rogers
      
• “Fines are never enough when you’re spending other people’s money.” – Bob Davis
      
• “Oh no, are the Republicans losing? I feel terrible...and I am over it.” – Casey Holihan
      
• “Democratic legislators are working to avoid the rampant voter suppression in Texas. I commend them for their courage in their fight for voters’ rights.” – Beverly Randolph
      
• “I believe that merely fining them, while punishment, will not discourage them or any others from doing this again in the future.” – Ernesto Bernal
     
• “Truthfully, I'm happy to see ANY penalty actually impressed and enforced.” – Cindy Armstrong
      
• “My hope is that in the future we will make a law that those who neglect their duties to the people for the purpose of breaking quorum will automatically lose their seat, and a special election will be called.” – Glenda Piacenti
      
• “A politician's only concern is retaining his/her office. A politician's money comes from donors, directly or indirectly. To punish the politician, fire them.” – James Moyer
       
• “If you want to stop a bad behavior, make the penalty swift and severe. I’m tired of the games! Do your job or be booted out.” – Sandra Grove
      
• “Money is not the motivation for many of the Dems. Power, however, is. Therefore, they should be removed from any leadership role.” – Steve Sullivan
      
• “There needs to be serious consequences.” – Lisa Buck
      
• “They need to be removed from office.” – John Coon
      
• “Their places in any committee should be stripped, and if possible, their seats should be stripped. Stop letting them destroy Texas.” – Cathe Harris
      
• “A person paying a $5.00 illegal parking fine is inconvenienced; a person disbarred from ever parking there again learns a lesson. Yes, there needs to be more than a fine for lawmakers deserting their post.” – James Stewart
    
• “Fines are a joke!” – Andrea Connors
      
• “Yes, for sure, fine them, but also remove anyone who fled the state from any position in leadership anywhere in the House and make it a permanent ban.” – Patrick Bell
      
• “I'm tired of elected officials thinking they can do anything and not be held accountable.” – Madeline Bentivegna
     
• “What's the point of just fines? 'Beto' and Soros will pay for it like they did for their vacation!” – John Makow

The Directory of State and Federal Officials

Contact information, biographies, and campaign finances.

📧 If someone forwarded the Texas Minute to you, and you like what you see, it is easy to get on the list yourself!