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Good morning,

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, August 21, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Texas House Passes 'One Big, Beautiful Congressional Map' Growing GOP Advantage Despite the Democrats' obstruction and two-week quorum-bust, the Texas House passed legislation yesterday afternoon designed to enhance Republican chances in congressional races. As Brandon Waltens reports [[link removed]], the measure now goes to the Senate, where it is expected to advance quickly to the governor for enactment.

The map, which reshapes districts in Dallas and Houston as well as Central and South Texas, is designed to reflect population growth while giving Republicans an even stronger advantage. Each new district is required to be nearly equal in population, with the ideal congressional size sitting around 766,900 residents.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, cheered the move on Truth Social, calling it “ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL CONGRESSIONAL MAP!”

The new congressional lines are expected to take effect for the 2026 elections.RELATED HOUSE NEWS As the Texas Legislature continues its second special session, legislation aimed at banning taxpayer-funded lobbying has once again been referred to the House State Affairs Committee, prompting questions about whether the House will act. [[link removed]] The push to prohibit local governments from using public funds to hire lobbyists has long been a legislative priority for the Republican Party of Texas and a recurring item on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda. During the regular session, the Senate passed a similar proposal, but it died in the House when State Affairs Committee Chairman Ken King (R-Canadian) refused to grant the bill a hearing.

A dozen other similar bills have also been filed in the House and referred to the same committee. None have been given low bill numbers, which typically signify a high priority from the speaker’s office.

According to recent estimates, local governments in Texas are expected to spend $94.5 million in 2025 to fund lobbyists hired by cities, counties, school districts, and special purpose districts. Abbott Adds Quorum-Break Punishments to Special Session Agenda Just hours after the Texas House approved a new congressional redistricting plan, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he was expanding the ongoing special session agenda [[link removed]] to include three additional priorities. Most notably among them: punishments for lawmakers who break quorum.

Abbott also wants legislation allowing Texans to purchase Ivermectin over-the-counter at a pharmacy as well as a groundwater study of East Texas aquifers. Senate Quickly Passes Majority of Special Session Items In just a matter of days, Texas senators are tackling Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities once again as the Texas House returns to regular business. Sydnie Henry has the story [[link removed]].

The Senate has passed 13 items from the governor's special session agenda. The four remaining items—covering redistricting, banning the STAAR test, prohibiting abortion drugs, and state judicial reforms—will originate in the House before moving to the Senate.

The Senate is scheduled to meet again later today.

"The Texas Senate once again proved we can deliver real results for the people of Texas." – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick [[link removed]] Paxton Moves to Block Mailed Abortion Drugs Attorney General Ken Paxton has sent letters demanding that several pro-abortion organizations immediately stop sending abortifacient drugs into the state—and warning that a failure to comply could result in further legal action. As Addie Hovland explains [[link removed]], the letters follow two lawsuits filed regarding men illegally obtaining abortion drugs from activists and organizations.

Paxton warns that mailing abortion drugs is not only a violation of Texas law, but also the federal Comstock Act of 1873. That law prohibits the mailing of “any drug, medicine, article, or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion.”

"Texas will not tolerate the murdering of innocent life through illegal drug trafficking." – Attorney General Ken Paxton [[link removed]]Related Court News A federal judge in San Antonio has temporarily prohibited 11 Texas school districts from posting the Ten Commandments in classrooms, as required by a new state law. Travis Morgan has the details [[link removed]]. The new state law requires every classroom in government elementary and secondary schools to display a framed copy or durable poster of the Ten Commandments in a “conspicuous place.”

The judge suggested that the state could, instead, require the posting of "the Five Moral Precepts of Buddhism."

Attorney General Ken Paxton told [[link removed]] Texas Scorecard the state will appeal the ruling. "The Ten Commandments are a cornerstone of our moral and legal heritage, and their presence in classrooms serves as a reminder of the values that guide responsible citizenship." Regents Name Permanent UT-Austin President Adam Cahn reports [[link removed]] that regents of the University of Texas System formally approved Jim Davis as the permanent president of the flagship campus in Austin. Davis has served as interim UT-Austin president since February. He previously held a variety of on-campus positions after working in the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Later today, regents are expected to announce a new policy for faculty advisory bodies. They have the option to reconstitute faculty councils as strictly advisory.

The University of Texas System oversees nine academic institutions and five health care institutions. University of Houston Offering Classes Covering Queer Theory As Jake Zimmerman reports [[link removed]], the University of Houston is offering classes this fall that explicitly list “queer theory” as a large part of the curriculum and a major lens for classroom discussion.

One class promotes feminist theory, queer theory, and critical race theory while examining “privilege” and “oppression” through the lens of “race, gender, sexuality, class, and disability.” Another uses feminist and queer theory to frame disability as a social construct, focusing on intersectionality and identity politics.

Conservative author and political commentator James Lindsay argues that queer theory is being used as a vehicle to push “inappropriate” topics onto students in the name of fostering “inclusion.” Montgomery County Officials Arrest 71 Wanted Offenders As part of a weeklong push, law enforcement officials in Montgomery County have made dozens of arrests. As Michael Wilson reports [[link removed]], Operation Heatwave involved the execution of nearly 100 warrants.

Operation Heatwave brought together multiple agencies to track down offenders, with some individuals located as far away as Georgia. Offenders were arrested on charges ranging from family violence and larceny to child pornography and aggravated assault. 🔒 Support Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Quote-Unquote

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."

– Sun Tzu​

Today in History

On August 21, 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state.

Number of the Day

1.46 Million

The population of Hawaii on July 1, 2024. By comparison, the Texas metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin each have significantly larger populations.

[Source: U.S. Census [[link removed]]]

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