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– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Thursday, September 4, 2025

Legislature Wraps Up Summer Special Sessions The Texas House and Senate brought to a close the second special session of the summer called by Gov. Greg Abbott. While several items on the governor's agenda were not completed, there is no indication he will bring them back a third time. Brandon Waltens has the details [[link removed]].

This second special session followed a tumultuous first in which Democrat members of the House broke quorum for two weeks to delay passage of a new congressional map. When lawmakers eventually returned for the second 30-day session, that map was quickly approved and sent to Abbott’s desk for his signature.

Lawmakers did manage to move several of Abbott’s priorities across the finish line. Measures were passed cracking down on abortion-inducing drugs delivered through the mail, advancing the Women’s Privacy Act to keep men out of women’s spaces, and restoring the authority of the attorney general to prosecute election fraud cases—power that had been stripped away by a previous court ruling.

Conversely, the push to end taxpayer-funded lobbying, a longtime grassroots priority that has cleared the Senate multiple times, was once again blocked in the House. The chambers were unable to reach an agreement on how to regulate or ban consumable THC products.

No property tax relief was entertained. The Senate advanced a plan requiring voter approval before certain cities could raise property taxes, while House conservatives successfully amended the measure to apply more broadly across the state. The Senate balked at the change, and negotiations broke down without an agreement. STAAR Test Replacement Heads to Governor’s Desk A new school accountability system is heading to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott that eliminates the STAAR test [[link removed]] even as it increases overall testing in public schools throughout the year. These new tests will be administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year to track student progress.

Under the law, the Texas Education Agency will be responsible for the transition, but must contract with a national assessment provider to develop and administer the new system.

This new “Student Success Tool” would take effect for the 2027–28 school year. House Cracks Down on Future Quorum-Busting With New Rules Among their last orders of business last night, the Texas House has moved to ensure that quorum-busting tactics—like those used this summer by the Democrats— carry heavy consequences in the future [[link removed]]. The measure rewrites House rules to increase fines and introduce new penalties for members who absent themselves without leave to break quorum deliberately.

Among other things, the financial penalty increases to three times the daily per diem lawmakers received while in session. They can also be fined for their share of the costs incurred to compel their return.

Lawmakers who are absent without leave for at least two consecutive days during a future call of the House will lose their committee chairmanships or vice-chairmanships for the remainder of the session and be barred from reappointment. They can also lose their seniority, which affects committee assignments, office selection, and parking spaces.

It is worth noting that the House Republican Caucus declined to censure Democrats for this year’s quorum break. Paxton Sues PowerSchool Over Massive Data Breach Affecting Texas Students A California-based education technology company is being sued by Attorney General Ken Paxton after a massive data breach compromised the private information of more than 880,000 Texas school-aged children and teachers. Sydnie Henry has the story [[link removed]].

PowerSchool provides widely used cloud-based software for K-12 schools across the nation. The company bills its platform as an industry leader in student data management and claims its technology offers “state-of-the-art protections” to safeguard student and teacher information.

Paxton’s lawsuit alleges that basic, industry-standard protections were never implemented.

The breach, which occurred late last year, exposed a large volume of sensitive data—including names, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, disability records, medical histories, special education details, and even school bus stop information. According to the attorney general’s office, hackers exploited a subcontractor’s account to gain administrative access and transferred vast amounts of unencrypted data to a foreign server.

“If Big Tech thinks they can profit off managing children’s data while cutting corners on security, they are dead wrong,” said Paxton. “Parents should never have to worry that the information they provide to enroll their children in school could be stolen and misused.” Lawsuit Filed to Neutralize ‘Campus Protection Act’ Several organizations are suing the University of Texas System as a means of undoing a new state law meant to counter disruptive activities on college campuses. Travis Morgan breaks down the case [[link removed]], noting that the plaintiffs believe the law goes too far.

A new law took effect earlier this week that was designed to protect freedom of expression for students while establishing guardrails to prevent the type of disruptive chaos that occurred at UT-Austin in 2024. That was when pro-Palestine protestors disrupted campus activities during the spring semester. The protest turned physical, and approximately 100 people were arrested.

The “Campus Protection Act” prohibits “any speech or expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment” on Texas’ public university and college campuses between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed the lawsuit in a federal district court in Austin yesterday. Among those represented in the lawsuit are the Fellowship of Christian Students, the Retrograde Newspaper, Young Americans for Liberty, and the Texas Society of Unconventional Drummers. Lockhart ISD Latest Hit With Sex Abuse Lawsuit A volleyball coach charged with sexually grooming and abusing an underage junior high student is now the target of a civil lawsuit. As Erin Anderson reports [[link removed]], the family is also suing the Lockhart Independent School District.

The lawsuit accuses Aaron Aguilar of using his position as an education/PE aide and volleyball coach at Lockhart Junior High to physically assault a sixth-grade girl in a school locker room and then coerce her into silence. The victim’s mother eventually discovered text messages on her phone and contacted the police, leading to Aguilar’s arrest.

According to the Central Texas school district, Aguilar was terminated due to job performance issues unrelated to any legal issues.

The complaint also alleges that one or more LISD employees knew or suspected that Aguilar had previously used his position “to isolate and sexually assault one or more male students.” Harris County Sergeant Charged With Harassing Teenage Girl Michael Wilson reports [[link removed]] that a law enforcement officer is facing criminal charges after allegedly using his badge to harass and unlawfully detain a teenage Starbucks employee.

Ostin Urbina Jr., a Harris County Constable Precinct 7 sergeant, is facing multiple charges related to official oppression two years after allegedly sexually harassing and unlawfully detaining a 17-year-old Starbucks barista. Court records indicate the victim's claims have been corroborated by surveillance footage and other witness statements.

Urbina has been with the department since 2017 and was promoted to sergeant in 2023. The office said Urbina has been relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. 🔒 Support Texas Scorecard 🔒 [[link removed]] Today in History

On Sept. 4, 1957, Ford Motors introduced the Edsel line. The vehicle quickly became a commercial failure, and production ended in 1960.

Number of the Day

118,287

The number of Edsels produced in total.

[Source: MotorCities [[link removed]]]

Quote-Unquote

"Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken fried steak."

– Larry McMurtry​

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