Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Texas Launches New Office To Cut Red Tape

• Brandon Waltens reports that Texas has a new state agency aimed squarely at shrinking the reach of government. The Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office is charged under a new state law with identifying unnecessary regulations, reducing red tape, and setting best practices for how state agencies adopt rules and measure their costs.
   
• Gov. Greg Abbott, who has characterized the new agency as the Texas DOGE, said the goal is to rein in the “administrative state” and make government more accountable to the public.
       
• In addition to reviewing and repealing ineffective rules, TREO is required to work with the Department of Information Resources and the Secretary of State to build a user-friendly website allowing Texans to easily search state regulations by topic or industry.
      
• The law creating the TREO also changed how courts review state rules, requiring judges to interpret legal disputes independently rather than defer to agency interpretations.

TEA Investigates Teachers’ Posts on Charlie Kirk Assassination

• More than 200 teachers are being investigated by the Texas Education Agency over their social media posts related to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Addie Hovland has the details.
      
• Late last week, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath sent a letter to superintendents acknowledging that the agency had been made aware of teachers sharing social media posts celebrating Kirk’s assassination and was actively investigating the situation. 
     
• On social media, Gov. Greg Abbott wrote that those found guilty will “have their teacher certification suspended and be ineligible to teach in a Texas public school.”
       
• The TEA has requested that documentation of inappropriate teacher conduct regarding Kirk’s assassination be reported to the agency through its Misconduct Reporting Portal.

Fired Professor to Sue Texas State University

• A professor who has called for the overthrow of the U.S. government is now planning a lawsuit against Texas State University over his termination. Robert Montoya has the story.
       
• Professor Tom Alter made his incendiary comments at the recent Revolutionary Socialism Conference. Shortly after his speech was exposed online, Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse announced that Alter had been fired.
      
• Alter's lawyers are upset that he was recorded without his permission, despite delivering the prepared remarks during a virtual conference on video.

OTHER CAMPUS NEWS

• “I will not tolerate behavior that mocks, trivializes, or promotes violence on our campuses.” – Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse

UNT Called Out For ‘Lack of Action’

• While Texas Tech University and Texas State University moved quickly to expel students who mocked the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the grief of his supporters, the University of North Texas is being criticized for not taking action.
      
• Last week, UNT student Mary Catherine Hallmark posted a video in which students in her class celebrated Kirk’s murder. 
      
• When she tried to ask for decorum, Hallmark was told to leave by the instructor. Since then, according to Hallmark's mother, she has received "threats of violence" that the university's police department has not acted upon.
     
• Hallmark's mother described the university's approach to the entire situation as "appalling."

Round Rock ISD Refuses To Display Ten Commandments

• Round Rock ISD is reportedly refusing to comply with Texas’ new law requiring the display of the Ten Commandments in government school classrooms. The district's general counsel, Cynthia Hill, wrote in an email that donated posters are being safely stored while local officials await guidance regarding the constitutionality of displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms.
       
• Yet the attorney general of Texas has already told school districts not explicitly enjoined from doing so that they have an obligation to follow the law requiring the displays.
      
• A spokesperson for the A.G. told Texas Scorecard that Paxton will "lead the charge to make sure that every school district posts the Ten Commandments in classrooms in accordance with the law."

Texas Ethics Commission is a Threat to Texans

• Travis Morgan explores how a former legislator’s fight against the Texas Ethics Commission highlights the threat the TEC poses to average citizens, often discouraging them from participating in the political process.
     
• Chris Paddie (R-Marshall) was fined by the TEC after he allegedly violated a 2019 ethics law that he helped write. The law in question prohibits former lawmakers from lobbying for two years after donating to colleagues. A complaint against Paddie alleged “illegal lobbying,” pointing to political donations he made from an old campaign account shortly before his resignation from office in 2022.
     
• The TEC issued a $55,000 fine while its deputy director allegedly threatened to target Paddie's consulting clients and "publicly disclose communications about the matter that were made confidential by law."
      
• Paddie is now suing the TEC, arguing the agency and its staff are violating Paddie’s due process rights.
      
• "The TEC has proven themselves to be a grave threat to the free speech rights of 30 million Texans. Any Texan can be dragged in front of Texas’ secret speech police at any time, simply for engaging in political speech without hiring a campaign finance attorney first." – Tony McDonald

Another Kemp ISD Teacher Charged With Sexual Misconduct

• Anthony Trahan is the second Kemp High School teacher arrested this year for sex crimes involving a student. Erin Anderson reports that the man has been a Culinary Arts teacher at the school since 2023.
     
• According to state records, Trahan does not hold a Texas teaching certificate. He previously worked in the district’s transportation department.
      
• In April, a science teacher at the school named Ryan Hedges was charged with child grooming and displaying harmful material to a minor student.

Quote-Unquote

"Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value."

– Albert Einstein​

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