Good morning, 

This is the Texas Minute for Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

All 17 Constitutional Propositions Pass

• By varying margins, all 17 proposed amendments to the state constitution were ratified by voters in the General Election. Brandon Waltens has the details.
     
• Some of the most prominent items approved included a series of property tax measures, including an increase in the standard homestead exemption for school property taxes from $100,000 to $140,000. 
      
• The passage of all 17 amendments brings the total number of changes to the Texas Constitution to 547 since it was adopted in 1876.

Casino Cash Fails to Sway Voters in Senate District 9 Special Election

• Republican activist Leigh Wambsganss and Democrat union leader Taylor Rehmet are advancing to a runoff in the special election for Texas Senate District 9. Former Southlake Mayor John Huffman finished a distant third.
     
• Much of the contest centered around the influence of out-of-state casino money on Texas politics. Huffman’s campaign received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Texas Sands PAC, the political arm of Las Vegas Sands. (Despite the name, Sands operates casinos mostly in China and not in the United States.)
      
• Wambsganss, though, carried the endorsement of President Donald Trump and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. 
      
• With no candidate reaching a majority, the contest now heads to a runoff election between Wambsganss and Rehmet.

Texas A&M To Pay Former President $3.5 Million

• Regents of the Texas A&M University System have agreed to pay Mark Welsh, former president of Texas A&M–College Station, a settlement worth more than $3.5 million. Robert Montoya has the details.
    
• Welsh resigned on September 19 following widespread criticism over his handling of a children’s literature course that included instruction on introducing LGBT and gender identity material to children as young as three. The regents authorized a separation agreement with Welsh on September 26, the details of which are only now being revealed.
      
• Besides the financial payout, the agreement reportedly includes assurances that the A&M System will indemnify Welsh for actions taken within his official presidential capacity, subject to state law.

Lawsuit Questions Ability of Texas Medical Board to Police Campaign Speech

• Texas’ Supreme Court has signaled that the state medical board may not have the right to police campaign speech. Travis Morgan explains the circumstances around a case involving a Republican congressional candidate from Harlingen.
      
• Rey Gonzalez Jr. came under investigation by the Texas Medical Board during an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House in 2020. The inquiry centered on claims he had been making on the campaign trail as a "physician and an attorney."
     
• While he earned a degree from an accredited medical school, Gonzalez never received a medical license. He also earned his law degree and is a licensed attorney.
     
• The Texas Medical Board decided that Gonzalez’ statements violated the Medical Practice Act and the Healing Art Identification Act because Gonzalez was not a licensed medical professional. Gonzalez maintains that he did not break the law, but that if he did, the statutes in question violate his free speech rights under the U.S. and Texas constitutions. He also contends that the TMB exceeded its authority and does not have the power to police campaign speech.
      
• Now, the Supreme Court of Texas has ordered the district court to take a fresh look at the case and consider carefully the limits of the TMB's power.

Houston Doctor Joins Lawsuit Against the Federation of State Medical Boards

• Dr. Mary Talley Bowden of Houston has joined a lawsuit accusing the Federation of State Medical Boards of conspiring to punish and silence doctors who expressed dissenting opinions on vaccine mandates and COVID-19 treatments. Addie Hovland has the story.
     
• The lawsuit accuses the FSMB and multiple state medical boards—including Texas—of violating both the First and Fourteenth Amendments over disciplinary actions taken against doctors who expressed concern about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine. Even though the FSMB is not a government agency, the plaintiffs allege that it acted as a government agent when coordinating the censorship of physicians’ speech under its "Censorship Policies."
       
• Each of the plaintiffs, all doctors, were disciplined in their states "for conveying valid medical information" on the various COVID-19 treatments that contradicted what FSMB determined was the "prevailing scientific consensus."

Two Lovejoy ISD Teachers on Leave Over Alleged Misconduct

• Erin Anderson reports that two Lovejoy High School teachers are on leave over separate allegations of misconduct involving students. One is Sean McMurry, a forensic science teacher and head volleyball coach. The other is Mike Rodriguez, who teaches AP World History and the "gifted and talented" AP U.S. History.
      
• District officials say both men have been accused of "violations of boundaries with students." The district has reportedly notified the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Collin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Education Agency State Board for Educator Certification.

Quote-Unquote

"The size of the federal budget is not an appropriate barometer of social conscience or charitable concern."

– Ronald Reagan​

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!