Good morning,

James Long tried it in 1819, and again a year later, then was killed before it came into being. What was it?

Find out at the end of today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

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Legislators: Pack Your BagsTexas Gov. Greg Abbott announced yesterday he is calling lawmakers into a special session starting on July 8. As Brandon Waltens reports [[link removed]], the governor has not yet set the specific agenda. He has previously indicated that he would call lawmakers to address election integrity, bail reform, critical race theory, and other issues. Additionally, lawmakers will be summoned back to Austin to address redistricting in the fall.

While the Legislature meets for 140 days every two years, the state constitution allows the governor to call a special session lasting up to 30 days at a time on items he chooses.

Some House Democrats, who were enabled to kill election integrity legislation in the final hours of the regular session last month, have indicated they may decline to appear [[link removed]] for a special session, denying the chamber a quorum to pass bills. Bipartisan Push For Bigger Government?After unsuccessful efforts to expand Medicaid in Texas during the regular 87th Legislative Session, 56 lawmakers are trying to convince Abbott to add it to any of the upcoming special sessions. Brandon Waltens has the details [[link removed]].

Only one of those calling for this expansion of government health care services is a Republican: State Rep. Lyle Larson [[link removed]] of San Antonio. Notably absent from this letter are Republican lawmakers who signed on [[link removed]] to the Democrats’ Medicaid expansion push during the regular 87th Legislative Session: Steve Allison [[link removed]] (San Antonio), Kyle Kacal [[link removed]] (College Station), Dan Huberty [[link removed]] (Humble), Ernest Bailes [[link removed]] (Shepherd), Travis Clardy [[link removed]] (Nacogdoches), Stan Lambert [[link removed]] (Abilene), Phil Stephenson [[link removed]] (Wharton), and John Raney [[link removed]] (Bryan). You (Still) Don’t Own Your HomeAs Texans’ property taxes continue to rise, the Texas Legislature took no decisive action to lower them across the board. For the latest installment in Texas Scorecard’s series of autopsy reports, Robert Montoya spoke with three experts [[link removed]] to understand what the Legislature did – and did not – accomplish.

They also discuss what citizens should encourage Gov. Greg Abbott and lawmakers to address in a special session. In the words of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s James Quintero: “Property tax cuts.” Real property tax relief was teed up with the passage of a strict spending limit that will kick in starting in 2023 (more on that in a coming autopsy report).

If lawmakers would allocate those surplus tax revenues to buying down school property taxes, thereby shifting the burden of funding public education to the state, citizens would see tax relief without the need for new taxes. Sid Miller Stays PutTexas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced yesterday he is seeking reelection to his seat, rather than mount a challenge to Gov. Greg Abbott as has been widely rumored. Brandon Waltens has the details [[link removed]]. Wright Leads EllzeyEven as North Texas temperatures are heating up, Erin Anderson reports [[link removed]] competition for an open seat in Congress may be cooling down as polling shows Republican Susan Wright has a 15-point lead ahead of the July runoff. She is competing against State Rep. Jake Ellzey [[link removed]] (R-Waxahachie) for the congressional seat left open by the passing of Wright’s husband – U.S. Rep. Ron Wright – just weeks into his second term.

Internal polling released by her campaign shows Wright leading Ellzey 49-34 percent, with 11 percent of the likely voters surveyed still undecided.

The winner of the July 27 runoff will represent Texas’ 6th Congressional District—which includes parts of Fort Worth and Arlington in Tarrant County, as well as all of Ellis and Navarro counties—for the remainder of Ron Wright’s unexpired term. Texas Passed on Protecting Kids From PornOn the latest edition of his podcast [[link removed]], Luke Macias talks with Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project about the pervasiveness of pornography and how it relates to the chipping away of traditional social values.

NOTE: while they discuss these issues in a sensitive manner, it is still a conversation of an adult nature. Krause Wants Porn Site InvestigatedState Rep. Matt Krause [[link removed]] (R-Haslet) wants a large porn website investigated by state officials for potential involvement in sex crimes, reports Isaiah Mitchell at The Texan [[link removed]].

“I request that your offices conduct a full criminal investigation into MindGeek and coordinate with other local law enforcement agencies as necessary and relevant to hold Mindgeek’s leadership accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” wrote Krause in a letter to the Attorney General and officials at the Texas Department of Public Safety. Number of the Day

$36.25 Billion

Total property taxes collected by school districts in 2019.

[Source: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts]

Today in History

On June 23, 1819, the first declaration of independence by Texas was issued by James Long and his fellow American settlers. They set up a provisional government independent from Spain, which controlled Texas at the time. A couple months later, Spanish troops drove the Americans out, and the independence effort fizzled. Of course, Texas independence would finally be achieved in 1836.

Quote-Unquote

“Texas is the finest portion of the globe that has blessed my vision.”

– Sam Houston​

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PO Box 248, Leander, TX 78646 Produced by Michael Quinn Sullivan and Brandon Waltens, the Texas Minute is a quick look at the news and info of the day we find interesting, and hope you do as well. It is delivered weekday mornings (though we'll take the occasional break for holidays and whatnot).

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