Good morning!

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, July 1, 2021
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Very grateful to have the BEST readers! The words of Prov. 27:17 – “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – spring to mind. More on that when you get to today’s Quote-Unquote.

Unfinished Border Wall In The Spotlight

• Donald Trump was in Texas yesterday viewing the uncompleted border wall that the Texas Legislature refused to finish. After the session ended, Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to put state funds towards finishing the work.
   
• Brandon Waltens was on the border with Gov. Abbott and President Trump. Speaking to a crowd gathered near the bridge connecting the Texas city of Pharrell with the Mexican city of Reynosa, Mr. Trump said that if he were still president the wall would be “painted and finished” instead of “sitting there, rotting.”
     
• Gov. Abbott declined to name border security a priority item for the Legislature this year, but earlier this month declared a state of disaster along the border. He has directed $250 million of state funds toward a “down payment” to begin the construction of a southern border wall.

• During the regular legislative session, a measure was filed by State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R–Royse City) to enable Texas to complete construction of the wall (and even naming it the Donald J. Trump Border Wall). That effort was killed when the chair of the State Affairs Committee, State Rep. Chris Paddie (R–Marshall), refused to set a hearing for the bill. 
       

• Legislation by State Sen. Bob Hall (R–Edgewood), which would have allowed for an interstate compact to help Texas secure its borders, passed the Senate but died in the Republican-controlled House.

White Takes On Miller In GOP Primary

• State Rep. James White (R–Hillister) announced his candidacy for Texas Agriculture Commissioner yesterday, setting up a GOP primary challenge to incumbent Commissioner Sid Miller. Jeramy Kitchen has the details.
   
• Mr. White has served as a state representative for six legislative sessions, after first being elected in the fall of 2010.

Accountability Coming For Big Tech? 

• In a blow to Big Tech’s claims of complete immunity from liability under federal law, the Texas Supreme Court ruled last week Facebook can be held liable for state civil claims of sex trafficking on its platform. Rachel Bovard explains what this ruling means… and what else is needed.

Protecting Families

• In the latest installment of Texas Scorecard’s Autopsy Reports on the outcomes of the 87th regular session of the legislature, Robert Montoya looks at successes achieved in adding restraints on Child Protective Services and empowering families from what has become an abusive bureaucracy.
      
• “This is far and away the most successful pro-family CPS session that we’ve ever had,” said Jeramy Newman of the Texas Home School Coalition.

Tolls, Fees, & Debt

• In a new commentary, Terri Hall of Texans for Toll-Free Highways writes that taxpayers got little meaningful toll road reform again this session, as lawmakers chose to avoid tackling the most pressing issues facing drivers. She reviews the good, the bad, and the ugly.

As Iron Sharpens Iron…

Each edition of the Texas Minute contains an inspiring, fun, or interesting quote that I’ve come across. But sometimes – like yesterday – it turns out the quote is spurious.

So thanks to an eagle-eye reader, the quote misattributed yesterday to Thomas Jefferson actually is rightfully attributed to John Basil Barnhill!

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