Good morning,

Should lawmakers end the practice of allowing illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition in Texas' institutions of higher education? Sound off in today's One Click Survey.

Here is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

But First... Later this week, Brandon Waltens will be speaking in Wallisville, and I'll be speaking in Conroe. It is quick, easy, and free to schedule either of us or someone else from the Texas Scorecard team to address your group, club, or organization!

Texas Medical Board Attacks Doctor Over Ivermectin

• At the request of two Texas hospitals, the Texas Medical Board is threatening to revoke the medical license of Houston physician Mary Talley Bowden. As Soli Rice reports, at issue is Dr. Bowden's decision to use Ivermectin to combat COVID-19 and a declaration to only treat patients who had not received a COVID-19 shot.
      
• Having treated more than 5,000 patients with COVID-19, neither of the complaints accuse Bowden of harming a single patient. In fact, one hospital – Fort Worth-based Texas Health Huguley – is upset that the course she recommended for a dying law enforcement officer proved successful.
        

• According to Bowden, the Texas Medical Board offered her a settlement: admit guilt, pay a $5,000 fine, take eight hours of Continuing Medical Education and a jurisprudence exam.
      

• “I will not plead guilty to crimes I didn't commit.” – Dr. Mary Talley Bowden

Florida Cracks Down On Illegal Immigration

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has presented a proposal to the Florida Legislature that would help counteract the costs of the Biden administration’s open border crisis. Sydnie Henry has the details.
      
• DeSantis' proposal would increase penalties for human smuggling, require universal use of E-Verify (an employment eligibility verification program), enhance penalties for false documentation, prohibit local governments from issuing IDs to illegal aliens, invalidate all out-of-state licenses to illegal aliens, require affirmation of U.S. citizenship on voter registrations, prevent illegal aliens from practicing law, and eliminate out-of-state tuition fee waivers for undocumented students.
     
• The Florida proposal would also require that hospitals collect data on the immigration status of patients the costs to provide care to illegal aliens. The hospitals would then be required to regularly report that data to the governor and legislature.
      
• While Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made "Doing More to Secure the Border" a legislative priority in 2023, there haven't been many details shared about what that includes.
      
• Texans for Strong Borders hopes Abbott will follow DeSantis' lead, including E-verify and ending in-state tuition for illegal aliens. 

SEN. HALL: Ending Gender Reassignment of Children

• In a new commentary, State Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) explains why a multi-pronged approach is needed to end gender reassignment on children. 
   
• "We don’t let young children get tattoos, smoke cigarettes, or drink alcohol, indicating that society believes they are not mature enough to make responsible decisions about these things," writes Hall. "Texas must ban cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, chemical castration, genital- or body-altering surgeries, psychological and social transitioning, or any other gender transitioning methods applied to or performed on children."

Democrat Oversees Transportation Policy In Texas House

• Darrell Frost continues to profile the Democrats appointed to chair significant committees in the Texas House by Republican Speaker Dade Phelan (R–Beaumont).
      
• Edinburg Democrat Terry Canales has been appointed to chair the Transportation Committee in the GOP-dominated chamber. Canales was first appointed as chairman of the committee in 2019 by disgraced former Speaker Dennis Bonnen, and then again by Phelan in 2021.
     

• Last session, Canales authored controversial legislation giving counties the ability to issue debt for transportation projects. This was controversial because voters had rejected the measure ten years earlier because it would lead to higher taxes. But in Canales' 2021 attempt, he left off language noting that tax increases would be used to pay for the projects. That ballot language is now at the center of a lawsuit.
          

• A member of the Texas House since 2013, Canales is the sixth member of his extended family to serve in the chamber.

🎧 LISTEN: Luke Macias and Brandon Waltens on Democrat Chairs

• Check out today's edition of The Luke Macias Show. Luke is joined by Brandon Waltens to discuss the nine Democrats appointed to chair policy committees in the Texas House.
   
• You can find The Luke Macias Show on the Texas Scorecard website and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

TURCIOS: Ban DEI In All School Districts and Universities

• In a new commentary, Carlos Turcios explains why "we need to go on the offense in our public universities and public schools" by banning "diversity, equity, and inclusion" programs.

Laredo's 2022 Election Results Still In Limbo

• A 2022 city council race is the object of a voter fraud investigation in Laredo. It appears illegal voting actually swayed the outcome and put the wrong person in office … who is now refusing to leave. David Vasquez has the story.
     

• It is alleged that at least 11 illegally cast votes were cast in the election, where Daisy Campos-Rodriguez won by a margin of six votes. It has been reported locally that “the majority of the illegal votes belonged to family members of Campos-Rodriguez or her husband" – who himself is a former member of the Laredo City Council. Among those voting illegally in the race were four police officers who didn’t live in the council district. The police department has placed them on administrative reassignment.
      

• A judge ruled that the illegal votes were enough to change the results of the election, and a new winner was declared.
      

• But not so fast. The city council asked the original winner – Campos-Rodriguez – to resign, but she’s refused and is fighting the ruling.
    

• Meanwhile, the Democrat district attorney has recused himself from the case and has invited the attorney general's office to investigate.
      

• Wait a second... I thought we'd been assured that voter fraud doesn't happen... And that races were never affected by illegally cast votes...

Tyler Educator Arrested For Sexual Assault of a Child

• Tyler Independent School District officials notified families late last week that local police had arrested a middle school educator on charges of sexual assault of a child. As Erin Anderson reports, that is a felony under state law.

      
• Tyler police records show Andre Jefferson was arrested and booked into Smith County jail on charges of sexual assault of a child. According to the school district, “the incidents under investigation did not happen on school property” and the person under investigation “is no longer an employee of Tyler ISD.”
     
• Texas law requires school superintendents to report sexual misconduct allegations to state officials within seven business days. As of publication, the state’s Do Not Hire Registry does not list Andre Jefferson.
      

• In recent months, Texas Scorecard has reported on dozens of teachers and school employees across the state accused or convicted of sex crimes involving students and other children, including sexual assault, indecency with a child, distribution of child pornography, and improper relationship between educator and student.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

For more than 20 years, illegal aliens living in Texas have been allowed to attend the state's institutions of higher education and pay the "in-state" tuition rate. Legislation has been filed that would put an end to that practice.

Do you think in-state tuition rates should be available only to citizens and legal residents?

Once you’ve clicked an answer, reply to this email with any thoughts you’d like to share!