Good morning!

Texans' tax dollars are funding China's spying activities in the Lone Star State.

Learn more about that in today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Wednesday, March 15, 2023 

FYI... In addition to the daily Texas Minute email, I produce a daily podcast – also called the Texas Minute. It focuses on four or five of the most important Texas stories of the day. You can find it on the Texas Scorecard website or your favorite podcasting platform.

House Announces Border Security Package

• House Speaker Dade Phelan announced his chamber's legislative package on border security. Sydnie Henry has the details.
        
• The package is made up of five pieces of legislation, ranging from increasing the penalties for manufacturing or delivering fentanyl to setting new mandatory minimum sentences related to human trafficking.
      
• Also included is legislation by State Rep. Matt Schaefer (R–Tyler) establishing a Border Protection Unit under the auspices of the Texas Department of Public Safety. The unit would be headquartered along the border and manage ongoing state border security operations. The unit's chief would be appointed by the governor and report to the Public Safety Commission.
       
• Meanwhile, legislation by State Rep. Cole Hefner (R–Mount Pleasant) would create a new state penalty for anyone entering the state at any point other than a legal port of entry. Violations would be punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
      
• Immigration, explains political observer Luke Macias, is “an issue where the Texas House seems to have an opportunity to move to the right of the Senate" during the last half of the legislative session.

GOP-Run Texas House Set To Again Honor LGBT Activism

• For the second time this month, the Texas House of Representatives is slated to consider a resolution honoring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender activists. Brandon Waltens reports this latest resolution was approved by five Republicans on the House Resolutions Committee.

      
• Last week, the Texas House unanimously approved a package of resolutions including one retroactively naming Feb. 14, 2023, "LGBTQ Chambers of Commerce Day" at the Capitol. Several lawmakers, after voting for it, later issued statements opposing that specific resolution. However, because they voted for the package, the resolution would still have passed even if all 150 House members had inserted after-the-fact statements.
      
• Tomorrow, the House will be asked to honor two gay rights activists who unsuccessfully sued the state to force adoption of gay marriage.
     

• Five Republicans on the House Resolutions Committee approved placing the resolution on the calendar, including State Reps. Stan Gerdes (Smithville), Hugh Shine (Temple), Lynn Stucky (Sanger), Kronda Thimesch (Lewisville), and Texas Freedom Caucus member Gary Gates (Richmond). All five voted for Dade Phelan as House Speaker, and the committee is chaired by a Democrat, Bobby Guerra of Mission.

Senators Seek To Protect Women's College Sports

• Legislation protecting women’s sports from men competing as women received a hearing in the chamber's State Affairs Committee this week. Sydnie Henry reports the female athletes testified about being denied recognition in their sports.
        

• The controversy over biological men participating in women’s sports has erupted in recent years, and it was thrust into the national spotlight when University of Pennsylvania “transgender” swimmer William Thomas (who now goes by Lia) consistently dominated his female competition and won the 2022 NCAA Division I national championship in the 500-yard freestyle event. Thomas was ranked 462nd in the men’s division the previous year.

      
• Riley Gaines told senators about tying with Thomas in the 200-yard freestyle event. Gaines said that during the awards ceremony, “having only one trophy, the NCAA handed the trophy to Thomas and told me to go home empty-handed because Lia had to hold the trophy for photo purposes.”
     

• Senate Bill 15, by State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R–Galveston), requires athletes competing in intercollegiate athletics to compete on the team corresponding to the athlete’s biological sex, as stated on the student’s birth certificate. Middleton said students should be required to compete “based on their God-given biological gender.”

Spies Infiltrate Texas’ Sheriffs

• Texas taxpayer dollars have been used to fund America’s enemies and put Chinese Communist Party spies in your local sheriff’s department, according to the latest investigative piece by Robert Montoya, examining Communist China’s infiltration into the Lone Star State. 
      

• At the center of the investigation, multiple sheriff’s departments across Texas have compromised themselves by purchasing and using drones from Da Jiang Innovations (DJI). Based in the Shenzen province of China, this company has deep connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
        

• For example, records obtained by Texas Scorecard reveal Orange County—home of Speaker Dade Phelan—has spent spent close to $30,000 of taxpayer money to acquire DJI drones. Tarrant County has spent more than $27,000. 
      

• Harris County takes the cake, however, spending more than $112,000 on the communist-tied drones. Security experts have warned about privacy concerns on the data collected by the drones

Lawmaker Wants To Abolish Tarrant County Appraisal District

• The scandal-plagued Tarrant County Appraisal District would be abolished under legislation filed by State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth). As Erin Anderson reports, Geren would turn the troubled agency's duties over to the Texas comptroller.
   
• County appraisal districts are responsible for setting property values used by local governments to calculate property tax bills. The Tarrant County district has been caught in a series of scandals, including recent efforts to rebuff a recall by the taxing entities that – under law – appoint the district's board.

Shaheen Calls for Investigation Into Frisco ISD Trustees

• Following the recent publication of undercover footage from a meeting with three Frisco Independent School District trustees, State Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) has requested that the Texas Education Agency launch an investigation. Soli Rice has the story.

     

• The footage revealed FISD trustees René Archambault, Dynette Davis, and Debbie Gillespie conspiring with liberal-leaning parents in the meeting to silence conservative parents, students, educators, and fellow FISD trustees.
     

• At one point in the meeting, the trustees were joined by parents in mocking Shaheen. Trustee Debbie Gillespie said, “Matt Shaheen, he’s not that smart.”
      

• “I have grave concerns about the [trustees’] conduct and the serious nature of this meeting,” said Shaheen, noting that they seemed to demonstrate a "complete lack of concern" for parents' concerns and the legal operations of the school district.

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