Good morning,

Legislation proposed in the Texas House would go a long way toward allowing the Lone Star State to take control of the border with Mexico, but critics note that it still defers to federal immigration law. This week's One Click Survey asks if Texas should defer at all to federal policies on the issue.

Here is the Texas Minute for Monday, March 27, 2023.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Texas Senate Approves Property Tax Relief Plan ... Don't Get Too Excited, Say Watchdogs 

• In a unanimous vote late last week, the Texas Senate approved a legislative package that claims to provide $16.5 billion in property tax relief for Texans. Some, however, say the relief may not be as substantial as promised. Darrell Frost has the details.

      
• The slate of legislation would increase the homestead exemption for school district property taxes from $40,000 to $70,000 ($100,000 for individuals who are disabled or over age 65); reduce the maximum compressed rate that school districts could impose for maintenance and operations; increase the business personal property tax exemption from $2,500 to $25,000; and, authorize businesses to deduct 20 percent of their total property tax bill from their margin tax obligation.
     
• Texans for Fiscal Responsibility has criticized the plans put forward by both the Senate and the House, saying they fail to live up to claims of being the largest property tax cut in Texas history because each includes obligations for previous relief in their calculations. The watchdog group notes neither chamber's plans go far enough in reducing property taxes.
      
• Speaking of TFR... At 9 a.m. today, I will be on a "Twitter Spaces" conversation with them about the legislative week ahead. Here's the link.

4 Texas Republicans Vote With Democrats to Support Federal Education Bureaucracy

• Four Republican members of Texas’ congressional delegation sided with Democrats in voting against an effort to essentially abolish the Federal Department of Education’s control of elementary and secondary education. Brandon Waltens has the details.

     
• A proposal was brought to the House floor last week by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) would have terminated the department’s authority on or before December 31, 2023. Massie explained that “removing federal red tape and unfunded mandates would empower parents, teachers, states, and school boards.”
     

• Massie's proposal was killed, however, when 60 Republicans joined with 205 Democrats in voting no on the amendment. That group included Texas Republican U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales (San Antonio), John Carter (Round Rock), Michael McCaul (Austin), and Kay Granger (Fort Worth).
      

• Plank 118 of the platform of the Republican Party of Texas specifically calls for abolishing the Department of Education.

Left-wing 'Pastors' Exposed On Social Media

• In a social media post voicing opposition to school choice, a group called Pastors for Texas Children claimed it is “laughable” to think children in the rural schools would be taught a woke agenda, since “the local public school teachers and coaches also are the church Sunday School teachers and deacons.” They were then roasted by the famous conservative group Libs of TikTok. Soli Rice has the story.
      
• The conservative group posted images of a book available in numerous "rural" districts offering prepubescent children a comic book style approach to "gender identity." 
     
• Others, like State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian), piled on. He wrote about being shown another such book—“Gender Queer,” a sexually explicit graphic novel (comic book) that is available to children in school libraries.
        
• Harrison said national groups were using "fake" front organizations like Pastors for Texas Children to slip "liberal policies into our schools." 

Carroll ISD Prepares To Ditch ‘Divisive’ School Board Association

• A conservative North Texas school district is preparing to withdraw from the Texas Association of School Boards, a voluntary association for school officials that has wielded increasingly liberal influence over public education policies. Erin Anderson has the report from Carroll ISD.
       

• In citing “recent and ongoing actions that do not align with the values of the majority of Texans,” Carroll ISD's Board of Trustees will vote tomorrow on severing their relationship with the organization. They would be the first school district to do so.

      
• If CISD Board President Cam Bryan's resolution passes, the district will not renew its membership in TASB for the calendar year of 2024 “or any year thereafter.”
     
• TASB was established in 1949 as a voluntary association for school board officials and now claims all 1,025 Texas school districts as members. Local taxpayer dollars are used to fund TASB membership fees and services that include training, legal advice, and insurance. Last year, Midlothian ISD dropped TASB’s insurance coverage, citing rising costs and a “lag in service,” and switched to a provider that saved local taxpayers thousands of dollars.
      
• TASB has been warned: Go woke, go broke.

Teacher’s Aide Charged with Sexually Assaulting Student

• A special education aide at Legacy High School in Mansfield Independent School District joins the growing list of Texas educators accused of sex crimes against a student.
     

• Diego Barona, 35, was arrested in Tarrant County and charged with sexual assault of a child younger than 17 years of age—a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The allegations in the February complaint detail four types of sexual contact between the defendant and his victim.

          

• Parents in the Mansfield school district say officials have kept quiet for too long about Barona’s identity and alleged crime.
      

• A parent-led organization, Texans Wake Up, has begun tracking educator misconduct cases as a resource for other parents.

Introducing 'Back Room Access'

• Back Room Access is hosted by Jeff Cason. Jeff has served in Texas public office at both the local level and the state level. Join Jeff and his guests each week as they break down what politicians are really doing behind closed doors.

Today In History

On March 27, 1836, the Mexican army executed 342 prisoners of war by firing squad. The Mexican dictator had ordered that all people taking up arms in the cause of Texas independence should be treated as traitors and not soldiers.

ONE CLICK SURVEY

A U.S. Supreme Court case and federal immigration rules say states cannot deport illegal aliens – that is, people who entered the country illegally. 

Regardless of the federal government's rules and policies, should Texas deport people who have entered the country illegally?

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