The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 23, 2025

Episode Date: April 23, 2025

Want to support The Texan and help us continue providing the Lone Star State with news you can trust? Subscribe today: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/Learn more about the Data Center Coalition at: https://www.centerofyourdigitalworld.org/texasThe Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Be sure to visit The Texan and subscribe for complete access to our in-depth articles, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review!

Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, April 23rd and you are listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm The Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauschis and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, priority legislation that would raise the homestead exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners by $50,000 past the Texas Senate on Wednesday. With other planned exemption increases, elderly homeowners would receive a total of $200,000 in homestead exemptions. Senate Bill 23 and Senate Joint Resolution 85 raised the school tax homestead exemption, a reduction in the taxable value of a home,

for age 65 and over homeowners from $10,000 to $60,000. The proposal is estimated to cost the state $1.2 billion through the next biennium. Both passed by a 30-to-1 vote with the lone no coming from State Senator Nathan Johnson, which is the first no vote against a homestead exemption increase in the Senate in multiple sessions. Next, the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act passed this week on the House floor, aimed at setting up a framework to balance artificial intelligence regulation and industry expansion in the state. Originally filed as HB 1709, the bill received significant pushback from free market organizations that warned it could,

quote, threaten to derail the AI revolution just as intense competition with China and other nations gets underway in this crucial technological arena. A group of 20 policy organizations sent a letter regarding the bill in December, saying the legislature should, quote, choose a forward-looking, market-driven AI policy framework that solidifies the state as a top place for AI innovation and can be a model for others. Capriglione has since revised the bill and filed new legislation in the form of HB 149. The 27-page bill would

establish a Texas Artificial Intelligence Council to, quote, ensure artificial intelligence systems in this state are ethical and developed in the public's best interest, end quote, which includes seeing that AI systems do not harm public safety or undermine individual freedoms. In other news, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed two lawsuits against the city of Dallas, alleging that it unlawfully banned license holders from carrying handguns at the Fair Park Music Hall and the Majestic Theater.

The lawsuit over the Fair Park Music Hall was triggered by a series of events dating back to August 2023, when a resident license holder noticed signage prohibiting concealed carry. During a brief talk with a police officer at the music hall, the resident was told by the officer that handguns were not allowed in the building. In November, the resident sent a letter to the city detailing his issue with not being allowed to carry inside the building. He never received a response. In March, 2024, the president again went to enter the music hall, again, finding signage prohibiting concealed carry. He spoke to a security officer at the building who told him

handguns were not allowed. The suit against Dallas over the majestic theater was prompted by another series of events stretching back to February 2023. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Data centers fuel 364,000 Texas jobs, generate $3.5 billion in state and local taxes, and power essential services like banking, healthcare, and video calls. With 21 connected devices per household and soaring data demands, these hubs drive Texas'

booming economy, shape its technological future, and keep your data here in the U.S. To learn more, visit centerofyourdigitalworld.org. Now returning to your daily Texas news. Also, unease over cloud seeding, geoengineering, and weather manipulation was presented before Texas House members in a committee meeting this week, as residents detailed their concerns with the chemicals and substances used in these processes. The committee substitute for House Bill 1382, authored by Representative Wes Verdel with 17 co-authors, would prohibit solar geoengineering in Texas and make it a felony offense. Weather modification and control was the original bill's focus, which is defined as

quote, the injection, release, or dispersion by any means of a chemical, chemical compound, substance or apparatus for the purpose of affecting temperature, weather, or the intensity of sunlight, But the committee substitute removes that provision and substitutes solar geoengineering in its place. Last but not least, the Texas House's passage of Senate Bill 2 marked a new chapter as the long-awaited Republican-backed Education Savings Accounts bill finally passed in the lower chamber. After hours-long debate that extended early into the next morning, the House approved the governor's heralded school

choice bill by an 86 to 63 mostly partisan vote. Visit thetexan.news for a collection of photos taken that day. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.