The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - April 9, 2024

Episode Date: April 9, 2024

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free "Remember the Alamo" hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/The 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 Tuesday, April 9th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. With the incumbent Texas House Speaker engaged in a contentious runoff election, a group of Texas legislators and presumptive representatives released a list of 12 requirements for a House Speaker candidate to gain their vote. Dubbed the Contract with Texas, inspired by the 1994 Contract with America pushed by soon-to-be Republican U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, the letter outlines 12 demands, including removing the current House parliamentarians, establishing a GOP-only supported speaker majority, and ending the practice of Democratic committee chairs.

Some of these items have been discussed frequently. A ban on Democratic chairs, changing the parliamentarians, excluding Democrats from vote-whipping discussions, and advancing GOP legislative priorities before action on anything else, to name a few. The first five members to sign on to the letter were State Representatives Brian Harrison, J.M. Lozano, Nate Schatzlein, Tony Tinderholt, and Steve Toth. Ten other lawmakers signed on later. The other signatories are all presumptive legislators, those who've secured the GOP nomination to run for their respective seats in November. So far, the field for Speaker has only a population of two, Phelan and State Representative Tom Oliverson. Oliverson announced his run last month, committing to many of the November. So far, the field for Speaker has only a population of two, Phelan and State Representative

Tom Oliverson. Oliverson announced his run last month, committing to many of the things on the above list and stating them as the baseline for any prospective candidate, while Phelan finds himself in a contentious runoff against challenger David Covey. The state of Texas and Harris County will again duke it out in court, this time over a guaranteed basic income pilot program that would give 1,500 households in the county $500 per month. Harris County announced the program last year through Harris County Public Health. On Tuesday, the Office of the Attorney General filed suit asking the court to halt its implementation before the April 24th start date. Attorney General Ken Paxton said of the suit, This scheme is plainly unconstitutional. Taxpayer money must be spent lawfully and used to advance the public interest, not merely redistributed with no accountability or reasonable expectation

of a general benefit. I am suing to stop officials in Harris County from abusing public funds for political gain. The City of Austin just completed the first year of its universal basic income program, allotting 85 families with $1,000 per month. The OAG requests a temporary restraining order against the program and, eventually, a permanent injunction against its operation. The Biden administration supports the proposed high-speed rail project from Dallas to Houston, according to comments made by Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Buttigieg visited the Dallas-Fort Worth area late last week in order to highlight the $80 million in federal funding for bridging highway divides for DFW communities. In an interview with Lone Star Politics, Buttigieg said the Dallas to Houston High

Speed Rail Project has, quote, enormous potential. He explained that the two major population centers, being a long drive but a short flight away from each other, make excellent candidates for a high-speed rail connection. He said the U.S. has been behind the world in high-speed rail projects, but that the Biden administration is working to change that. In August 2023, Amtrak announced it was evaluating a partnership with Texas Central to reinvigorate the project, that looked all but dead after its CEO, Carlos Aguilar, resigned in 2022. Mansfield Independent School District will have a $777 million bond proposal in the May 4, 2024 election. This will be the district's latest bond proposal since its $275 million proposal in 2017,

which was passed. That bond paid for three new schools and a host of renovations, safety upgrades, infrastructure improvements, and a few additional projects that were able to be completed due to cost savings. Mansfield ISD is a 35,000-student district in Tarrant and Johnson counties, southeast of Fort Worth, that primarily serves the city of Mansfield and portions of Grand Prairie, Arlington, and Burleson. The package was developed by the district's Long Range Planning Committee, consisting of 90 parents, business leaders, teachers, community members, students, and civic leaders. The proposal consists of five propositions. The district has over $1.1 billion

in outstanding debt obligations by combined principal and interest. The amount of tax-supported debt per student is $23,670. An information session about the bond with an additional focus on career and technical education will be held by the district on Thursday, April 11th at Ben Barber Innovation Academy. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.