The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 13, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, August 13th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans assistant editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Texas House Democrats stated they will never make quorum again during the current special session, which state leaders plan to end on Friday, and said they will issue their demands for the second called Spession come Friday. The quorum-busting members of the Texas House departed to other states like Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts on August 3rd in order to stop a vote on their Republican colleagues' newly proposed redistricting map. Texas House Democratic Caucus chairman Gene Wu said in a statement, quote, after deliberation among our caucus, we have reached a consensus.

Starting point is 00:00:54 Texas House Democrats refused to give him, in reference to Governor Greg Abbott, a quorum to his racist maps that silence more than two million black and Latino Texans. In keeping with our original promise to Texans, the first called special session will never make Quorum again, defeating Abbott's first attempt at passing his racial gerrymander. End quote. Abbott announced on Tuesday, backed by both Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burroughs, that the legislature would adjourn Sinney Die on Friday if Quorum remained broken and that he would immediately call a second. If that fails, he'd call, quote, special session after special session, end quote, until the so-called derelict Democrats return. Next, the Texas Senate

Starting point is 00:01:40 charged ahead on Tuesday, passing their package of bills addressing disaster relief in response to the Independence Day floods in central Texas. A trio of bills were taken up by the upper chamber on Monday, each addressing different concerns that were voiced during the multiple committee hearings that followed the devastating July 4th flooding. Prior to the bills being presented, the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus staged a walkout in an attempt to bring attention to the congressional redistricting issue that has brought the Texas House to a halt through the ongoing quorum bust. State Senator Jose Menendez ventured to move the disaster relief bills to the top of the daily calendar before they were brought up on the floor, but was denied in his effort. In other news,

Starting point is 00:02:24 legislation restricting the production and distribution of chemical abortion pills in Texas through civil liability, additional powers granted to the state attorney general, and wrongful death claims past the Texas Senate, where it will die unless a quorum is met in the House on Friday. Senate Bill 6, also known as the Woman and Child Protection Act by state Senator Brian Hughes, fulfills one of Governor Greg Abbott's first called special session priorities that failed during the regular session, which is to curb the distribution, typically via online transactions, of chemical abortion pills into the Lone Star State. It was heard in the State Senate Affairs Committee on Monday morning, spurring on nearly four hours of public testimony from both supporters and those against it. Also, although Harris County man Jared Wilson pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery in 2022 and repeatedly violated terms of his community supervision,

Starting point is 00:03:20 state district court judge Natalia Cornelio authorized his release on personal recognizance or PR bond in violation of Texas law. As part of his probation, Wilson was placed in an intermediate sanction facility, but prosecutors with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, or HCDAO, filed motions noting he had violated the conditions of his release in June 2023 and again in February and March 24. Alio dismissed the HCDAO's motions to revoke and granted Wilson a PR bond, which requires no payment in March 24. Under the Damon Allen Act, or Senate Bill 6 passed by Texas lawmakers in 2021, suspects charged in certain violent offenses, including aggravated robbery, are prohibited from obtaining a PR bond. Last but not least, all Texas school districts will begin enforcing the cell phone ban passed under House Bill 1481. starting on September 1st. The law requires that all public and charter schools must, quote,

Starting point is 00:04:27 adopt, implement, and ensure the district or school complies with a written policy prohibiting a student from using a personal communication device while on school property during the school day. Under the law, schools can either ban devices from campus entirely or allow students to securely store them in a backpack or locker. Confiscated devices that are not claimed after 90 days advanced written notice can be disposed of by the school. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 13, 2025

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