The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 16, 2024

Episode Date: August 16, 2024

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Howdy, folks. Today is Friday, August 16th, 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. First up, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is once again challenging the Biden administration, filing a lawsuit against the federal government in an effort to block enforcement guidance that the state argues unlawfully compels employers to adopt transgender mandates under the threat of discrimination or harassment lawsuits. Specifically, the lawsuit points to a change the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission made in April to the quote, enforcement guidance on harassment in the workplace that now includes the definition of

gender identity under the category of sex. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 created the EEOC to enforce the prohibitions on employment discrimination. The EEOC guidelines explain how sex-based harassment includes harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including misusing pronouns and, quote, the denial of access to a bathroom consistent with the individual's gender identity. Paxton argues that the EEOC guidance relies on an intentional misrepresentation of the 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. He adds that the decision, quote, did not discuss how such employers must accommodate such employees in the workplace. In Bostock v. Clayton County, the court ruled that firing someone for being gay or transgender

is a form of sex discrimination, but Paxton argues that this does not extend to accommodations such as pronoun use, bathroom access, or dress codes. Next, Democratic Congressman Colin Allred, who is challenging Republican Senator Ted Cruz for his Senate seat this November, is scheduled to speak to the Texas delegation at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, August 20th. The initial speaker slate released by the Texas Democratic Party for its daily breakfasts did not have Allred's name on it. Austin City Councilmember Soh Khadri and Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa are also expected to appear. In other news, a lawsuit filed in Florida revealed that background check company National Public Data was recently hacked, resulting in the release of sensitive personal information

on a nationwide scale. NPD admitted the breach occurred in a statement on their website, saying they discovered the hackers began to attack their security system as early as last December and were successful in obtaining the data in April of this year. The data reportedly contains 277.1 gigabytes of data, or 2.9 billion personal records, going back several decades. The information includes names, social security numbers, and other sensitive financial information. Cliff Steinhauer, the Director of Information and Engagement at the National Cybersecurity Alliance, told CBS News that it is unknown how many individuals

were impacted by the data breach. However, it's likely that, quote, everyone with a social security number was impacted. Also, State Representative Charles Doc Anderson of Texas House District 56 announced his early retirement from the Texas legislature on Thursday evening and requested that Governor Greg Abbott set a November 5th special election. The early retirement will give his successor a leg up in the chamber's seniority pecking order. Anderson said in a statement, First elected to the seat in 2004, Anderson announced his retirement from the legislature in September 2023. Republican Pat Curry will face Democrat Aaron Schenck in the HD56 general election this November. Last but not least, Google has announced

it will invest more than $1 billion in Texas this year to support both cloud and data center infrastructure. The investment into the centers, located in Midlothian and Red Oak, are aimed at meeting the growing demand for cloud and artificial intelligence services. The Midlothian location officially broke ground in 2019, and Red Oak was announced in 2023. Google has 40 different cloud regions across the world, and its Dallas region was announced in 2022. Google's total investment in Texas is more than $2.7 billion. Yolanda Piazza, vice president of financial services at Google Cloud, said in a statement, quote, We're thrilled to strengthen our commitment to Texas. Expanding our cloud and data center infrastructure in Midlothian and Red Oak reflects our confidence in the state's

ability to lead in the digital economy. In attendance at the announcement were a variety of Texas lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Jake Elsey, State Senator Tan Parker, and State Representatives Jeff Leach and Brian Harrison. 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.