The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 5, 2025

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

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Howdy folks, today's Tuesday, August 5th, 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, after two meetings of the Joint Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, lawmakers in the Texas House will take up bills to address a multitude of issues related to communication systems. planning requirements, and response training, despite lacking a quorum on the House floor. State Representative Ken King is the author of two of the bills, his House Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, took up on Tuesday. House Bill 1 includes updates to the emergency manager system requiring a license to become an emergency management coordinator. The bill also designates a tiered manager license with a basic emergency manager completing 40 hours of

training, an intermediate completing 200 hours, and an advanced emergency manager having 400 hours of training. During the joint hearings over the past few weeks, lawmakers alluded to concerns regarding the current patchwork system of disaster response, with state senator Charles Perry saying that local authorities should anticipate a consolidation of duties. Next, the Kerr County Commissioner's Court is getting closer to publishing a proposed budget that will be adopted on August 23, 5th. The August 4th Commissioner's Court meeting was recessed until Tuesday, August 5th, to allow more information to be gathered about likely disaster road and bridge repair costs that might be lower than expected. County Judge Rob Kelly explained that the Cade Loop Bridge, which was damaged

during the catastrophic July 4th floods along the Guadalupe River, can be repaired rather than replaced. Because of that, the county's contingency fund for road and bridge repairs was reduced from about $10 million to $5 million, as explained by Kerr County Auditor Tanya Shelton. In other news, legislation requiring individuals to use gendered private spaces, according to their biological sex, passed the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday afternoon after six hours of public testimony, rehashing a policy that's been through the legislative ringer since 2015. State Senator Mays Middleton's Senate Bill 7, also known as the Texas Women's Privacy Act or the Bathroom Bill, was reintroduced for the first special session of the 89th legislature after

Governor Greg Abbott placed it on his agenda. It was taken up in committee on Monday morning, spurring hours of testimony that revolved around nearly identical arguments as were presented during the 89th regular session. Middleton laid out the various provisions of the bill, including civil penalties for violators of $5,000 for a first-time violation and $25,000 after that. Quote, enforced by citizen complaints and the Attorney General. Also, a Texas Senate committee took up a renewed push to protect certain police personnel records from public disclosure, including unsubstantiated complaints against officers, but opponents say the bill would make law enforcement less transparent and accountable to the public.

Filed by State Senator Phil King, Senate Bill 14 is a revised version of a measure that failed on a point of order during the regular session, but which Governor Greg Abbott included in his agenda for the special session of the 89th Texas legislature. SB 14 implements a model policy established by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, or T-Cole. It would require law enforcement agencies to place documents relating to alleged misconduct for which the agency determined there is insufficient evidence in a department file, which would not be subject to disclosure under the Texas Public Information Act. Last but not least, Keller residents are continuing to seek the removal of several members of the Keller Independent School District Board of Trustees by filing a new

petition in Tarrant County District Court. Because of actions, the trustees took earlier this year regarding the possible detachment of a portion of Keller ISD to form a new Alliance ISD. The plaintiffs, Kerry Moon, a former member of the Fort Worth City Council, and Brian Black, along with the state of Texas, are seeking the removal of Keller ISD trustees John Burt, Charles Randcliffe, and Heather Washington under Chapter 87 of the Texas Local Government Code for incompetency and official misconduct. The petition alleges that Bert, Rancliffe, and Washington violated the Texas Open Meetings Act. The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial and that the matter be referred to a judicial district outside of Tarrant County. Thanks for listening.

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