The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 9, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Friday, August 9th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans reporter Cameron Abrams, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Governor Greg Abbott has issued an executive order to, quote, collect information on illegal immigrants who use Texas public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care and to report incurred health care costs due to the Biden-Harris administration's reckless open border policies. Abbott stated on social media, quote, Texans should not have to foot the bill for illegal immigrants health care. The order will direct hospitals and other providers to collect information on the cost of medical care for illegal immigrants starting November 1st and report this data quarterly to

Starting point is 00:00:49 the Texas Health and Human Services Commission with initial submissions due March 1st, 2025. Abbott's order adds that the reports from hospitals and any responses from patients will not affect patient care. Reporting on costs accrued for care provided to illegal immigrants will continue on an annual basis starting on January 1st, 2026. Rural hospitals are especially dependent on government funding for providing care to patients. A bipartisan coalition of Texas lawmakers has organized in an effort to push back against a Biden administration move to stop the long-standing practice of using private funds to support hospitals that rely heavily on Medicaid, which could cost the state billions of dollars.

Starting point is 00:01:32 Only several days after attorneys representing Elon Musk and his social media company Xcorp, formerly Twitter, filed a lawsuit in the federal district court for the Northern District of Texas alleging the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, or GARM, violated antitrust laws in a conspiracy to cost X billions in advertising revenue. An official for the parent entity of GARM announced the initiative would be discontinued. The World Federation of Advertisers, which ran the GARM initiative, was reported by Business Insider as having told its members the decision was not, quote, made lightly. However, the WFA defended the group's actions, saying they still intended to fight Musk in court. In other news, in November, voters will be faced with the largest school bond

Starting point is 00:02:15 in Texas history, a $4.4 billion bond proposal unanimously approved by Houston Independent School District Board members. The bond proposal is nearly $900 million, more than Texas' second largest Dallas ISD's 2020 bond. On August 8th, Houston ISD held a special board meeting during which board members discussed the $4.4 billion package before voting on it. The debated bond includes projects such as security upgrades, air conditioning improvements, lead abatements, and quote, full rebuild and expansion for some schools. Houston ISD trustee Bridget Wade said during the meeting, quote,

Starting point is 00:02:53 This bond package brings important long overdue improvements and resources to our students, teachers, neighborhoods, communities in Houston at large. I look forward to checking the HISD box as a yes on the November ballot. Houston ISD's local debt rose to $2.9 billion in fiscal year 2023, according to the Bond Review Board's searchable debt database. Last but not least, Judge Jeffrey Brown of the U.S. Southern District of Texas has denied a business owner's request to block the city of Kima's action to restrict access to a popular entertainment district street, which business owners say will decimate their businesses and take away property rights. In denying an emergency

Starting point is 00:03:36 request for a temporary restraining order against the city, Brown expressed doubt that a lawsuit alleging an inverse taking of property could succeed and cited legal precedent that a, quote, decrease in market value alone will not support the conclusion that a taking has occurred. Brown's ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the owners of the Voodoo Hut Bar and Restaurant after the Kima City Council voted to close 6th Street to vehicle traffic with little warning to residents and without seeking permission from the street's property owners. According to the Texas Transportation Code, a general law city such as Kima may close a street if a petition signed by all the owners of real property abutting the street or alley is submitted to the governing body. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - August 9, 2024

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