The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - January 22, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, January 22nd, 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, the Texas House and Senate have released their initial budgets for the 2026-2027 biennium that include new money for property tax relief, school funding, teacher pay raises, and a $1 billion education savings account program. Each session, the two chambers alternate which one leads on the base budget for the next biennium and which leads on the supplemental appropriations bill. This session, the budget starts in the Senate and the House begins withations Bill. This session, the budget starts in the Senate and the House begins with the Supplemental. The Senate's draft budget, filed by Finance

Starting point is 00:00:50 Committee Chair Joan Huffman, spends $332.9 billion, an $11.6 billion all-funds increase from the 2024-2025 budget. Both chambers' blueprints come in under the general revenue spending limit. It outlines $32.2 billion in property tax reductions to continue what was passed in 2019 and 2023, along with a $400,000 increase to the homestead exemption and additional compression. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said over the weekend he planned to raise the homestead exemption to $140,000. Seniors have an additional $10,000 exemption under state law. The House's version says the amount in new relief is $6.5 billion, though it excludes the $40,000 exemption increase by name and outlines $3.5 billion,

Starting point is 00:01:42 the mechanisms for which will be decided by the body. Next, as President Donald Trump tests the limit of presidential authority with an executive order on birthright citizenship, one U.S. representative from Texas is offering legal change the old-fashioned way, through congressional action. However, both approaches are sure to draw litigation. Representative Brian Babin announced Tuesday that he would refile the Birthright Citizenship Act to restore the 14th Amendment to what he called its original purpose. Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, approved by Congress in 1866 in the aftermath of the Civil War, grants citizenship to all people

Starting point is 00:02:23 born or naturalized in the country. While intended to address the rights of newly Civil War, grant citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the country. While intended to address the rights of newly freed slaves, the Supreme Court's 1898 decision in U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark held that children born to most resident aliens have automatic citizenship. Babin's legislation, which he has filed in previous years, proposes to address the issue of illegal immigrants and tourists who give birth on U.S. territory to obtain citizenship for their children. In other news, State Representative Pat Curry has sued political donor and one-time candidate Chris Ekstrom over text messages sent out by his PAC that doxed the representative's personal cell phone number. The lawsuit, filed in McLennan

Starting point is 00:03:05 County, names Ekstrom, the Courageous Conservatives PAC, and five John or Jane Doe's. Curry told KTWX that the messages included his personal cell phone number, requiring him to change it and update his thousands of contacts, some in different countries. Courageous Conservatives PAC sent out a text on December 6th, the night before the Texas House Republican caucus vote, into Curry's district that read, quote, Turncoat Pat Curry has betrayed our vote. He has left the Republicans to side with the Democrats in electing a new closet Democrat Speaker Dustin Burroughs. We need your help, end quote. The text then listed Curry's cell phone number and told

Starting point is 00:03:46 recipients to call him to demand he vote for State Representative David Cook in the caucus vote. It was also posted on Facebook, but has since been deleted. Last but not least, in recent months, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has expanded its inventory of state land for Texas residents and visitors to enjoy. On January 13th, TPWD announced it had purchased an additional 3,073 acres to nearly double the size of the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, one of the most popular parks in the state system. The land cost the state $43 million, which came from the voter-approved $1 billion Centennial Parks Conservation Fund to fund state parks. The fund passage coincided with the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Texas State Parks.

Starting point is 00:04:36 The January purchase is in addition to a purchase made in September of 630 acres, also adjacent to the existing Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. 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 - January 22, 2025

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