The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 16, 2024

Episode Date: July 16, 2024

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Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, July 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, former President Donald Trump announced Senator J.D. Vance as his 2024 running mate as the Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee on Monday, two days after escaping an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, quote, After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the great state of Ohio. Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 to replace retiring Senator Rob Portman. He gained national prominence

well before embarking on a political career when his memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, was published and soared to the top of bestseller lists. At age 39, he'd be among the youngest vice presidents in American history. Next, the first fundraising glimpse ahead of the 2024 general election has arrived with the July semiannual reports, and they show Governor Greg Abbott taking his prominence to new heights. It also provides the first glimpse into who's targeting which battleground states, a hint of the fights to come once the summer lull ends. Check out our website for all the numbers, including details on the millions of dollars raised once again by Abbott.

In other news, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday that he will appeal the dismissal of his case against Catholic Charity Annunciation House and request a direct appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas. The group describes itself as a volunteer organization that offers hospitality to migrants, immigrants, and refugees in El Paso, Texas. Paxton originally filed the lawsuit in February with the Office of the Attorney General against the non-governmental organization for allegedly, quote, facilitating the unlawful entry of illegal aliens into Texas. Paxton sued Annunciation House in February, seeking to halt its operation in Texas and liquidate its assets, after the NGO failed to present certain specified records requested

by the OAG. Also, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing last week focused on lack of access to legal representation, known as access to justice issues, and heard from a panel of experts who took questions from lawmakers on potential solutions to solve them. A total of four experts were invited by the Senate to provide testimony and answer questions, including Texas' top judicial officer, Supreme Court of Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht. Other witnesses included Ronald Flagg, president of the Legal Services Corporation, Veronica Gonzalez with the Legal Aid Board,

and Nicole Nelson with Frontline Justice. In his opening remarks, Hecht described the issue as a quote, indisputable chasm, noting that the need for basic civil legal services greatly exceeds their availability due to cost. He then highlighted three problems caused by the ongoing failure to, quote, close the access to justice gap. Quote, Hecht testified, adding that after 43 years of legal service, it pained him to report to the Senate that the world's greatest judicial system was, quote, welching on the promise of justice for all. Last but not least,

two Dallas-area cities have expressed interest in cutting their funding from Dallas Area Rapid Transport, or DART, a transit agency that serves part of Dallas-Fort Worth and operates buses, light rail, and commuter rail services. Over the past three weeks, the city councils of Plano and Rowlett have voted for resolutions to reduce taxes that go to DART. On June 24th, the Plano City Council voted on a resolution to reduce the sales and use tax rates to three-quarters of a cent from its current rate of one cent and also cap tax collections until a tax rate reduction. The resolution expresses concern from the city council of one cent, and also cap tax collections until a tax rate reduction. The resolution expresses concern from the City Council that,

quote, the services provided to taxpayers may not be commensurate with the current contribution provided to the Dallas Area Rapid Transport Authority. According to the Council's memo for the June 24th meeting, sales and use tax collections have had record increases. In spite of the increase of tax funds available, Plano said that ridership and utilization are significantly lower than levels in 2019 and before. 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.