The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - July 24, 2025

Episode Date: July 24, 2025

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Howdy folks, today is Thursday, July 24th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauschus, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, a judge set a new execution date for death row inmate Robert Roberson during a July 16th hearing, but now Roberson's attorney has filed a motion attempting to stop it.

On Thursday, attorney Gretchen Swin said two motions were filed with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in order to delay the scheduled October 16th execution. The first asks for a stay of execution due to pending litigation, claiming it is, quote, necessary to avoid rushing adjudication of substantial claims, including Mr. Roberson's claim of actual innocence.

The other motion asks that oral arguments be held due to claims made under Texas's junk science writ, intense public interest, and the fact that, quote, there is no doubt that the two sides have adopted widely divergent positions and quote regarding Roberson's case. Next, legislation establishing legal

protections for human trafficking victims who were coerced into crimes during their captivity was vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott last month, but is set to be taken up again during the 89th Legislature's first special session. Senate Bill 1278, authored by Senator Tan Parker, sought to create an affirmative defense

to the prosecution for suspects who were coerced or acted under duress or threat of imminent death or serious bodily injury, garnering unanimous support in both chambers during the regular session. Abbott cited concerns that the legislation, while necessary, went too far in its protections, potentially opening the door for individuals who freely commit crimes to plead not guilty due to some past form of coercion. The governor said upon vetoing SB 1278 just hours before the deadline on June 22, quote, "...no state has done more to both protect and advance

the future of victims of human trafficking. Our commitment to supporting those victims will remain steadfast. In other news, lawmakers were unable to get a bill eliminating the state of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR test, across the finish line during the regular session that ended in June.

But they will get another chance with Governor Greg Abbott Star Test across the finish line during the regular session that ended in June, but they will get another chance with Governor Greg Abbott placing the issue on the special session agenda. Abbott is asking the members to eliminate the Star Test and instead find alternative effective tools that can be used to evaluate students and school districts in Texas. The governor has considered eliminating the Star Test since 2023. During the regular session, the Texas Legisl legislature attempted to achieve this goal through efforts in both the House and Senate, each of which underwent multiple revisions and reformulations.

Also, as part of their annual budget processes, the city of Kerrville and Kerr County have taken action to have the county tax assessor calculate a new voter approval tax rate at an 8% increase rather than the usual 3.5%. In 2021, the Texas Legislature allowed local governments, which are under a disaster declaration, to have differing calculation for their voter approval tax rate. The voter approval tax rate is the calculated maximum rate increase allowed by law without requiring voter approval, according to the Texas Comptroller's Office. Last week, the Kerr County Commissioner's Court voted to have the tax assessor perform

such a calculation. And this week, the Kerrville City Council unanimously approved a similar resolution. Kerrville and Kerr County have been at the center of the news cycle since catastrophic flooding hit the Guadalupe River on July 4th, claiming over 100 lives as of the latest numbers. Mayor Joe Herring Jr. told the public on Tuesday that the resolution was not setting a higher tax rate,

but was an exercise to get more information as part of the budget process. Last but not least, water law for the average person in Texas is, to borrow a quote from legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. It's layered, archaic, and confusing. It takes a lifetime to understand its full scope, but the uninitiated got a crash course in one portion in an 11-hour House Natural Resources Committee hearing

held last week. Visit thetexan.news to read senior reporter Brad Johnson's breakdown of the so-called water pirates. 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.