The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 9, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Monday, June 9th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lauschis, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, 33 potential non-citizens who voted in the November 2024 general election will be reported to the Texas Office of the Attorney General after Secretary of State Jane Nelson gained access to a federal citizenship database used to cross-reference the voter rolls. The SOS stated that after they gained access to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Starting point is 00:00:39 SAVE database, an online service utilized by government agencies for verifying immigration and naturalization status, they were able to identify these alleged non-citizen voters. This followed Attorney General Ken Paxton's initiative in September 2024 when he called on Nelson to request access to the database so as to confirm that the upcoming November 2024 general election would be free of illegal voting by individuals who are not US citizens. Nelson followed up with her own letter to USCIS demanding its collaboration with her office and outlining the department's responsibilities in collaborating with local government agencies to ensure the integrity of elections. She requested that the USCIS give her access to the information by October 2nd, 2024.

Starting point is 00:01:26 President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March that included a series of directives on preventing foreign nationals from voting in U.S. elections, including a requirement that the Department of Homeland Security ensure that all state and local officials receive free access to information regarding voters' citizenship and naturalization statuses. Next, when the Texas legislative session came to its constitutionally mandated close last week, a controversial measure to address Harris County's use of surplus toll road revenues was among the many bills that failed to pass. Introduced by Senator Paul Bettencourt and Representative Mano de Ayala, the pair of bills would have created a statutory formula for how surplus funds from the Harris County toll road authority are allocated and mandate that a portion of the funds be given to the city of Houston to cover costs incurred by the city's fire and police departments.

Starting point is 00:02:19 The bills would have also mandated an audit of state toll road funds to ensure expenditures followed state statute. Although Betancourt Senate bill 2722 easily passed in the upper chamber and was approved by the house transportation committee, it was never brought to the house floor for full consideration. In other news, president Donald Trump issued an executive order in late May with the stated aim to quote, accelerate the secure and responsible development, demonstration, deployment, and export, end quote, of nuclear technology. A call the 89th Texas Legislature heeded with a bill to amend barriers in the state to an

Starting point is 00:02:57 important step in that process, uranium mining. Senate Bill 1061 by State Senator Tan Parker, already on its way to Governor Greg Abbott's desk, will adjust the permitting process for uranium mining operations by streamlining certain applications, particularly by eliminating contested case hearings for qualifying proposals. The bill also makes explicit that it will prioritize the conservation of regional groundwater supplies during application reviews. During a Senate Natural Resources Committee meeting in March, a number of expert witnesses spoke to the necessity of the legislation. A representative of the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association

Starting point is 00:03:36 said that SB 1061 will, quote, help the nuclear cycle in the state of Texas. The former chief operating officer of Encore Energy Corporation spoke on how the bill would create a way for mining applicants to quote, more effectively plan and schedule the work for uranium extraction, that is quote, feeding the reactors not only in the US, but also the reactors here in Texas.

Starting point is 00:04:00 Last but not least, in the latest episode of our Smoke-Filled Room podcast, senior editor, Mackenzie DeLulo and senior reporter Brad Johnson dive into their top five moments from Texas 89th legislative session. From the pivotal school choice bill to the unexpected House versus Senate showdown over judicial pay raises. Visit thetexan.news or wherever you get podcasts to listen now. 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.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - June 9, 2025

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