The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 14, 2025

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

Want to support The Texan and help us continue providing the Lone Star State with news you can trust? Subscribe today: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/Learn more about the Data Center Coalition at: https://www.centerofyourdigitalworld.org/texasLearn more about the American Property Casualty Insurance Association at: https://www.securingourfuture.com/Texas/The Texan’s Daily Rundown brings you a quick recap of the latest stories in Texas politics so you can stay informed with news you can trust.Want more resources? Be sure to visit The Texan and subscribe for complete access to our in-depth articles, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, videos, podcasts, and more.Enjoy what you hear? Be sure to subscribe and leave a review!

Howdy folks, today is Friday, March 14th 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, the 89th legislative session has seen 60 days pass since its start in January, swinging open the door for increased speed and ensuing chaos as the window for bill filing closes and floor debates over legislation commence. The Texas Constitution, which entirely dictates the procedures of the legislative session and its calendar, permits consideration of bills which are not on the governor's list

of emergency items after 60 days have passed, barring a suspension of the constitutional order. Due to this, the House largely spends most of its floor time introducing resolutions honoring various individuals and organizations, which can be as arbitrary or notable as the member pleases, and checking off boxes of traditional procedure. Although the House kicked off the session with a bang in its election of Speaker Dustin Burroughs, most of its work has been behind the scenes, as is custom, as freshman representatives familiarize themselves with the legislative process and offices prep their bills and prepare their defenses.

On the other side of the Capitol, the Senate tends to get more done thanks to the man at the helm, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, the supermajority of Republican senators, and its resulting friendliness towards suspending the rules in order to fast-track legislation. As a suspension of the Constitution requires three-fifths of the Chamber's vote, a rate easily attainable for Senate Republicans. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Data centers fuel 364,000 Texas jobs, generate $3.5 billion in state and local taxes, and power essential services like banking, healthcare, and video calls.

With 21 connected devices per household and soaring data demands, these hubs drive Texas' booming economy, shape its technological future, and keep your data here in the U.S. To learn more, visit centerofyourdigitalworld.org. Now returning to your Daily Texas News. Next, Concern over government-issued documents being aligned with an individual's biological sex has now been addressed in a new opinion by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. By request of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Paxton's opinion concludes that Texas District Courts lack jurisdiction to issue orders requiring state agencies to amend a person's biological sex on government-issued identification documents. The opinion states that such court orders are void because they exceed judicial authority, violate sovereign immunity, and attempt to control administrative functions

reserved for state agencies. In other news, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick released the second half of his priority bills for the upper chamber on Thursday and included on the list is a piece of legislation to enhance coordination and operations related to homeland security, border security, and critical infrastructure protection. Senate Bill 36, authored by Senator Tan Parker, proposes the establishment of a homeland security division within the Texas Department of Public Safety by centralizing various homeland security functions under a single division and transferring the management of key security operations, such as the Border Security Operations Center and

the Joint Operations and Intelligence Centers, to this newly formed division. Stay tuned for more news updates after this short message. Texas insurance companies want to help keep premiums affordable. That's why the American Property Casualty Insurance Association supports a competitive marketplace reforms of legal system abuse and better preparedness for the next major storm. For more information visit securingourfuture.com. Now returning to your daily Texas news. Also several state governments across the country have introduced legislation to prevent the deployment of National Guard troops in overseas conflicts, and now a Texas bill has

been filed to do the same. House Bill 930, introduced by Representative Briscoe Cain, seeks to impose stricter requirements on the activation of the Texas National Guard for active combat duty. Specifically, it mandates that the Texas National Guard for active combat duty. Specifically, it mandates that the Texas National Guard can only be deployed into active combat duty if the U.S. Congress officially declares war or takes official action under the War Powers Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The bill defines active combat duty as military service that includes participation in an armed conflict in a foreign state, performing hazardous services related to such a conflict, or carrying out

duties involving an instrumentality of war. Last but not least, the Smokehouse Creek wildfire torched more than one million acres of Panhandle land one year ago, and now legislators have a package of reforms that hope to prevent that runaway blaze from happening again. The House Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires report found that the fire spread at six to eight miles an hour, enveloping 40,000 acres in a day. By the end of the month, the blaze had torched over 900,000 acres and crossed state lines

into Oklahoma. By the end of the month, the blaze torched over 900,000 acres and crossed state lines into Oklahoma. The fire would envelop over a million acres by the time it was contained. 80% of Hemphill and Roberts counties were burned in the largest wildfire in Texas history. Four other major wildfires played out at the same time as Smokehouse Creek and it took two weeks to fully contain them all. The estimated economic damages caused by the fires exceeded one billion dollars and ranchers lost most or all of their herds with the Texas Southwestern Cattle Raiders Association estimating 15,000 heads of cattle were lost. Thanks for listening. To

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