The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 18, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, March 18th 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, Attorney General Ken Paxton is nearing a 2026 bid for U.S. Senate against Senator John Cornyn, depending on if he can obtain $20 million in fundraising commitments in the next couple of months. On a trip to Washington, D.C., during which he met with various parties, including the

Starting point is 00:00:38 White House, Paxton interviewed with Punchbowl News to discuss the long-rumored 2026 bid. He told Punchbowl, quote, I think I can win if I have $20 million. I've run these primaries in Texas before. I honestly don't see how Cornyn overcomes his numbers. Next, Paxton announced the arrest of a Houston-area midwife for illegally providing abortions and facilitating a network of abortion clinics near northwest Houston, the first arrest of an abortion provider under the state's ban. Paxton announced Maria Margarita Rojas' arrest on Monday afternoon,

Starting point is 00:01:14 confirming that she's been taken into custody in Waller County under charges of, quote, illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony, as well as practicing medicine without a license. Her clinics were allegedly employing individuals without medical licenses who posed as health care professionals to provide medical treatment to Houston area women. The Tombaugh Birth Center lists Rojas as a certified professional midwife licensed in Texas as such and accredited by the North American Registry of Midwives.

Starting point is 00:01:45 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's booming economy, shape its technological future, and keep your data here in the U.S. To learn more, visit centerofyourdigitalworld.org slash Texas. Now returning to your daily Texas news. In other news, state lawmakers have filed a slew of bills seeking to reform toll road practices

Starting point is 00:02:26 across the state, with some targeting the use of surplus revenues in Harris County, which has ramped up transfers to county coffers since 2019. Under a pair of companion bills filed by Senator Paul Bettencourt and Representative Mano de Ayala, counties with more than 4 million residents would have tighter restrictions on how toll revenues may be spent and must undergo an annual audit of toll revenue expenditures. If approved, the law would only apply to Harris County, which has a population of 4.8 million. Also, President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January titled Protecting the American People Against Invasion,

Starting point is 00:03:05 which set forward a comprehensive immigration enforcement strategy, including directing federal agencies to strengthen border security, increase deportations, and enforce stricter immigration policies. Now, a priority piece of legislation in the upper chamber of the Texas Legislature seeks to add state support to those efforts. Senate Bill 8, co-authored by Senators Charles Schwartner and Joan Huffman, proposes that sheriffs in counties with populations over 100,000 are mandated to enter into agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce immigration law.

Starting point is 00:03:41 A House companion to the Senate bill has also been filed by Representative David Spiller. Trump's executive order authorizes state and local officials through Section 287-G of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to, quote, "...perform the functions of immigration officers in relation to the investigation, apprehension, or detention of aliens in the United States under the direction and the supervision of the Secretary of Homeland Security. The bill in the Texas Senate would mandate sheriffs enter into 287-G agreements and provide for the Texas Comptroller to grant funding to assist

Starting point is 00:04:19 sheriffs participating in these agreements. 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.

Starting point is 00:04:50 Last but not least, new legislation by state Senator Kelly Hancock would create a state board designed to plan for the waste that comes with Texas's growing energy footprint. Hancock's Senate Bill 2455 would establish the Texas Energy Waste Advisory Committee made up of seven officials that includes the heads of the Public Utility Commission and of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Executive Director of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the Director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the Agency Head of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the State's Land Commissioner. In short, the purpose of the body is to find the produced electricity that is deployed less than optimally and direct it to more efficient avenues during times of high grid stress.

Starting point is 00:05:40 It is supposed to provide biennial recommendations to the legislature on how to maximize the grid's efficiency. 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 - March 18, 2025

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