The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 19, 2024

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

Show off your Lone Star spirit with a free "Remember the Alamo" hat with an annual subscription to The Texan: https://thetexan.news/subscribe/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! Got questions for the reporting team? Email [e-mail] — they just might be answered on a future Weekly Roundup Podcast.

Howdy folks, today is Tuesday, March 19th, 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. After U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted two consecutive stays preventing a new Texas border security law from going into effect, giving time for both parties to file briefs, the High Court extended its stay order on Monday. Senate Bill 4 was passed during a special session of the 88th Texas Legislature. The law prohibits any foreign national from illegally entering the United States between ports of entry, and also allows state judges to issue deportation orders for anyone charged or convicted of violating the new law.

A federal district judge granted the first order in the case blocking SB4 from taking effect on March 5th. Then the U.S. Fifth Circuit lifted that injunction, allowing the law to take effect pending intervention by SCOTUS, which then intervened with the two stay orders from Justice Alito. Today, SCOTUS denied a request from the Biden administration to halt the law while the Fifth Circuit continues to consider it, allowing Texas to begin enforcing SB4. Despite the newfound respect Governor Greg Abbott has received from some longtime antagonists on the political right, a Tarrant County gathering showed the limits of such a shift in opinion on the state's top executive. Speaking to the Tarrant County Republican Party, Pundit Tucker Carlson lambasted the governor for his decisions on border security. Abbott and Carlson have sparred in the past over border security,

with the latter accusing the former of not doing enough to close the border. Over the last few years, Abbott has tried to walk a tightrope between what he seems to view as a viable list of policy options from the state and that which the GOP base favors, Texas declaring an invasion and deporting illegal immigrants itself. The state of Texas Permanent School Fund Corporation delivered a letter to BlackRock today, terminating its relationship with the world's largest asset manager that had overseen $8.5 billion in assets for the fund. The move comes as the state legislature and corresponding entities have prioritized a rebuke of the environmental,

social, and governance movement in the world of capital, a force for which BlackRock has become the face due to its financial prowess and statements from CEO Larry Fink. The PSF is a fund created by the legislature in 1845 to buttress the finances of Texas' public schools. It manages investments like a pension fund, the beneficiary of which is not retirees but schools. In 2021, the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 13, which laid out a prohibition against state dollars going to companies deemed to be boycotting fossil fuels. After a year-long evaluation period, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts Glenn Hagar finalized a list of companies from which pension funds should be divested, which included BlackRock. Texas continues to be a destination for interstate movement as the Lone Star State saw eight of its counties lead the nation in population growth during 2023. According to

estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, Harris County added over 53,000 residents, leading the entire country. It also had one of the largest gains from international migration. States such as California, New York, and Pennsylvania had counties with the largest decline in their 2023 population estimates. Texas experienced the largest increase in its state population in 2023, adding over 473,000 residents and bringing its total to over 30.5 million, according to Census 2023 estimates. Texas is the second most populous state in the U.S. behind California. A recent proposal before the 2024 Dallas City Charter Commission would amend the city charter to allow non-citizen residents of the city to serve on city boards, commissions, and task forces. Offered by Commissioner Stuart Campbell, the proposal would

remove the word citizen from the charter and replace it with words like resident, people, or persons. The commission voted 7-6 in favor of the proposed amendment on February 6th. According to the Dallas Charter Review Commission's frequently asked questions, the commission must give its report to the City Council by May. The Council will have an opportunity to review and modify the recommendations before they are voted on by the public in November 2024. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.