The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 19, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, March 19th 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 legal battle over a state law that uses criminal trespass to prohibit foreign nationals from illegally entering the state will continue to trial without the Department of Justice after it withdrew as the primary plaintiff. Senate Bill 4 by Senator Charles Perry was passed in 2023 as a state solution to the heightened border crisis during the administration of former President Joe Biden. SB 4 prohibits any foreign national from illegally entering the state between ports of entry and in violation of

Starting point is 00:00:52 federal law. Next, Texas Senate Bill 3 which would prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of consumable hemp products containing any cannabinoid other than cannabidiol, also known as CBD, or cannabigerol, also known as CBG, was passed on the Senate floor on Wednesday. The bill would ban products containing Delta-8 THC and Delta-9 THC and also packaging that appeals to minors. 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

Starting point is 00:01:37 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, a Texas House committee took testimony Tuesday on a package of criminal justice reforms, including proposed amendments to the state constitution that would allow some violent defendants to be held without on a package of criminal justice reforms, including proposed amendments to the state constitution

Starting point is 00:02:05 that would allow some violent defendants to be held without bail. Filed by Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Chair John Smithey, House Joint Resolution 16 seeks to amend the Texas Constitution to require detention without bail for any illegal alien charged with a felony crime. A companion bill filed by Senator Joan Huffman passed the Senate with bipartisan support last month. The Senate version, known as Jocelyn's Law, is named for Jocelyn Nungare, a 12-year-old Houston girl

Starting point is 00:02:35 who was murdered last summer. The two suspects charged were Venezuelan nationals who entered the country illegally in the spring of 2024 and were apprehended by US Border Patrol, but then released entered the country illegally in the spring of 2024 and were apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol but then released into the country. Also, legislation has been filed in both the Texas House and Senate clarifying the state's exceptions for abortion prosecution in cases to preserve the mother's health. Highly anticipated bills after the last election cycles bloody round in the arena, largely focused on the state's abortion ban and its effects on

Starting point is 00:03:08 health care professionals and Texas women. The author of Texas's current abortion ban, Senator Brian Hughes, authored Senate Bill 31, also known as the Life of the Mother Act, which would clarify state law regarding abortions in cases of threats to the woman's health or major bodily functions. It also integrates an option for legal training for Texas state attorneys as well as continuing medical education for health care providers. State Representative Charlie Garren filed House Bill 44, the companion legislation in the House. SB 31 and HB 44 simplify the description of what

Starting point is 00:03:43 constitutes a permissible abortion in cases of medical emergency, instead emphasizing that it must be done in correspondence with the physician's reasonable medical judgment. 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.

Starting point is 00:04:14 For more information, visit securing our future.com slash Texas. Now returning to your daily Texas news. In addition, public education in Texas is one of, if not the most fundamental concerns of the 89th legislative session. But the topic of banning cell phones in Texas classrooms, an issue that was discussed this week in a House committee hearing, has garnered bipartisan support. The Texas House Public Education Committee took up a number of bills, most notably House Bill 1481 by Representative Carolyn Fairley, which is also co-authored and sponsored by

Starting point is 00:04:50 77 other House members. Fairley's bill seeks to regulate the use of personal wireless communication devices during instructional time by prohibiting students from using those electronic devices while at school. Last but not least, two years ago the Texas legislature fought it out over a sweeping new field preemption law colloquially named the Death Star Bill, and now State Senator Brandon Creighton hopes to add to its prohibitions with new legislation. The Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, first called the Death Star Bill by critics before that name was embraced by proponents, prohibited localities from exceeding regulations in nine sections of state code.

Starting point is 00:05:33 The legislature passed the law in 2023 with some bipartisan support in the House. But various blue localities sued over the law and secured a declaration by a Travis County District Judge that the law is unconstitutional. That declaration did not stop the law from going into effect and the state immediately appealed the ruling. Moral arguments will be heard at the Third Court of Appeals in Austin on April 23rd. 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 19, 2025

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