The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 27, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy, folks, today is Friday, March 27th, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans managing editor Rob Lauchess, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has released a more extensive list of Texas Senate interim charges, addressing a number of issues including data center growth, criminal justice, surrogacy exploitation, prediction market gambling, Texas Electric Grid, and government accountability. Similar to the Texas House's interim charges released on Thursday, Patrick included a focus on identifying and weeding out fraud, waste, and abuse in state-funded agencies and programs. He stated, quote,

Starting point is 00:00:50 Today, I release new interim charges for Texas Senate committees to study in preparation for the 90th Texas legislature beginning January 27. These individuals, These interim charges reflect issues Texans have asked the Senate to study. Patrick said there may be more charges announced in the coming months. Earlier this week, Patrick announced the Chamber's interim committee assignments with the incoming exit of five members of the Senate and four committee chairs. Those newly assigned members will serve through the 90th legislative session. Next, among the Texas House's interim charges released by House Speaker Dustin Burroughs on Thursday

Starting point is 00:01:28 are several broaching issues related to artificial intelligence, foreign actors, health and social policy, criminal justice, the Texas workforce, and the state's economy as a whole. These charges will shape the House members next several months leading up to the 90th legislative session in January 2027, serving as a means of preparation for the shaping and filing of bills during the interim. Visit the Texan.News for an in-depth look at the charges. In other news, a long-planned audit of the Texas Office of the Attorney General's spending may have further fueled a public spat between acting comptroller Kelly Hancock and Attorney General Ken Paxton, already brewing over whether public education dollars may be used for schools with alleged ties to

Starting point is 00:02:13 Islamic terrorist organizations and foreign adversaries. The comptroller conducts routine audits for state agencies, and the OAG was one of several slated for an audit in the fourth quarter of year 2025. The comptroller notified the OAG of the pending audit on June 10, 2025, but later granted a request to postpone and rescheduled the audit for 26. A spokesperson for the comptroller told the Texan in an email, quote, our audit records go back to 1996. Since August 1996, we have conducted 10 OAG audits. He continued, quote, each agency rated high in our annual risk assessment, based on size, expenditure volume and 14 proprietary risk factors is typically audited every three to five years unless circumstances warrant otherwise. OAG's placement in audit plans has always reflected that

Starting point is 00:03:08 standard risk rating process. Last but not least, the Hunt County Commissioner's Court passed a resolution this week denying approval for the Platt application for the proposed subdivision connected to the East Plano Islamic Center called the Meadow, formerly known as Epic City. The proposal involves 402 acres in Hunt and Collin counties, and would house a mosque, a K-12 school, residential units, and retail facilities. Residents expressed dissatisfaction during the meeting regarding different elements of the planning by Epic, citing state investigations and possible violations. On March 10th, Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to the Collin County Commissioner's Court stating, quote, I am advised that to date you have refused to approve Epic City's

Starting point is 00:03:54 requested plat application due to its multiple deficiencies and the insufficiency of information provided. The letter detailed the Office of the Attorney General's ongoing investigations into Epic and alleges, quote, Epic City's developers have also allegedly funneled a significant amount of the funds to their own pockets. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the texan. News and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcast. I'm sorry. Thank you.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 27, 2026

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