The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - March 7, 2025

Episode Date: March 7, 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/texasThe 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 7th 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 Texas A&M University System Board of Regents named Comptroller Glenn Hagar as the lone finalist to be the System's next Chancellor. After the 21-day waiting period before final approval, Hagar will have a six-year term as Chancellor in front of him, governing the System's 11 universities and multiple state agencies. Current Chancellor John Sharp announced last year that he would retire in 2025, providing a lengthy runway for the Board of Regents to select

his successor. Hagar has long been a rumored candidate for the position due to his status as an alum, his fundraising prowess politically, and the bottleneck above him for statewide office. Both Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick have stated they're running for re-election. 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, two Republicans, Railroad Commissioner Christy Craddock and former state Senator Don Huffines, have announced their bid for Texas Comptroller in 2026 on Friday after the Hagar announcement.

Craddock, the current chair of the Railroad Commission of Texas, first announced her candidacy by saying, quote, Serving for more than a decade as railroad commissioner has uniquely prepared me to help Texas build upon its momentum as the economic engine of the United States. Texas build upon its momentum as the economic engine of the United States. Craddock's father, Representative Tom Craddock, is a former speaker of the Texas House and still serves in the legislature. Huffines announced his candidacy moments later with an initial commitment of 10 million dollars to the race, quote, because Texas taxpayers deserve a comptroller who fights for them and I'm in it to win. In other news, a bill aimed at stopping foreign adversaries' land grabs is at the center of a contentious debate that pits national security and economic protection arguments

against concerns over discrimination and infringement on property rights. Senate Bill 17 is a priority piece of legislation for the upper chamber proposed by Senator Lois Kolkhorst that seeks to impose restrictions on the purchase or acquisition of real estate property by certain foreign individuals, organizations, and government entities associated with designated countries that pose national security risks. While the bill restricts specific named entities from owning land, it does not prevent foreign business investment in the state. Rather than singling out any particular country, it defers to the Director of National Intelligence's designations in the latest security reports.

Notably under SB 17, U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and dual citizens remain unaffected, and exemptions exist for homestead properties owned by individuals fleeing hostile regimes. Also, a bill filed in the Texas Legislature would establish a grant program to assist law enforcement officials with solving violent criminal cases, particularly ones involving sexual offenses. House Bill 3577, filed by State Representative Mitch Little on March 3, says that the purpose of the grant program would be to, quote, improve clearance rates

for violent and sexual offenses, end quote, meaning a crime has been solved and penalties have been dealt out to the correct offender, essentially the measure of a law enforcement entity's effectiveness. Little told the Texan, quote, "'The goal would be to do a separate budget writer for the allocation. The Office of Public Safety and the Office of the Governor would administer the grant program. The goal is to assist in the clearance

of violent and sexual crimes.'" Last but not least, despite reforms enacted two years ago, developers have continued to obtain full property tax exemptions worth millions in exchange for concessions for so-called affordable housing, but state lawmakers are working to close a legal loophole that they say has led to abuse of the program. Representative Gary Gates told the Texan, quote, what the industry did after we did the reforms last session is just jump over to another part of the code because it allows them to do the exact same thing with just a slightly different ownership structure.

In 2023, Gates, along with former representative J.C. Jettan and Senator Paul Bettencourt, championed legislation adding restrictions to the state public facility corporation or PFC program. The program allowed both new and existing multifamily properties to obtain tax exemptions for up to 99 years with no notice to the local county, city, or school districts, which were deprived of tax revenue while still being obliged to provide services. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access still being obliged to provide services.