The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 1, 2025

Episode Date: May 1, 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/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!

Howdy folks, today is Thursday, May 1st, 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 potential prohibition on certain consumable hemp products containing THC in Texas has raised significant concerns from lawmakers and the public. And now the Texas House has passed a committee substitute that makes significant changes to the original language of the Senate's priority bill. Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick made banning THC and Texas a top legislative priority for

the 89th legislative session, describing its passage as one of the most critical life or death issues for the Texas Legislature. In a recent press conference, Patrick indicated that he, House Speaker Dustin Burroughs, and Governor Greg Abbott have discussed the issue and are all on the same page. The House State Affairs Committee reported favorably a 123-page substitute compared to the original 18-page SB3, which makes some significant changes to the regulatory framework, adds a ban on inhalables, and allows counties to prohibit hemp sales locally. Next, the Texas House overwhelmingly passed a limited reform bill that prohibits housing

finance corporations from awarding 100% tax exemptions to properties outside of their jurisdictions, but a bill carrying additional reforms remains pending in the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs. Under the Texas Local Government Code, HFCs may grant apartment owners and developers the tax exemptions in exchange for setting aside some units for affordable housing. But critics say the program has done little to add more reduced rent dwellings and, in some cases, allows the owners to actually increase rents. The law has also permitted HFCs to authorize exemptions of up to 99 years in jurisdictions

hundreds of miles away from the authorizing entity. In other news, two more local governments in East Texas have adopted ordinances to outlaw abortion, abortion-inducing drugs, abortion trafficking, and the disposal of fetal remains from abortions within their jurisdictions. The city of Avenger, population 370, passed the ordinance on Monday, April 28th by a vote of 3 to 1. It became the 57th city in Texas to do so as part of the Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn initiative led by Mark Lee Dixon.

Camp County, which has a population of about 13,000, adopted the measure on Wednesday, April 30th by a unanimous vote. It is the 8th county in Texas to outlaw abortion, joining Shackleford County, which passed the measure earlier in April. Also, a bill that would allow cities to reduce their funding to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit or DART authority by 25% had a lengthy hearing in the Texas House Transportation Committee last week. House Bill 3187 by Representative Matt Shaheen has been a source of controversy in North Texas, as some DART member cities have passed resolutions

to reduce their DART funding by 25%. Currently, the cities contribute the full one-cent sales tax revenue to DART. An Ernst & Young study presented to the DART Board last September showed that sales tax collections were greater than allocations for seven cities. Addison, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, Highland Park, Plano, Richardson, and University Park. Last but not least, Governor Greg Abbott has called for more stringent bail reform measures than those already passed in the Texas Senate, adding heft to proposed state constitutional amendments that will need support from at least 12 House Democrats before allowing Texas voters to weigh in later this year.

Abbott said during a press conference in Houston on Wednesday, quote, to fix the Constitution and to fix the broken bail system, we need to amend the Constitution to do several things. Abbott added that judges who release violent suspects should be required to provide a written explanation to the public and that prosecutors must have the right to appeal a judge's bond decision to a court of appeals. The governor's comments came following a roundtable discussion with murder victims' families at Crime Stoppers of Houston, attended by several judges and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of

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