The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 1, 2026

Starting point is 00:00:04 Howdy folks, today is Friday, May 1st, 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, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, ending the 76-day shutdown at the federal agency. The legislation passed on Thursday will fund DHS through September 30th, except for immigration and customs enforcement and customs and border protection, which have largely been running on funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed last year. Texas Congressman Jody Arrington said in a statement,

Starting point is 00:00:45 quote, Today, House Republicans acted to end this reckless shutdown and restore critical operations to DHS while using reconciliation to fund ICE and CBP for the next three years. He continued, quote, this will prevent the Democrats from shutting down the government and defunding ICE in the future and provides our agents the resources they need to secure the border, enforce the law, and protect our communities. Next, in response to Camp Mystic announcing the withdrawal of its application to operate for

Starting point is 00:01:18 summer 26, following outcry from parents and elected officials over the deaths of over two dozen people following last year's July 4th weekend flood disaster, attorney Kyle Findlay, who is representing six of the impacted families, said in a statement, quote, we applaud the state investigators, senators, and state representatives for their hard work in investigating and questioning the parties involved in this undeniably preventable tragedy. He added that, quote, The family's pursuit of justice will continue through the courts to complete the investigation in their pursuit for transparency, accountability, and ensuring that another avoidable

Starting point is 00:01:58 tragedy like this never happens again. In other news, Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive to the teacher retirement system of Texas on Thursday to reduce Medicare premiums for retired public school teachers. In an April 30th letter to the TRS Board of Trustees, Abbott said the program's continued positive TRS care fund balance allows the board to implement the maximum feasible premium reductions while preserving the fund's long-term financial stability. Abbott said in a press release, quote, Over the past several years,

Starting point is 00:02:32 the state has made historic investments to strengthen retirement security and provide meaningful financial relief to teachers. In his letter, the governor referenced a 2023 Texas constitutional amendment that provided $5 billion in supplemental payments and cost of living adjustments to retired teachers, permanently increasing their monthly annuities.

Starting point is 00:02:54 In an April 30th letter obtained exclusively by the Texan, TRS chairman Robert Walls Jr. responded to the governor, saying the board members, quote, stand ready to make the most of the generated savings to the TRS Care Medicare Advantage Plan. Last but not least, the April 24th edition of the Texas Register shows new proposed gun rules under the Department of Public Safety, requiring those license to carry handguns to have their identification documents verified,

Starting point is 00:03:23 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's systematic alien verification for entitlements or SAVE program. SAVE does not determine an applicant's licensure eligibility. It only verifies immigration or citizenship status. Currently, nationals from several countries, including South Sudan, Burma and Ethiopia, are beneficiaries of temporary protected status, exempting them from particular requirements under SAVE. Under the proposed rules, an applicant must show proof of one of the following forms of identification, a real ID compliant driver's license or ID, a passport, a foreign passport with a visa, a birth certificate or consular report of birth abroad, a naturalization certificate, a USID card or permanent resident card, or an immigrant visa with temporary I-551 language, and an alien documentation, identification, and telecommunication system.

Starting point is 00:04:21 stamp. Amanda Contrino, the senior policy analyst for the regulatory services division of the DPS, said in the proposal that she anticipates most eligible applicants will already have one of the specified documents. But if not, she said the applicant will not face high costs to obtain proper documentation. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan.News to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts. Thank you.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 1, 2026

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