The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 14, 2025

Episode Date: May 14, 2025

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Howdy folks, today is Wednesday, May 14th. I'm The Texan's reporter Cameron Abrams, and here's the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, with less than 30 days left in the 89th legislative session, a Texas senator has introduced a new bill to address growing concerns regarding the Texas Lottery Commission by abolishing the agency and moving its operations to another department. Senator Bob Hall late Monday afternoon filed Senate Bill 3017, which would abolish the TLC by moving its operations and supervision under the eye of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The bill would also require a, quote, limited scope sunset review of the state lottery and would abolish the lottery by August 31st, 2027, if the sunset review declines to continue its existence.

Hall stated during the bill layout on Tuesday in the Senate Committee on State Affairs, quote, the lottery commission changed its administrative roles to help criminals rig the lottery. Hall also detailed that the bill includes provisions of a 100 ticket cap on the number of tickets retailers can sell, a prohibition on internet ticket sales, the creation of an advisory committee, and criminal penalties for infractions. Next, legislation banning counties or cities from funding or conducting gun quote buyback

programs passed the Texas House on Tuesday afternoon on the basis that it wastes taxpayer dollars and has proven ineffective in reducing crime. House Bill 3053 by Representative Wesley Verbelle successfully made its way through the lower chamber with 85 votes in favor and 56 against, after a combination of questions from members regarding the role of the state government in regulating local governments and the effectiveness of buyback programs. Verdel argued that the amount of money municipalities and counties have spent on gun buyback programs is quote, shocking, particularly when considering that the programs which

offer compensation for turning in firearms as a means to reduce the number of guns in circulation and as an opportunity for citizens to surrender in their firearms to the government without criminal penalty having quote no way reduced violent crime. In other news, with near unanimous agreement the Texas House passed a bill to reform the state's public school accountability system by eliminating the state of Texas assessments of academic readiness or STAAR test. Representative Brad Buckley declared while laying out House Bill 4, quote, it's going to be a great day in the Texas House.

The legislation would restructure the Texas Public School Accountability System and Assessment Program by replacing the current start test with a nationally norm-referenced test that is administered three times at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. House Bill 4 also aims to place greater emphasis on engagement metrics by enforcing testing time limits of 60 to 90 minutes depending on grade level

and subject matter, requiring results and instructional feedback within 24 hours, and the public release of questions and answer keys of the tests. Last but not least, the Texas House overwhelmingly passed reforms to a controversial affordable housing program over the weekend, with more than 100 members voting to crack down on alleged abuses of the system that critics say did little to provide reduced rents for low income families in a lopsided bipartisan vote of 113 to 15 members approved Rep Gary Gates House Bill 21 to address housing finance corporations which offer 100% tax exemptions for up to 99 years to apartment owners and developers who purportedly set aside some units to be leased at reduced rents. Gates, who along with Senator Paul Bettencourt, worked to reform a similar program known as Public Facility Corporations in 2023 has documented examples in which owners could actually increase rents above what they were already charged after obtaining an HFC exemption. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access

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