The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 15, 2024

Episode Date: May 15, 2024

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 Wednesday, May 15th, and you're listening to the Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans Assistant Editor Rob Lausches, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First on the docket, Governor Greg Abbott received a letter from 39 Texas House Democrats on Monday, calling for a special session to address, quote, the school budget crisis unfolding statewide, which Abbott promptly countered. State Representative John Rosenthal led the letter to Abbott, which read, quote, Texas public schools are facing serious budget challenges from inflation, historic underfunding, and unfunded mandates that will drive drastic budget cuts in independent school districts across the state. These issues arise from the state's failure to improve school funding since 2019, the letter said. Abbott responded within hours, stating, I worked last year to design a school choice and public school funding package that would have achieved exactly what you seek. All of the representatives who

signed this letter voted to kill that package. The governor wrote that in reference to Representative Brad Buckley's education package of 2023, which was a new version of House Bill 1. It would have provided $6 billion towards school funding, including aspects such as raised teacher salaries and increased school safety measures. The omnibus included education savings accounts, a plan that would have established school choice options for Texas children with approximately $10,500 per student. All 39 of the letter's signees voted against Buckley's school funding package in 2023. Next up, Texas landowners along the border with Mexico are sharing their experiences with border-related crime, property damage, and illegal immigrant sightings.

For Eslaban Ranch owner Greg Genetempo, border policies hit close to home. The ranch is located near Carrizo Springs, situated approximately 22 miles from the southern border. When asked about specific property damages he has dealt with due to illegal traffic from the border, Gennetempo shared, I had a tremendous amount of fence work that had to be done because the illegals like to cut fences. He then shared that running across deceased illegal immigrants is a common occurrence at the Eslabon Ranch. Blake Waldron at the El Squado Ranch shared its unique property damages caused by illegal immigrants, sharing that the visitors frequently steal the property's bulldozers and tractors for ease of travel.

For Loma de Cometas Ranch owner Steve Cope, the border has resulted in, quote, constantly repairing fences on a daily basis. After that, Houston Mayor John Whitmire revealed details of his proposed $6.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2025 that will tackle a significant funding shortfall without reducing services or raising property taxes next year. But he warned that tough decisions must be made in the near future to balance city finances. Quote, The budget addresses my commitments of public safety, infrastructure, and city finances, said Whitmire during a Tuesday press conference with Houston Finance Director Melissa Dubowski and members of the city's monumental financial challenges left to him by former Mayor Sylvester Turner, including the previous administration's recent strategy of covering budget holes with

$160 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds each year. Adding to the city's financial woes, Whitmire must also negotiate a new contract with Houston's firefighters that includes an estimated $650 million in back pay due to Turner's legal battle with the first responders over pay parity and pensions. While final details of a new agreement have not been finalized, the final cost to taxpayers could exceed $1.2 billion. Last but not least, the effort to extend a planned high-speed rail line between Dallas and Fort Worth continues. According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the process for getting

environmental approval for a possible route is underway. It began in March and must be completed within 12 months, project manager Brendan Wheeler said at a public information meeting on Monday, May 13. The process is an effort to connect the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to other possible high-speed rail routes around the state, including the long-touted Dallas to Houston route. Wheeler said the council is aiming for a one-seat ride from Fort Worth to Houston with no transfers required. The federal environmental process, based on the National Environmental Policy Act and often referred to as NEPA, encompasses many areas for study such as potential impacts and mitigation for those impacts,

air pollution, noise and vibration, historical preservation, and environmental justice. Thanks for listening. To support The Texan, please be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.