The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 8, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Wednesday, May 8th, 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 off, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against El Paso area nonprofit Catholic charity Annunciation House. Paxton said his office has obtained evidence showing the organization is facilitating illegal immigration. Second, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan has released interim committee charges for the 88th legislature. The Committee on Insurance, which is chaired by Representative Tom Oliverson, who is running for House Speaker against Phelan, will be monitoring the implementation of two bills related to amusement park rides and retail fireworks. Notably, the Speaker tasked the

Starting point is 00:00:55 State Affairs Committee with addressing other insurance-related policy issues, like premiums. Texas universities have continued to dominate headlines due to ongoing protests, but the state ban on university diversity, equity, and inclusion offices has still remained an issue for some on college campuses. The Committee on Higher Education will take up the task of monitoring the implementation of the aforementioned DEI office ban. The House interim charges being announced comes following Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's 57 interim charges for the Senate that were released in April. Next up, the Austin Police Department has arrested five individuals during an operation to investigate the mass

Starting point is 00:01:37 influx of opioid overdoses in Austin. On Tuesday, the APD provided an update on their investigation. A police spokesperson clarified that following an undercover operation in Austin that On Tuesday, the APD provided an update on their investigation. A police spokesperson clarified that following an undercover operation in Austin that resulted in the arrests of five individuals, those suspects are, quote, not linked, as of right now, to any of the overdose victims. Additional clarification about the total arrests connected to the overdose surge last week was provided. The spokesperson further stated that the goal was to, quote, try and identify dealers responsible and source of the narcotics responsible for the overdoses. Last but not least, for the third time in two years,

Starting point is 00:02:17 voters declined to approve a bond proposition for Granbury Independent School District. On May 4th, the bond proposal, totaling $161.5 million, was defeated by about 400 votes out of 10,224 ballots cast, according to the unofficial results posted on the Hood County website. The election turned out over 20% of the registered voters, a fairly high turnout for an election without any state or federal offices on the ballot. Two previous bond packages, one for nearly $400 million in May 2022 and one for $151 million in November 2023, both failed as well. According to the Granbury ISD Bond website, the bond was to fund renovations to nine campuses within the district, a new transportation center, and a new elementary school, but it also included line item expenses for needed repairs. Granbury Concerned Citizens and the Hood County Republican Party both helped with measures

Starting point is 00:03:17 to defeat the bond proposal. Shannon Wolfe, a member of Granbury Concerned Citizens, said the group is, quote, relieved that the bond didn't pass. She said the group would like to sit down with others interested in helping Granbury ISDs succeed with needed projects without taking on long-term debt. Thanks for listening. Be sure to visit thetexan.news and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

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The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 8, 2024

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