The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - May 9, 2025

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

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Howdy folks, today is Friday, May 9th, 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, State Representative Dennis Paul, a decade-long member of the Texas House, announced his run for Senate District 11, which is being vacated by State Senator Mays Middleton to run for Texas Attorney General. Paul said in his announcement on Thursday, quote,

I am officially announcing my campaign for Texas Senate District 11 today. While I remain focused on completing the work of the 89th session in the House, I want to make my intentions clear. Paul announced in a press release with Alan Blakemore as the campaign point of contact, a political consultant whose biggest client is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Next, the Texas House debated for nearly six hours on Thursday

a bill aimed at preventing individuals and entities from adversarial countries from purchasing land in the state, with a plethora of arguments both for and against being presented on the House floor. Senate Bill 17 has become one of the most hotly contested pieces of legislation this session, with the committee substitute to the upper chamber's bill and its changes further amplifying the discussions and disagreements surrounding its provisions, attracting significant attention from lawmakers and activists. The bill aims to bar a citizen of a designated country who is domiciled outside of the United States

from purchasing real property in Texas. Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are the four hostile countries that are identified in the provision. In other news, legislation that would require all users to show ID, as well as mandate parental consent from minors, to download apps on mobile devices past the Texas House with bipartisan support on Thursday afternoon after surviving multiple lines of questioning and points of order. The Senate companion to Representative Caroline Fairley's House Bill 4901, Senate Bill 2420 by State Senator Angela Paxton, would prevent minors from accessing applications on mobile devices that haven't been approved by their parent or guardian.

It passed on second reading after a short dust-up over amendments and the bill's applicability to certain apps. Prior to SB 2420 being taken up on the House floor Thursday afternoon, Fairley touted 130 co-authors and four joint authors, many of whom stood behind her as she responded to members' questions regarding the bill. Also, both chambers of the Texas Legislature have approved a measure that will require notification to the Texas Office of the Attorney General before a judge can issue a temporary restraining order in relation to an election, a bill that was prompted by a series of confusing judicial actions related to Harris County's fraught 2022 general election. Representative Mike Schofield said of his House Bill 1475 during a committee hearing last month, quote, it was occasioned by an election in 2022 where a judge in Harris County held open the polls

and didn't tell the other side. So only one party, which had moved for it, knew that the polls were being held open an additional hour, end quote. The new law stipulates that a district court for it knew that the polls were being held open an additional hour." The new law stipulates that a district court judge considering an election-related temporary restraining order must notify the OAG, wait two hours after providing notification before holding a hearing, and permit OAG staff to participate in the hearing remotely.

The two-hour delay may be waived by the OAG after notification, but any orders issued by a judge in violation of the law will be void. Last but not least, FBI Houston arrested six alleged members of a criminal ring for sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of children as part of a coordinated national operation that resulted in the arrest of 225 accused child sex abuse offenders and the rescue of 115 children. The Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a nationwide crackdown on child sexual abuse in collaboration with all 55 FBI offices on Wednesday. Among the arrests made via the operation were six alleged members of a child sex trafficking group including its female ringleader, captured by the Houston FBI branch. First launched as an effort following the DOJ's observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, the DOJ stated that Operation Restore Justice, quote, underscores

the department's unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. 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. tasks.