The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 22, 2025

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy, folks. Today is Wednesday, October 22nd, and you're listening to The Texans Daily Rundown. I'm the Texans reporter Cameron Abrams, and here is the rundown of today's news in Texas politics. First up, a law intended to prevent children from accessing certain materials in public school libraries by prohibiting library vendors from selling material-rated sexually explicit to schools has been blocked from enforcement following a federal district court ruling. House Bill 900, also known as the Reader Act, was passed and signed into law back in 2003.

Starting point is 00:00:43 Since then, it has been subject to legal challenges, including a lawsuit by a group of bookstores and publishers against the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, or Tee's. T-Slack, the State Board of Education, or SBOE, and the Texas Education Agency. The lawsuit filed in July 23 sought to block its implementation and enforcement. An oral injunction in August temporarily blocked it from going into effect, and then again in January 2024, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the bookstores and publishers while allowing T-SLAC and the SBOE to move forward with creating library collection standards. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals also denied a rehearing of the case in April 2024.

Starting point is 00:01:34 Next, retiring state Senator Brian Birdwell has his next assignment in his long career of public service being nominated by the Trump administration to be an assistant secretary of defense. Birdwell's name was included in a list of nominations sent to the U.S. Senate for open administration positions released on Tuesday. He'll serve under Secretary of Defense Pete Hexeth upon confirmation from the U.S. Senate. During his Senate career, Birdwell specialized in issues like border security and natural resources. He chaired both committees in the Senate this year. In other news, Governor Greg Abbott traveled to Cyprus in northwest, Harris County, on Tuesday to ramp up enthusiasm for a slew of proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution,

Starting point is 00:02:23 including those that address property taxes election integrity, restricting bail for suspects, accused of violent crimes. Abbott said, quote, early voting has already begun. We need your participation because some of these things truly are life and death matters. Flanked by people holding pictures of their loved ones allegedly slain by criminal suspects, released on bond, Abbott urged the crowd to support Proposition 3, which will allow judges to detain violent suspects without bail. Several state lawmakers and candidates joined Abbott for the rally, as well as former Democratic Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who was representing the newly formed advocacy organization Texas Crime Victims United. Also, Houston Independent School

Starting point is 00:03:10 District will hold elections for three school board seats in the upcoming November election. even though the district remains under state control. Trustee positions for District 5, 6, and 7 will appear on the November 4th ballot for four-year terms. Districts 1 and 9 saw unopposed candidates, so their names will not appear on the ballot. H-I-S-D is currently governed by a board of managers appointed by Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath. The board exercises, quote, all powers and duties assigned to trustees, while the authority of the elected board remains suspended until the state takeover ends in 27. The new trustees term will run from

Starting point is 00:03:55 January 26 through 2030, meaning they will serve at least one year without authority unless the TEA extends the takeover further. Last but not least, the city of Dallas is contemplating a move from its current city hall. The iconic building designed by architect I.M. Pay has served as the city's seat of government since 1978. During a city finance committee meeting on October 21st, the city staff presented information about hundreds of millions of dollars of repairs or replacement of systems at the building that has been deferred over the years. John Johnson, the Dallas Director of Facilities and Real Estate Management, told the council that deferred maintenance of various systems in City Hall has been ongoing and now the

Starting point is 00:04:43 bill to either repair or replace the systems could total between $152 million and $3455 million. Items needing attention include the HVAC system, the roof, and the electrical system. The building also needs upgrades to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, along with structural improvements to prevent water infiltration in areas of the building. Thanks for listening. To support the Texan, please be sure to visit the Texan. News. and subscribe to get full access to all of our articles, newsletters, and podcasts.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - October 22, 2025

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