The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 30, 2024

Starting point is 00:00:00 Howdy folks, today is Monday, September 30th, 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 up, State Representative David Cook released a list of 48 Republican House members and nominees backing him for speaker after last Friday's Reform Group meeting. After seven rounds of voting, Cook emerged victorious and was unanimously endorsed by the group of individuals at the meeting to challenge the incumbent speaker, Dade Phelan. There were six individuals who voted by proxy at the meeting. Cook said in the release, quote, I am honored to have earned the trust and support of over half of my Republican colleagues

Starting point is 00:00:50 who will be serving in the 89th legislative session. This vote represents a clear mandate for reform and simplifies the path forward for Republicans to elect a speaker in our caucus. Before the meeting, the attendees agreed to support whoever emerged from the five-person field that included state representatives Tom Oliverson, Shelby Slauson, James Frank, John Smithy, and Cook. The voting power was 48, though John McQueenie in House District 97 cast neither his vote nor Paul Dyson's proxy in any of the rounds. Two additional unnamed members were added to the list and labeled confidential. In other news, six progressive organizations were victorious in their lawsuit challenging a state law that prohibits paid ballot harvesting, with San Antonio

Starting point is 00:01:38 based federal judge Xavier Rodriguez issuing a ruling on Saturday that declared the law unconstitutional and enjoined state officials from enforcing it. La Union del Pueblo Entero was the lead plaintiff, along with the League of Women Voters of Texas, the Texas American Federation of Teachers, the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, the League of United Latin American Citizens, and OCA Greater Houston. The law in question, which was passed within Senate Bill 1 during the Texas Legislature's first special session in 2021, creates an offense for, quote, vote-harvesting services. Specifically, the law bans, quote, in-person interaction with one or more voters in the physical presence of an official ballot or a ballot voted by mail

Starting point is 00:02:25 intended to deliver votes for a specific candidate or measure, end quote, and only if it's done for compensation or benefit. Volunteers are not prohibited. State Senator Brian Hughes, who authored the legislation, reacted to the news on social media, arguing why the law is needed and adding that Rodriguez's decision will be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Last but not least, Governor Greg Abbott, a number of global business leaders, and several current and former state elected officials announced the executive leadership team for the newly formed Texas Stock Exchange. The team comprises a bevy of heavy hitters in the capital investor community and former heads of finance. Jeffrey Brown, former acting general counsel for

Starting point is 00:03:12 Charles Schwab and former head of its Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs in Washington, D.C., Jonathan Ross, former chief technology officer at KCG Holdings Incorporated, and former Texas governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry are just a few names that comprise the leadership team. The Texas Stock Exchange was announced back in June with the stated intention of competing with other exchanges around the world, including the New York Stock Exchange. The exchange will be headquartered in Dallas. State Senators Tan Parker, State

Starting point is 00:03:45 Representatives Morgan Meyer and Giovanni Capriglione, and Perry flanked Abbott during the press conference. In response to a question from the Texan about whether the new exchange has structures in place to push back against the environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, movement that has become popular with many large companies and investors, James Lee, founder and CEO of the TXSE Group Incorporated, reiterated that, quote, the exchange is apolitical. 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.

The Texan Podcast - Daily Rundown - September 30, 2024

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