Pratt on Texas

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: One of the key issues that Rep. Ken King and the BurrowCrat House leadership made sure did not get record votes was one overwhelming supported by Democrat and Republican voters in Texas: Banning taxpayer funded lobbying .

Cutting Out the Middleman: The Effort to Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying in Texas
House Leadership Blocking Ban on Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying, Says Texas Lawmaker
Taxpayer Funded Lobbying: Failing Texas Children

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Oil and gas drilling rig count falls .

Prompted by this story (New $10.5M Houston Police Department Training Center Will Not Require Taxpayer Funding ,) and this , I talk about the fallen morality and integrity of so-called civic and business leaders who, instead of doing it themselves, often force their “vision” of a city, its downtown, and many other things onto the shoulders of taxpayers whom, in many cases, simply cannot afford to pay for things no matter how wonderful.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Trump Administration sues Texas and wins over Texas’ unfair and “unconstitutional” in-state tuition for illegal aliens program . It all happened fast yesterday evening. I have opposed this program from the beginning and it has been terribly frustrating that the House has continually stopped the repeal of the program. Catch up on it all:

Judge Blocks [Illegal] Migrants From Getting Texas In-State Tuition
Texas court sides with DOJ, prohibits in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants
Charlie Geren’s in-state Tuition for Illegals OVERTURNED

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Special guest Eddie Dixon joins me in-studio to discuss recent and current projects including the mounted Quanah Parker piece now at the famed Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio (click this link for a brief bio of Dixon and a photo of the installed piece .)

Here are photos of the clay model from Eddie’s studio before it was cast. Thanks to “great” photographer Jody Smyers for the light painted photo.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Report shows that despite all the rhetoric from Governor Abbott and other state leaders, Texas itself is not participating with ICE under 287(g) agreements. This despite a bill that was just passed, SB 8, that sort-of (with no teeth) makes the state’s sheriffs participate. What a flim-flam on all of us. Read the story, even DPS testified again the the bill.

“According to Texas DPS data, more than 443,000 criminal noncitizens have been booked in Texas jails, The Center Square reported. Yet DPS and TDCJ have signed no MOAs with ICE.
By contrast, Democratic-led Arizona’s Department of Corrections and Massachusetts Department of Corrections are participating in the JEM.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Gun rights, Second Amendment bills that passed the Legislature .

Texans will no longer be able to use food stamps (SNAP) to buy candy, soda . And, no “lab-grown meat” in Texas .

Governor Abbott signs the bail reform measures that passed – not enough did including the most important related measures in SJR 87.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Taylor County Republican Party Chairman Ryan Goodwin joins us to explain why the TCRP has begun a Rule 44 censure process against HD71 State Representative Stan Lambert of Abilene. A formal meeting the public may attend is set for Monday, 9 June 2025 at 7 p.m. at the MCM Elegante hotel.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

State sales tax collections come in strong for May .

Nolte: Sen. John Cornyn’s Reelection Poll Numbers Worsen . More hints from voters that Cornyn should retire.

Key items, not previously covered, out of the 89th Legislature:

Texas to expand voting on weekends for next presidential election – Two bad things here. We don’t need more early voting and election workers need the break before the Tuesday Election Day. Also, holding Early Vote results until Election Day vote is counted is ridiculous.

Conflict of Interest? House Republicans Urge Abbott to Veto Appraisal Board Bill . – This is a terrible Democrat bill that Stan Lambert and others voted for. It is a terrible conflict of interest.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Today endeth the 89th Texas Legislature as the 140 days have come to an end. Three big bills that were thought to be likely to pass did not. One of them puts election integrity in Texas in peril and is a handout to the “community organizers” of the Left ; another is a big surprise to the public school folks as the effort to end the STAAR test failed at the last moment , and; the third is that a much needed judicial pay raise bill failed all because the old problem of legislators having linked their substantial pensions (yeah, I know you thought they didn’t really get paid) to that of the state’s judges.

But, they did manage to spend a bunch of money and provide a meaningful property tax relief package (it could have been much larger.)

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Bad news: U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear GOP activist’s lawsuit challenging Texas Ethics Commission’s lobbying fine .

Attorney General Ken Paxton Secures Major Victory Against Border NGO Allegedly Harboring Illegal Aliens . The ruling from the Texas Supreme Court is very interesting, read it here .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: More coverage from the final days of the 89th Texas Legislature which must end on Tuesday, 2 June.

Election integrity still in jeopardy ; a bill passes stripping school districts of asserting Sovereign Immunity in sexual abuse cases, and; much more including:

Gun Rights Advocates Achieve Big Legislative Victories
Legislation on school funding, water, land ownership advances
SB 4 & SB 23 Head to Gov’s Desk, Part of $10 Billion in Property Tax Cuts & Relief
Concrete Plants, Microchip Manufacturers Fight in Closing Days of Legislative Session
New rules over state employees’ ability to work at home are on their way to becoming law

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Governor Abbott names student regents for state universities.

Oil and gas rig count .

Border and illegal immigration news including:

600-foot protective buffer zone established around Anson’s Bluebonnet Detention Facility
Supreme Court Lets Trump Strip 500,000 Migrants Of Legal Status
Illegal Aliens, Texans Arrested in 29 Count Drug Trafficking Indictment

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Bills that have passed; bills still in play, and; bills that were killed or failed – another update in these closing days of the 89th Texas Legislature.

Also, you’ll hear from Senator Bettencourt and Lieutenant Governor Patrick on the successful property tax relief package that has passed . We are very fortunate that the House decided to largely go along with the Senate’s focus on increasing the Homestead Exemption. You can watch the full press conference from this afternoon here .

Other items covered:

Paxton Urges Texas House to Pass Legislation to Ensure the Prosecution of Voter Fraud and Uphold Election Integrity
TPPF Urges Members to Oppose House Bill 2512
Gov. Abbott Signs $16B Housing Fix, HB 21 to End Abusive Housing Finance Tax Deals
Sen.Bettencourt’s SB 38 to End Texas’ Squatters Crisis Heads to Gov’s Desk to Become Law!
Texas to expand how schools discipline students
HB 4 Passes Senate 23-8 to Restore A-F Ratings, Replace Outdated STAAR, & Halt Lawfare
‘Orphan’ oil wells targeted in new law headed to Gov. Abbott’s desk
State Lawmakers Approve Judicial Pay Raise, New Transparency and Accountability Standards

$1.5B investment in Texas’ film program headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk – Investment!? Give away to the movie industry.
Local Gun “Buyback” Ban Heads to Abbott’s Desk

Texas House Kills Bill That Could Have Saved 19,000 Babies a Year – more on this travesty in this story: Abortion pill crackdown, trans ‘bathroom bill’ die in Texas House

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Houston Ends Traffic Stop Quotas in Unanimous Vote

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A big deadline for the Texas House passed this morning and as usual, many good bills died because leadership waited until the very end of the session to get to work hearing and voting on bills. I review key items that failed and passed including:

Texas bill allowing colleges to pay athletes OK’d in Senate

Automatic Denial of Bail for Certain Violent Crimes Narrowly Fails in Texas House – absences give Dems a big win that will cost lives
Bill that holds local governments accountable to follow state law allowed to time-out in the House
“The People’s Veto” Approved by Texas Legislature

Texas lawmakers say state documents must list biological sex (the only kind of “sex” there is!) Senate Passes Women’s Bill of Rights

“Anti-Red Flag Act” advances in House

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Dallas Fed report on the Texas Service Sector and retail sales .

Space historian Robert Zimmerman of BehindtheBlack.com joins us to explain what went right and wrong in yesterday evening’s SpaceX Starship & Superheavy launch test from Starbase , Texas .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: It’s the final days of the 89th Texas Legislature. Here are some of the late breaking items covered today:

Texas Poised to Enforce Age Verification on Apple, Google App Stores

House Approves Legislation to Protect Students From Sexual Content – or how the Leftist media characterizes it: Texas Legislature poised to implement sweeping restrictions on school libraries .
$2.5 Billion Water Infrastructure Deal, Additional 20-Year Annual $1 Billion Struck

Texas Legislature moves to observe daylight saving time year-round – federal law would have to change first
Tort reform: New limits for personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits may become a reality in Texas .
ERCOT would get a ‘kill switch’ for large consumers under bill passed in House
Democrats kill bill to stop bum encampments in Texas cities

Dems run down the clock to defeat Texas ‘SAVE’ act and Lege’s most-restrictive abortion bill . – two important bills and who controls “the clock?” House leadership does.

Leftist press pretends that “transgender” folk have special “rights” that Republicans are “targeting. “

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas manufacturing production steady – Dallas Fed report.

Texas Lottery scandal now includes guilty pleas in federal investigation . But lawmakers didn’t have the guts to shut it all down.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The House and Senate are working in these final days of the 89th Texas Legislature with the House working all through the weekend. There is much to catch you up on and that includes the stories below plus much more on the show:

House approves bill to save beleaguered Texas Lottery, here are the changes
House committee pushes Texas [un]Ethics Commission out of sunset safety net bill
Texas foods win round in fight over labeling high-fructose corn syrup as unfit for humans
Texas bill OK’ing homes on smaller lots resurrected in House
Bill banning DEI in public schools, tightening parental control clears House
School Prayer Times and Classroom Ten Commandments Legislation Pass Texas Legislature, Head to Abbott
House agrees to subsidize film industry with our money up to $300,000,000 per biennium
Texas public universities on verge of having new restrictions after House approves plan

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

5th Circuit rules against library-libs in Llano : Library patrons have no First Amendment right to force libraries to include their points of view . This is an important and correct ruling and its reasons are well expressed in the opinion.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Much from the 89th Texas Legislature in its waning days filled with deadlines. There is a big stack of items related to government public schools:

It’s Time to Truly Protect Our Kids from Obscene Materials – SB 13

Lawmakers Look to Slash School Superintendents’ Severance Pay – HB 610
Lawmakers begin negotiations on how to scrap the STAAR test
Texas schools should get more flexibility on student discipline, Senate decides

Also, Rep. Ken King’s name comes up again as the person blocking key conservative legislation: Bill to stop flow of abortion pills into Texas clears House panel .

Other bills mentioned:

Senate hears HB 229 on defining sex terms in state law

Texas bill requires health records list sex assigned at birth – moronic, ignorant people at the Texas Tribune; people are not “assigned” their sex at birth. People are born male or female.
Time Running Out for Senate To Pass GOP-Backed Bill Ending In-State Tuition for Illegals

SB 1333 passes the House with changes – deals with squatters

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

UT-RGV sued for allegedly discriminating against non-Spanish-speaking professors .

Trump Admin. backs Texas A.G. Paxton’s antitrust suit against financial titans to ‘Protect Coal.’

Oil & gas rig count falls .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House gets it right, does not cave into the fallacy that selling THC to get people “high” is a productive “industry” we must save in Texas . I talk about this and the good role of Senator Perry and the bad role of Rep. Ken King.

Other key items from the Legislature:

Texas lawmakers OK bills on handgun licenses, cryptocurrency, AI abuses

Texas House passes bill clarifying abortion ban exception – unnecessary and pleases the baby killers because it opens up a way to make more and more abortion legal.
House Advances Legislation to Block Local Abortion Travel Funding

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Urges Congress to Pass National Constitutional Concealed Carry Legislation

From the border and illegal immigration stack :

60 Illegal Aliens Convicted for Illegally Entering Trump’s National Defense Area in Texas
$12 billion for border spending reimbursement added spending bill in Congress
Twice-Deported Sexual Predator Arrested Again At Texas Border
VIDEO: Gunman Kills Top Mexico City Officials – but La Presidenta says “no help needed!”

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Report says a deal has been struck on the now $8.5 billion increase in funds for Texas public schools between the House and Senate.

On the get-high THC front, where Rep. Ken King and other House members are working hard to keep THC-infused drinks and edibles for sale in Texas (shameful! ,) the bill was postponed again yesterday and the House adjourned without hearing it. You really should read:

Fight heats up over hemp-based THC on eve of House vote as Lt. Gov. Patrick weighs in
Veterans, Parents, Liquor, and Beer: The Complicated Lobby Fight Over Texas’ Proposed THC Ban

Other items covered from the Legislature include:

Rep. Ken King is still blocking the Texas Women's Privacy Act - call his office at 512-463-0736 and ask for a hearing of SB 240.

Effort To Remove the Marvin Nichols Reservoir Project From State Water Plan Dies in House
Texas passes bill to protect utility workers from assault

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Number of 'Sanctuary Cities for the Unborn' Grows to 58; Big Sandy passes full ordinance .

As promised, this link: Northside ISD sued over teacher's alleged 'Go back to Africa' comment .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas House passes property tax relief package and we’re lucky they went mostly with the Senate’s version. Bail reform passes the House finally but not until Democrats significantly watered it down.

And today is set to be the big “Rope, not Dope” vote on THC and hemp. See these two stories to get an idea of what a mess Rep. Ken King has the House in:

Fight heats up over hemp-based THC on eve of House vote as Lt. Gov. Patrick weighs in
Veterans, Parents, Liquor, and Beer: The Complicated Lobby Fight Over Texas’ Proposed THC Ban

Other items from the 89th Legislature mentioned:

Texas State Fair Legislation Protecting 2A Rights on Public Property Advances from House Committee – contact members of the Calendars Committee immediately and demand it be set for a vote on the House floor.

Special Interests Pressuring Abbott to Veto Real Housing Reform: Why HB 21 Deserves to Become Law – correct

Schools could only use B.C./A.D. date system under Texas bill – important and needs to pass.
House bill orders Reese Technology Center to strengthen partnership with Texas Tech

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Double Anti-Wimp Update:

Armed robbery fails due to armed victim
One home invader killed, another arrested

Harris County DA dismisses charges against prominent Republican donor Dr. Steven Hotze previously charged by Kim Ogg

Hackers give Abilene, TX one week to pay ransom after cyber attack .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Lubbock native, Brownfield born, man to be the new chief of the George W. Bush Presidential Library as well as the overall Bush Center. Shilo Brooks was announced today as the new president and CEO of the Bush Center . The Lubbock High School graduate’s mother, Bettina, still lives in Lubbock.

“[His parents] named him Shilo, after a character in a novel by their favorite Western author, Louis L’Amour.
He narrowly escaped his father’s choice of Bocephus — Hank Williams Jr.’s nickname. “I’m the luckiest man in the world for not being named that,” Brooks said with a laugh.“

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Attorney General investigation finds insurance company did nothing illegal in compiling information on lawmakers and others but, legislators sailed through a bill to protect themselves from “spying” If anyone needs watching, it is elected officials !

Taiwanese silicon wafer-maker GlobalWafers opens $3.5 billion factory in Sherman .

Supreme Court lets Trump end Venezuelan migrants’ protected status for now . Plus much other border news including:

Tom Homan: Biden-Released, Sex-Trafficked 14-Year-Old Migrant Child Rescued in Texas
ICE: Guatemalan Illegal Alien Faked Family Photo to Sponsor 2 Unaccompanied Teens
Three U.S. State Department Advisors Gunned Down at Taco Stand in Mexico
U.S. DOJ Slaps Terrorism Charges on Woman Accused of Getting Grenades for Jalisco Cartel

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: House leadership engineers a bill massacre, including many conservative priority bills, by running out the clock at midnight this morning . First legislative deadline of Texas session slashes 80% of bills in House . Texas House deadline leaves hundreds of bills as casualties .

But, of course, the Burrows BurrowCrat leadership team found time to spend passing this law that has nothing but symbolic affect: Bill Decriminalizing Homosexual Conduct Passes Texas House.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Senate Committee Passes New Version of Public School Funding, Teacher Pay Raise Bill . Winners and losers in the Texas Legislature’s school funding plan .

Other items from the 89th Legislature:

Lawmakers want penalties for local governments’ campaign finance posting failures
House bill requiring air conditioning in Texas prisons OK’d
Senate advances ‘Trey’s Law’ to ban NDAs in sex abuse settlements

Texas Labor Market Achieves Five Consecutive Months of Record High Jobs with More Than 37,000 Added in April – click for local unemployment rates .

Baker Hughes’ North America Rig Count Report – Texas loses the two gained last week.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Today is the first kill-the-bills-day in the Texas House . I comment on the following:

Governor Abbott Signs Pro-Growth Business Legislation Into Law
House Speaker Agrees to Senate’s $8B School Funding Bill

Texas bill passes to address ‘sexual abuse crisis’ in public schools , more

Ban on loudspeakers, masks at campus protests passes Senate
Bill imposing caps on out-of-state campaign contributions passes Texas House

House bill on lawsuits shelved after critics label it harmful to free speech – great news, the anti-SLAPP protection bill gets slapped down

Junk science law changes pass Texas House – bad bill, lowers the standard so low that half the prison population could conceivably qualify; and at your expense.
Texas House Passes Two Landmark Measures for Parental Rights
Transactional Gold Legislation Moves Forward in Senate, Faces Pushback From Banking Lobbyist

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Reaches Agreement Requiring Travis County to Abide by the Texas Open Meetings Act and Other Government Transparency Laws

Mexico pays some water owed to U.S., a very small amount, before the October deadline .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Once again the Texas House and its Speaker appointed committee chairman are killing important legislation – with the clock. Why do they not have the integrity, or guts, to just admit they oppose certain bills? Well, because they have neither integrity or guts.

But even with the sad reality of the same old bill killing going on, and much of it from Rep. Ken King, many good bills are making it through.

Items from the 89th Legislature mentioned:

Prohibition on Local Taxpayer-Funded Gun ‘Buybacks’ Passes House

TSRA calls for action today to support to important gun bills: SB 1362 and SB 1065 .
House Committee Kills Anti-ESG Effort in Late Vote
Texas Values, National Groups Call for Texas House to Pass Texas Women’s Privacy Act on ‘Women’s Privacy Day of Action’

Bill to protect parents against child abuse charges for refusing to go along with perversions of homosexuality and “trans” behavior passes House .
House Passes Bipartisan Reform to Affordable Housing Tax Exemption Program
House Transportation committee votes bill out that takes $25 million per year from Harris Co., gives it to City of Houston
House panel debates proposal to penalize local governments any time a complaint is made that state law is being circumvented
Details Emerge on Senate Remix of School Funding Bill

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

San Antonio mother accused of aiding in son’s threats against local school .

Five Texas cities make national cheapests cities in which to retire list . Amarillo, Brownsville, El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Lubbock.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Illegal use of foreign drivers is killing small Texas trucking companies, others are using the drivers illegal to underpay for labor, and we’ve had two decades of national emergency on the border importing 10 to 20 million illegal aliens into the country. Yet with all of that, Dumb, Deaf, and Blind – Drew Darby, Stan Lambert, and Ken King – voted for a Democrat’s bill that has the State of Texas creating a guest worker program if the feds give permission. See: Texas House Rejects Mexican Guest Worker Program; 9 Republicans joined Democrats in an attempt to create the guest worker program .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Items from the 89th Legislature mentioned:

Detransition Coverage Bill Clears Texas House, Heads to Governor’s Desk
Texas moves to restrict protests on college campuses
Texas bill could eliminate Dallas’ equity and inclusion office
1st Major Voter Integrity Bill Clears Legislature
House OKs bill to expand medical marijuana provisions
Texas Lottery critic is now providing the embattled agency a lifeline
Senators Approve Measure Strengthening Right to Self-Defense
What Do Bar Signs Have to Do with Gun Safety?
House votes to scrap STAAR exam in favor of shorter tests

U.S. Inflation Stays Cooler Than Expected, Prices Up 2.3%, Smallest Annual Increase Since February 2021 . Oh, and: It Turns Out That Even More of Joe Biden’s Jobs Creation Numbers Were Fake .

Qatari 747 jumbo-jet Trump wants as Air Force One is in San Antonio .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A Texas Supreme Court ruling last week is important in reminding local governments that the Legislature is in control of what they can and cannot do. It is also an important private property rights ruling: Texas Supreme Court Overturns Rulings in College Station Extra Territorial Jurisdiction Case .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

From the 89th Texas Legislature:

Will $2.5B in new film incentives make Texas a conservative Hollywood?

Texas allows certain children to get married. Lawmakers may close that loophole . – Dems are leading this and it is an almost complete contradiction of most all their positions on teenagers on other issues – the non-contradiction is their long held dislike of the nuclear family.

Restrictions on minors’ access to sexually explicit library books advances in Texas House .

Texas House OKs excluding trans people from state records – the headline and parts of the story are blatant lies.

Texas legislature passes bill addressing concrete batch plant regulation .

Texas legislators target zoo trespassing with new bills – waste of time.

Senate Leaderhip Fund poll shows Cornyn getting creamed by Paxton – as all other polls has shown. And, a far-Left union Democrat says he is running in TX19 to ultimately challenge Rep. Jody Arrington.

Secretary Rollins Suspends Live Animal Imports Through Ports of Entry Along Southern Border, Effective Immediately . Sheinbaum calls US halt on Mexican cattle imports unfair .

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Much news out of the 89th Legislature in Austin including:

Texas House Lawmakers Take Aim at Red Flag Laws

Texas Renews Call for Convention of States To Curb Federal Power . TPPF Celebrates Passage of HJR 98, the Article V Convention of States Resolution

How taxpayer funded “public media” sees the issue: Texas Senate passes bill that would allow teachers, students to misgender others without punishment

Misgender protections for students, teachers, public employees passes Texas Senate

House Lawmakers Pass Onerous Regulations for PAC Treasurers – from slime ball Darby. Tepper should have known to vote against this but instead supports the terrible bill. It should die in the Senate.
Texas House Moves To Restore AG’s Power To Prosecute Election Crimes
Legislature Approves Bill Requiring Judges to Notify Attorney General Before Issuing Election Orders
Age Verification, Parental Consent Requirement for App Downloads Passes Texas House
Texas House OKs bill banning land sales to foreign entities
Critical House Committee Hears Controversial Tort Reform Bill
Texas Reacts to Delaware Musk Beef, Delays Business Court Growth

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

U.S. Rep. Jody Arrington (TX19) has a fine opinion piece in The Daily Caller: America Cannot Have Free Trade Without Fair Trade .

Oil and gas drilling rig count – Texas up this week.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A good concealed carry bill related to election polling places passes the Texas House. And, the “State Fair” bill has moved out of the Senate and needs a vote in the House.

The Texas House, short of time, finds time to vote on a Democrat’s bill to setup a state “guest worker” program but has not found time to move priority immigration items such as mandating e-Verify .

Senate’s time at school for prayer and scripture bill finally gets a hearing in a House committee.

And the radical Left really hates this one: Bill to further restrict sexually explicit material from public school libraries gets House hearing .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Taylor County’s judge and commissioners trending in the right direction on property tax breaks for a wind energy farm .

Libs protesting at the illegal alien holding center in Anson miss the only point they have which is due process. People who entered our country without being subject to proper due process to get in, don’t really deserve much of any due process to be deported.

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www.PrattonTexas.com

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Six indictments and arrests for alleged vote harvesting in South Texas follow a “multi-year investigation. ” But don’t worry, the media narrative remains: Vote cheating happens rarely, if at all. And, investigating allegations of such remains a way to harass minorities .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Local city sales tax numbers released by the Comptroller – report is much better than last month. Find your city’s numbers here .

89th Legislature items covered:

Texas GOP closes in on goal of tightening bail rules
Texas bill would allow Aoudad sheep to be hunted from helicopter
Higher Education Employees Fight Reforms in House Hearing
Increased oversight of Texas universities: micromanagement or strengthening workforce?
Texas House may drop proposed restrictions on higher ed
Texas bill would end in-state tuition for undocumented students

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Speaker of the Texas House Burrows, fires his general counsel and policy director . His holding the position to begin with shows the incestuous nature of the Austin power crowd and how they don’t even notice such anymore. These types of conflicts of interests, often through self-serving “power couples,” are all too common in Austin and Washington.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Key bills are being held up by Rep. Ken King and pressure, from you, needs to be brought to bear.

House State Affairs Committee Members:

Chairman Ken King (512) 463-0736
Vice Chairwoman Ana Hernandez (512) 463-0614
Rep. Rafael Anchia (512) 463-0746
Rep. Drew Darby (512) 463-0331
Rep. Yvonne Davis (512) 463-0598
Rep. Charlie Geren (512) 463-0610
Rep. Ryan Guillen (512) 463-0416
Rep. Lacy Hull (512) 463-0727
Rep. John McQueeney (512) 463-0608
Rep. Will Metcalf (512) 463-0726
Rep. Dade Phelan (512) 463-0706
Rep. Richard Pena Raymond (512) 463-0558
Rep. John T Smithee (512) 463-0702
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (512) 463-0720
Rep. Chris Turner (512) 463-0574

Also, pressure needs to be brought to the House Public Education committee to get a hearing and vote on HB 131 3, banning taxpayer funded lobbying by school districts .

Watch: Reining in the Texas Association of School Boards .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House and Senate appear to have made a deal on property tax relief that, if it holds, will remove a time consuming issue from the limited time left in the 89th Session. Overall it is a good deal. Read more here and here .

Governor Abbott signed the landmark school choice bill, SB2, on Saturday . The unions are not happy: Texas AFL-CIO protests voucher program with banner at Governor’s Mansion .

More from the 89th Legislature:

Texas House moves to end taxpayer-funded golden parachutes for local government officials

Texas House sends bill on ‘harmful material’ for minors to governor – media can’t even admit that sexually explicit material is harmful, typical.
Texas House bill would ban kids from social media

Texas Republican lawmakers may “financially handcuff” cities that don’t play by their rules – it’s not “their rules” but state law at issue

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

About Cinco de Mayo and why it’s good to celebrate a little!

Starbase, Texas is now a thing after SpaceX employees and residents vote to incorporate .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A nail-spittingly angry Texas Railroad Commissioner, Wayne Christian , tells how big oil has switched sides at the 11th our of the legislative session and joined with the enviro-left to undermine a major bill to firm up the Texas ERCOT electric grid. Click here to see Commissioner Christian’s full email and op-ed on the issue .

Commissioner Christian also points out how AEP has choked off a rebirth of Texas coal power made possible by the Trump Administration .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Oil and gas drilling rig count down ; Texas sales tax collections up .

We’ve seen this movie before – every two years!: Far too many Texas Republican priority bills are being held up in the Texas House . Members are rightly concerned and many fingers are accurately pointing at Rep. Ken King . But remember, the Speaker can fix all of this in a brief moment. House leadership is blocking a vote on banning Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying , says Rep. Money. Again, the Speaker can fix this in a heartbeat if he desires.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Speaker Dustin Burrows is lining up to have his legacy as the man who backdoor legalized the get-high THC marijuana/hemp industry in Texas. I have been following the fight in the legislature over THC and have read most every story about what is happening. Saying that, I can assure you that Karen Brooks Harper’s story in The Dallas Morning News is accurate and the headline has a correct slant on the story: Bill that would save THC retailers from total ban advances in Texas House panel .

The people pushing this the hardest are West Texas reps that Speaker Burrows put on the powerful State Affairs panel and are of his leadership circle. The BurrowCrats are directly fighting state Senator Charles Perry’s effort to roll back this unintended legalization loophole that came from the Hemp bill in 2019. House leadership is using much time and energy to fight to SAVE the get-high retail business of selling THC infused products. This is nothing more than the backdoor legalization of a get-high drug culture.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick appointed Chairman of Presidential Religious Liberty Commission .

Lawyer John Bash Withdraws From Texas AG Republican Primary . Sad to see it.

Republican and Democrat polling shows Senator John Cornyn 10 to 20 points behind Ken Paxton if the Republican Primary for U.S. Senate were held today! This a shockingly big and consistent spread.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick points out that the Texas Senate has pass all top 40 “priority bills. ” The Senate has, as of Friday, passed 631 bills while the BurrowCrat House has passed only 182. Both officially began work on the same day but as usual the House plays around with its internal politics for months before getting to the work it must do in the 140-day session.

And speaking of convening for legislative work, Senator Birdwell has gotten a bill out of the Senate to the House that allows the Legislature to come back into session after the deadline for the governor to veto bills for the purpose of overriding vetoes .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

More evidence of how much legitimate bail reform is needed, a job the Texas House has failed on in the past: Harris County Magistrates Awarded More than 10,000 PR Bonds for Felonies in 2024 .

Governor Abbott goes after the City of San Marcos and its anti-Israel resolution .

Abbott and Nimm appointed by President Trump to the new FEMA Review Council .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A large, 33,000 student, Texas school district has lost in court and will be forced to adopt single member districts for its school boar d. I’ve no problem with single member districts but I have a huge problem with the bigotry, racism, and dirty trick that is minority-majority districts. Such do nothing positive for minorities and derive from a bigoted idea that all minorities of a similar trait think alike. The 1965 Voting Rights Act has much in it that was simply a trick on minorities by the Democrats.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

From the 89th Texas Legislature:

Trump To Endorse Dustin Burrows For Texas House Speaker, and all who voted for SB2/school choice, Abbott Told GOP Caucus .
Republican Lawmakers Challenge Speaker Burrows Over Stalled Party Priorities
‘Cannabis civil war’: Why Texas lawmakers want to boost medical marijuana and end hemp sales
Texas Senate Advances Bill to Reinstate Legal Consequences for Student Violence Against Teachers
Uvalde Strong Act active shooter protocol bill passes Texas House

Mexico increases its water deliveries to Texas for the Rio Grande .

Dallas Fed: Growth resumes in Texas service sector; Retail sales increase but company outlooks deteriorated further.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: New levels of deception on Bond debt issuance claiming “it will not raise taxes” if passed: Bond Deception – Texas Public Policy Foundation .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas wins again: 21st year to be named Best State for Business by Chief Executive magazine . Note how the former powerhouses of Illinois, New York, and California, now the nation’s most extreme Democrat Party machine states, remain at the bottom of the list.

Dallas Fed: Growth in Texas manufacturing; outlook turns negative .

A few Texas House conservatives flexed their muscle Friday and as is usually the case, the insider power crowd in Austin threw fits about it. Much credit to the Texas Tribune that most accurately described what happened and why . The Statesman went with the somewhat misleading but typical insider soap opera approach with this approach: ‘Burn it all down’: Hardline conservative bloc declares war on Texas House GOP leadership . If you read the Tribune story it’s as if this were a different event.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Much from the 89th Texas Legislature including:

Burrows Blocks Effort Limiting Scholarship Program to US Citizens – ridiculous ruling
Following Trump, Texas may recognize Gulf of America
‘Stopping Foreign Adversaries’ Land Grabs’ Bill Passes House Committee
Year-Round Daylight Saving Time Bill Passes Texas House
Bill could introduce air conditioning in Texas’ sweltering prisons

Texas House committee hears proposals to give AG Ken Paxton’s office more power [to return powers taken away by a court ruling]
McConaughey champions bill to create Texas film incentive fund

Texas lawmakers consider barring counties from mailing unsolicited voter registration forms – only a moron could be opposed to what this bill does. Gov’t should be neutral to the idea of voting, not working itself and funding others to turn out voters.

Requiring voters to prove citizenship spurs concern that eligible Texans won’t be able to cast ballots – same arguments used against Voter I.D. which turned out to be untrue.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Lubbock County Commissioner Jason Corley joins with TPPF, others, in suing overreaching Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) rulemaking .

ICE is reversing termination of international students’ legal status , lawyer says . The whole thing has been an example of why conservatives should always be leery of government work, even the government actions you support. It’s been a disaster that makes the original intent look terrible. Don’t trust government to anything but that which it must do and then expect incompetence.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Much from the 89th Texas Legislature including:

Senate hears bill to end Texas DREAM Act, restrict in-state tuition to legal residents only . You heard it here: “Nationality Squatters”
House Leadership Accused of Holding Pro-Life Bill Hostage to Islamic Holiday Push
Texas Senate Approves $950 Annual Property Tax Cut for Over 65 & Disabled Homeowners, 30–1
Texas House Passes Student Cell Phone Ban Bill

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Jones County’s “Bluebonnet” facility is getting much press mention of late: Exclusive-Trump Administration Moved Venezuelan to Texas for Possible Deportation Despite Judge’s Order .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Impeachment reform ; stopping taxpayer funded lawsuits by school districts to keep the public in the dark on performance , and; much more from Texas’ 89th Legislature.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas A&M to operate FAA’s new Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies.

City of Lubbock implements partial hiring freeze .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Things keep getting worse for the Texas Lottery and it has all been brought upon it by the actions of its management. Lawmakers need to not just threaten but actually end the lottery, completely, this session. Texas Lottery Commission director resigns amid scrutiny and investigations .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Tech Young Conservatives get it right – the Lubbock ISD bond debt proposal delivers little, if any, value to education . See: As School District Shrinks, Lubbock ISD Asks Voters To Grow Bond Debt .

Early reporting data show what we all suspected: Taxpayers are providing millions of dollars for tens of thousands of illegal aliens in Texa s.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The City of Dallas continues to break state law and ban concealed carry license holders from carrying their weapons on property under city control. Attorney General Paxton has already sued them over Fair Park and the state fair, which has a bit of complication to the case. Now he is suing Dallas over the Majestic Theater and Music Hall at Fair Park .

See what you get with soft on criminals but hard on law abiding citizens policies: Downtown Dallas’ Crime Score 7X Higher Than Fort Worth, MCBA Finds .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Victory! Texas is born! Celebrate San Jacinto Day! Celebrating San Jacinto Day with Battle of San Jacinto from The Silent Generation by The Dimes. Hear the song here: https://thedimes.bandcamp.com/track/battle-of-san-jacinto

Jobs report shows Texas still leading the nation and setting records !

After the House finally passed school choice last week, Lieutenant Governor Patrick is recommending that the Senate simply concur with the House version thus wiping out conference work, and following votes, where things could happen to derail the landmark legislation.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: It’s not a finished deal yet but it is closer than ever before: School choice in Texas . I give a full review of the House finally passing school choice. If you read all the friendly to Democrat media, where you’d expect the strongest anti-school choice arguments from Dems to be featured, you will find that they had nothing of substance to offer.

School choice plan clears historic hurdle with Texas House approval
Texas House gives initial OK to $1 billion school voucher proposal
In Historic First, Texas House Approves Private School Voucher Program

How each Texas House member voted on school choice . (I see several opponents in the R-side voted for it – no doubt some trades with the Governor over key bills not being vetoed is involved – or they are just afraid of being targeted again in the primary election.)

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Responsible Texas House members knocked off the local and consent calendar today to scuttle an honorary memorial for the late Cecile Richards who is one of the loudest advocates of killing babies for the convenience of others. Way to go!

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: State Representative Hillary Hickland has an important bill, HB 1549 the Retail Decency Act , that needs passing but many of the insider leadership types don’t want to deal with it. The bill needs a hearing in committee and you need to take action to call the committee chairwoman, Rep. Angie Chen Button , and tell her staff you want an immediate hearing on HB 1549 , the Retail Decency Act by Rep. Hickland. Call both the Austin and Richardson offices and ask for an immediate hearing. As chairwoman, Button has the power to get this done.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Other items from the legislature covered:

TSRA working on several gun issues that need support .
Texas legislature passes bill to create state version of Trump-inspired DOGE
Texas Senators Move to Ban Local Government Funding of Abortion Travel Entities
Texas Cyber Command Legislation Passes Texas House
Bill banning LGBTQ, other advocacy flags in public schools clears Texas Senate
Texas House OKs bill expanding student discipline measures
Effort to curb antisemitism in public schools and colleges advances in Texas Senate

Texas’ Sales Tax Holiday for Emergency Supplies is April 26-28 .

Sen. Mayes Middleton launches bid for Texas attorney general . Also, Mayra Flores to challenge Henry Cuellar in TX 28 . Flores hospitalized shortly after announcement .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Abilene’s state Rep. Stan Lambert demonstrates that he is a man of questionable integrity in House vote over restoring the attorney general’s back pay .

Other key legislative news needing attention:

School choice debate set for tomorrow in the Texas House. Democrats are said to be threatening all HJRs (constitutional amendments) if choice isn’t put to a statewide plebiscite.

Texas Senators Approve Increasing Public Participation in Judicial Oversight – important bill and it takes away the Texas State Bar, run by leftists, right to appoint two to the committee.
What compromising with the Left to get power does: Texas House Set to Honor Former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards .
Budget, SB1, conferees set: Senate’s are Huffman, Creighton, Kolkhorst, Nichols, and Schwertner. House’s are Bonnen, Gonzales, Orr, Kitzman, and Walle.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Sen. Mayes Middleton launches bid for Texas attorney general .

Mexico to deliver water to Texas owed under the 1944 treaty .

Pure B.S: Trump admin blocked from revoking status of over 500K migrants by federal judge .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Punishing local governments that violate Texas law is the subject of a bill, HB 4283 , from Rep. Marc LaHood of San Antonio. His comments to TPPF on the bill tie in with a recent column of mine on the subject of “local control.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

America and Texas winning: Nvidia investing heavily in Texas to build AI chips in the USA and supercomputer manufacturing. Total investment could be as much as $500 billion!

Border and illegal immigration news :

Texas and New York Judges Broaden Temporary Protection for Venezuelan Migrants Facing Removal
Newly Captured Los Zetas Cartel Lieutenant Spent Time Hiding in Texas
Federal Agents Deport Imprisoned Mexican Former Governor Working for Cartels, Protected by Mexico’s Government

Qatar’s Billion-Dollar Influence At Texas A&M Under Scrutiny .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House passed it’s version of the biennial budget in the middle of the night. Republicans denied most proposed Democrat spending amendments but included many of their own. Like the Senate budget it grows state spending at the expense of bigger property tax cuts through school property tax buy downs.

Texas House passes budget bill, defunds lottery . – anything can be put back in reconciliation with the Senate.
Texas House Approves $70 Million Biennium Funding Amendment for Abortion Alternatives Program

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Is the Texas attack on property squatters , SB 38 & HB 32, strong enough? This victim says “no.”

John Bash running to succeed Paxton as Texas attorney general .

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick announces 2026 re-election campaign.

Oil and gas drilling rig count falls .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Several “cost of housing” bills are being worked through the legislature and each deserves scrutiny. One, SB15 that has already passed the Senate, prompted this frightening headline: Why Do I Feel Like I’m Back in New Jersey? Yep, that got my attention too and it was written by a friend of the show who is an active Republican leader just outside of Austin in Bastrop. Carole Spencer joins us to give very informed opinion on SB15 and other related bills.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd to retire this summer .

U.S. House passes a budget resolution with a 2-vote margin . Trump is pleased. Note that Trump touts a big tax cut but in reality the tariffs, whether ultimately good or bad, are a huge tax increase on Americans. Despite the rhetoric, tariffs are paid by buyers/consumers, not countries or companies.

118 international students’ immigration statuses revoked across Texas universities . Media is going nuts over many college students losing their Student and Exchange Visitor status – they should be praising the fact that we finally have a government that is actually looking into who these people are. And stop it with the “due process” stuff, there is no such thing related to being let in the country to study. And, I’ll bet you that all of the countries from which these people came have much stricter immigration rules, including for study, than our USA.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas House and Rep. Ken King , RINO from Canadian, are trying to gut the Senate’s much needed full ban on THC (the part of marijuana that gets you high) to protect the liquor lobby and ban everything else but keep THC-infused beverages. It’s almost, well not in the case of Ken King, unbelievable!

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Ken Paxton makes it official that he will challenge John Cornyn for U.S. Senate in the 2026 Texas Republican Primary. Cornyn immediately engages in the Democrat tactic of projection by calling Paxton “a fraud” while himself engaging in an image makeover of being pro-Trump . The Turtle would be proud of his former right-hand man.

Bill to keep primaries in the spring but move most local elections to November passes the Texas Senate .

Local city sales tax receipts lower this April than April of 2025 . Look up your city here .

Judges to Bar US From Using Alien Enemies Act to Deport Some Venezuelans Held in Texas and New York – more of the same and the Texas judge is a Trump appointee .

President Trump adjusts his tariff regime – for now. Punishes communist China even more .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The pro-abortion Democrats were lying in wait for the naive Republicans on the so-called Texas abortion “clarification” bill . It seems they got everyone aboard the “bi-partisan” bill, which is not needed by the way, and then launched their surprise plan to get an amendment to cancel out an 1857 law overturned that allows the person seeking an abortion to be charged. I’ve said from the beginning that this bill is about creating a legislative vehicle for them to chip away at pro-life protections in coming years.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Jasmine Crocked goes off again seemingly saying we need illegal aliens to “pick cotton” because black people are “done” doing so! Another part of this story that people miss is the full political activity at a church – how come it’s never decried as mixing church and state when it is Dems doing so at liberal churches?

Key legal rulings:

Judge blocks Biden rule requiring more staff at nursing homes
Supreme Court blocks ruling requiring Trump administration to reinstate fired federal employees
Supreme Court slapdown of Judge Boasberg sends message to federal judges on overreach

Immigration enforcement at an Eagle Pass park scaled back, Gov. Abbott’s office says . – Right, so why are legislators budgeting the huge emergency level budget for Texas border enforcement? They could still leave DPS, etc. with billions and take 6 billion of the money and double the size of the proposed property tax break.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A terrible example, one of too many, of why proper bail reform must pass the 89th Texas Legislature and not be stopped, once again, in the Texas House: Houston Convicted Murderer Released While Awaiting Sentencing Now Suspect in Murder-Suicide .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Defense Attorney System for Illegal Aliens to End May 1 .

TX19’s Rep. Jodey Arrington hits Senate GOP over ‘unserious’ budget resolution .

Tariff fight:

Ted Cruz outlines risks of tariffs and trade war
Ag Sec. Rollins: 50 Countries Already Coming to the Table on Tariffs
Taiwan Proposes No Tariffs With US In Effort To Deescalate Trade-Tariff War
EU Offers Trump ‘Zero-for-Zero Tariffs’ on Industrial Goods with U.S.
China Cuts Off Rare Earth Mineral Exports to U.S. in Trade War with Trump
Trump Threatens China with Additional 50% Tariffs for Imposing Retaliatory Tariffs on U.S.
7 GOP senators sign on to bill to check Trump’s trade authority

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Big federal (DOJ) investigation, indictments, and raids of so-called “game room” across the Harris County region demonstrate what I have been saying about these places. Interestingly it was the feds doing the work. Why, in so many other places across Texas, are local law enforcement, including district attorneys, so uninterested in these places? Who, if anyone, is on the take from the illegal game room gambling racket in your town?

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tells Texas House leadership it is “time to get into action. ” I give you the main reasons the House routinely runs out the clock instead of getting busy with bill debate early.

Texas Senate passes bill to stop people from changing their sex on their Texas birth certificates .

House education committee advances School Choice legislation . Texas’ carefully crafted School Choice program from the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Trump did have to do it, the political hit case against Ken Paxton was dropped by Biden’s Dept. of Justice . As I said they never had a case just as the House impeachers never did. And rightly so, Paxton isn’t letting Senator John Cornyn off the hook for his presumed guilty until proven innocent heresy in the matter .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Has the former Texas Lottery executive director gone missing ?

Anti-Wimp update: Cell phone repair shop employee slain, his killer shot dead by armed associate .

From the 89th Texas Legislature:

Lawmaker’s Real Estate Ties Raise Eyebrows in Texas House Deal . Tepper should not have joined Dems to vote for this. To have a better understanding on this, read this story I covered briefly yesterday: Over 100 Texas Lawmakers Back Affordable Housing Reform Bill, Competing Legislation Moves Forward .
Senate passes Perry’s giant water bill, SB 7
Senate passes SB 27, a so-called Teachers’ Bill of Rights
Senate Passes SB 988 to Crack Down on Fuel Pump Tampering and Fuel Theft

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: From the 89th Texas Legislature:

Tax relief for business owners passes Texas House
Texas Senate OKs bill requiring sheriffs to cooperate with ICE

Over 100 Texas Lawmakers Back Affordable Housing Reform Bill, Competing Legislation Moves Forward – Gates’ bill needs passing.
Texas Senators Approve Religious Freedom, Transparency Measure
Senate passes SB 16 – Stopping Non-Citizens from Voting

State emergency communication system advances in Texas House (wildfire bill package)
Women’s Privacy Hearing in Senate committee tomorrow

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

State Sales Tax Revenue totaled $3.7 billion in March which is DOWN from March of 2024.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Why should Texas taxpayers subsidize movie industry producers and investors ? It’s a fantasy that somehow handing over taxpayer money to these people will change the values of Hollywood to Texas values. That and more from the legislature including:

Ex-Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis honored by Silver-Haired Legislature – there is a nugget in this story echoing what I have said for decades about the first job of House Speakers.
Texas Senators Consider $2.5 Billion Over Next Decade for Film Industry
Texas Lawmaker Proposes Sending Illegal Alien Inmates to El Salvador Prison
Texas Senate passes bill to ban junk food in food stamp program
Formerly indicted Austin cop’s state Senate confirmation in jeopardy

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas Land Commissioner Buckingham Calls for Federal Action To Secure Border Islands .

San Benito sues Texas Regional Bank over ‘fraudulent’ $3.4M lien .

Growth decelerates in Texas service sector as company outlooks worse; retail sales fall .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas Democrats picked a white male liberal as chairman of their political party this past weekend – no word on whether they protested themselves afterward. The new chief Texas Democrat wants the party the pushes not working and making working people pay for those who won’t work to focus on “working people.”

I wonder what classic “working people” think of transvestite story hour at the local libraries and schools; burning Teslas; worrying day and night about homosexual issues, and; always favoring making working people pay for all the Leftist programs Democrats push?

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Much business related news today:

Growth resumes in Texas manufacturing activity
Trump Media Lists on NYSE Texas, Handing Early Win to Exchange
Texas-base mortgage giant Mr. Cooper being bought by Rocket; All-Stock Deal Valued at $9.4 Billion
Plainview facility, DSM Semichem, gets $7.87 million grant from Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund

Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces New Reporting Requirement to Rein in Rogue District Attorneys and Ensure the Prosecution of Violent Criminals

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas Democrats are picking a new party chairman this weekend. All their talk about trying to find someone who can win elections is for nothing until they stop living in a false, alternate universe. The often quoted Matt Angle, in this DMN story , demonstrates such. No matter how much you say it, Abbott, Patrick, and the Texas GOP is not “failed” and no person in touch with reality can make that general claim.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Now that the federal government is doing its job on the border, Texas officials don’t want to stop the state spending . This is terribly irresponsible and very much Democrat-like.

Army secretary: ‘Immigration facility’ at Fort Bliss has been ‘greenlighted.’ HUD Cracks Down on Government-Backed Mortgages for Illegal Immigrants .

Texas continues to set job growth records and outperform the country as a whole .

Insurance company CEO fired after admitting to a House committee that he had citizens, a journalist, and elected officials investigated . Some of the reaction to this is over the top because such is not illegal and is quite common place. However, the question the AG will be looking into will be: Did this turn into something that is illegal?

Oil and gas rig count from Baker Hughes .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A federal judge has ruled that Texas prison heat (no A/C) is unconstitutional but holds short of ordering air conditioning . However, oddly in my opinion, he is still making the plaintiffs engage in a “bench trial” over the issue. What’s the point of that given that he has already made the underlying decision. And on that note, even acknowledging that there are problems with heat in some Texas prisons, how in the world is no A/C unconstitutional when the framers and founders had no such thing at the time they wrote and passed the constitution?

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Lubbock Health Dept. says losing federal COVID funds will hurt its handling a measles outbreak – is it even legal to spend those funds on something else?

RIP former Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn (Carole Multi-name). She was the inaugural inductee into the Pratt on Texas Liars’ Hall of Shame (such a high, or should we say low, bar for entry that only two have made in 19 years.)

More investigations underway into the East Plano Islamic Center:

State Issues Cease-and-Desist to Islamic Group Over Funeral Violations
Governor Abbott Announces Texas State Securities Board Investigation Into East Plano Islamic Center
Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Issues CID as Part of an Ongo­ing Inves­ti­ga­tion into Real Estate Devel­op­ment Tied to East Plano Islam­ic Center

Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! We remember the Massacre (murder) of Texans by Santa Anna at Goliad today . https://youtu.be/phQajh5E7U4?si=ezcWpkNdqOf8Bmii

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate passed SB1, it’s version of the Texas budget, unanimously – no wonder Dems went along as some say it is 40% larger than the last two state budgets . And, out of billions in new spending senators only provided $6 billion for more property tax cuts. I’m not really sure how the Lt. Governor comes at the number of only 0.9% growth in spending ; it must have something to do with the qualifier “All Funds budget.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

The National Medal of Honor museum is now open in Texas .

Senator Cornyn makes his re-election bid official . Democrat loser Colin Allred hints that he may run (after having lost to Cruz.) The real question is who will challenge Cornyn in the GOP primary.

Jasmine ‘Crocked’ Crockett just cannot help herself and her mouth as she is an iconic representation of today’s Democrat.

Jasmine Crockett hot wheels comment about Abbott draws GOP rebuke
Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett on Handling Political Opponents: ‘I Think You Punch’
Lawmaker faces backlash over ‘shameful’ comment about Texas Governor
Trump rips ‘lowlife’ Jasmine Crockett over attack on Governor Greg Abbott
Jasmine Crockett Shoves AOC Aside, Declares Trump an ‘Enemy to the United States’ and Occupier

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Rep. Carl Tepper’s bill to clamp down, somewhat, on the issuance of C.O. Bonds by local governments is the right direction (and should be strengthened not weakened.) Levelland’s city manager shows what is wrong with so many in local government when they shout “local control” – they don’t actually mean local control by citizen voters but by the government insider crowd.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Also from the legislature, Senator King’s bill, SB781, is not the way to have better government and better policing . Police misconduct allegations not being substantiated sometimes mean the people doing the investigating don’t want truth to be known.

Texas lawmakers consider bill prohibiting the use of SNAP to buy junk food . See: “Influencers” paid to shill for taxpayer funded soda for food stamp users .

George W. Bush’s gift that keeps on giving, like a bad fungal infection, is Judge Xavier Rodriguez: Federal Judge Blocks Voter ID Requirement for Texas Mail Ballots .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Both Texas U.S. Senators, Cruz and Cornyn, say that Texas lobbying law is a threat to free political speech and encourage the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case from Texas involving a friend and former guest host of Pratt on Texas .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

U.S. Rep. (TX19) Jody Arrington says a fresh Farm Bill should be ready for Congress in September .

RIP: Great Christian and Texan George Foreman .

Tilman Fertitta resigning from Landry’s, other enterprises, to become U.S. ambassador to Italy .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Sadly Senator Charles Perry joined with a few others to help Senator Nichols gut the bill to ban taxpayer funded lobbying . The bill, SB 19 by Senator Middleton , is a wheat-from-the-chaff issue for anyone interested in good and better government. It is an issue conservatives and Republicans have been working to pass for many years.

Senator Perry’s joining in the gutting amendment is siding with local government functionaries over his constituents (as well as big-government Democrats and RINOs.) And, what does it say about the work of elected officials that they need a hired-gun lobbyist to work with them in order to “make sure the voices back home can be heard,” as Senator Nichols stated ? It certainly doesn’t point to anything complimentary.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

We now know that Lieutenant Governor Patrick was right: The Texas House leadership did spend like a “drunken sailor” in the inept and evidence free impeachment of Ken Paxton . Read Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s statement on the State Auditor’s Audit of all impeachment-related spending .

Wildfire update .

Oil and gas rig count update.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: From a recent Podcast Extra: Roy Maynard joins us for a Pratt on Texas Podcast Extra to discuss his great column: AP’s Argument Against Being Booted From WH Event Is Laughable Given Its History .

More background:

White House bans AP reporter from press event over style guide’s objection to ‘Gulf of America’
AP sues Trump to force White House access following ‘Gulf of America’ row
Associated Press sues three White House officials over ‘Gulf of America’ feud
Federal judge rejects AP’s bid to overturn White House ban on outlet’s access to key areas

The fact is that previous administrations have let the press insiders, the correspondents association, decide who does and does not have White House credentials and access to the press room, etc. This insider dealing has ensured that conservative leaning press outlets, including some with very large audiences, have not been given access. The administration taking over access granting is how it should be irrespective of the AP’s situation.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

The Texas Senate passed a ban on THC, including synthetic THC , and Senator Charles Perry was having none of the press misinformation about polling, etc .

Chip Polk talks about the latest production at the Ragtown Gospel Theater .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The 89th Texas Legislature is more than a third of the way to ending and the Senate has been busy; the House is just now getting to work, and; there are many bills in the mix. Today is a full focus on bills of which we should be aware. One of those bills is related to car license plates and it is so simple that it makes one wonder why we didn’t go this direction years ago.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Why Is the Texas Lottery Commission Hiding Details of a $1M Payout?

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Language, words, are what allow us to form and communicate thought and words, to a large degree, control our thought. Members of media well know this and use such to engage in opinion shaping even when pretending to be engaged in straight reporting. From more alleged abortionists being arrested in Texas, to DNI Tulsi Gabbard and the A.P. , to misleading by omission in stories of the deportation of criminal illegal aliens , stories daily prove that legacy media has no right to any presumption, or reputation, of being “legitimate” press versus other media.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Why President Trump is partly wrong and partly right as well as the same for Chief Justice Roberts , wrong and right, over the issue of impeaching federal judges. Turley’s piece: No, the House Should Not Impeach Judge Boasberg Over His Tren de Aragua Restraining Order

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Senator Hughes, the Lt. Governor, and others are falling prey to pro-abortion Democrats plan of incrementally making abortion legal with a new bill to “clarify” Texas abortion law . It does not need clarification, it is clear on its face and evidence supports such .

Breaking today: Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Arrest of Houston-Area Abortionist and Crackdown on Clinics Providing Illegal Abortions

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas continues to lead the nation in job growth .

Texas “quietly” pulling law enforcement out of the border zone now that crossings have dropped dramatically; “unwinds Operation Lone Star. ”

China’s Communist Party very unhappy with Panama Canal port deal .

Kenneth Hall, record-setting Texas high school football star known as ‘The Sugar Land Express,’ dead at 89 .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Senator Bryan Hughes is working to get Texas back to sanity with its Attorney General’s office prosecuting election crimes as it did since 1951 before a stupid, ignorant ruling from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2021. This is greatly needed but will a good bill move in the Texas House? The same crowd is in charge in the House to setup the sham impeachment of A.G. Paxton and nothing indicates those folk have stopped their efforts to politically destroy the conservative attorney general.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Wind, wind, and more wind . Xcel turns off power to 17,000 ; vehicle accidents ; canceled flights , and; Lubbock’s airport recorded an 81 mph gust at 7:15 a.m . Where is the windiest city in the US? Texas claims 5 of top 10. Lubbock is not #1 .

Oil and gas rig count unchanged in Texas but Canada has an epic pullback!

Trump’s Dept. of Education has launched a much needed investigation into 50 universities , including Rice and UNT, over racial discrimination . Texas Tech Health Sciences Center has reached of settlement of engaging in racial discrimination .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas Senate moving fast and Lieutenant Governor Patrick has released another batch of “priority” bills . Senator Charles Perry also announced filing of his big water infrastructure package, SB 7 and SJR 66 .

Meanwhile, tomorrow, Friday, 14 March, is last day for bill filing which is the 60th day of the 140-day session and the Texas House has passed nothing.

Democrats and other leftists are not happy that Texas wants to ensure that only citizens, those legal to vote, get to register to vote!

Rep. Gerdes files HB4814, FURRIES Act , to stop public schools from letting deranged and confused children and youth from pretending to be animals at school.

And thinking of schools, Rep. Tinderholt can’t get the TASB rep. to admit that TASB is taxpayer-funded lobbying ! They aren’t afraid to take the money and pay huge salaries to their team of lobbyists so why be afraid to admit it is what it is?

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Attorney General Ken Paxton Announces Investigation into Dallas for Open Borders Sanctuary City Policies that Violate State Law . Meanwhile: ICE’s Dallas Team Arrests Mexican National Who Walked Free After Grisly Murder .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Legislative leadership has clear corruption that needs rooting out and once again, Rep. Charlie Geren, enforcer/hatchetman for Straus, Bonnen, Phelan, and now Burrows, appears to be involved – no surprise is that! This issue is emblematic of all that is wrong in our country – a group of people who, once elected or in a position of perceived power, see themselves as a sort of American Aristocracy – that it inherently unAmerican.

Other news from the legislature:

Senators Approve Constitutional Amendment Protecting Parental Rights
School Choice Battle Intensifies as Texas House Committee Hears Testimony

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Degenerate libs are in a huff because U.S. Rep. Self will not call a man a woman . Good on ya Congressman.

Local sales tax receipts up $1.1 billion over March of last year but, it’s a really mixed bag just as was February. Look up your city here .

Remember the Battle of Refugio.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Legislators in the Texas House are finally hearing the HB3, school choice legislation, in the public education committee today. Expect nothing but lies from the Democrats and the long line of “witnesses” they’ll have. Start with State Rep. James Talarico, a committee member , who claims that 70-percent of public school parents oppose school choice. Even the Left-leaning polls have shown overwhelming support for school choice in Texas .

Texas Senators have a good point and good timing: Message to President Trump is to get Texas’ water from Mexico while all the hardball negotiating is going on .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Illegal immigration and border news:

ICE leads massive immigration operation, nabbing nearly 650 illegal aliens in Texas – a great start but numbers-wise it is hardly even a drop in the proverbial bucket.
Flag-lowering ceremony closes CBP tent processing site on South Texas border
Mexican Government Tried to Take Credit for Meth Seized by U.S. Authorities at Texas border

Rashida Tlaib Casts Lone Vote Against Bill Requiring Reports on Cartel Smuggling Tunnels Under Border – hmmm, what other group does she support that brings murder and mahem to innocent people via tunnels?

Following the outsider gutting of Neiman-Marcus, the same types are destroying Southwest Airlines: Southwest Airlines abandons famous free checked bags policy .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Legislators did a half-job last session and now must get the other half fixed as the problem is still a whole and it is unethical and costs taxpayers big. Read more:

Cameron County Housing Finance Corporation faces lawsuit
Texas Lawmakers Seek to Close ‘Affordable Housing’ Tax Exemption Loophole

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Dade Phelan’s horrible anti-political speech bill gets the top attention of the House State Affairs committee, as it finally gets to work this session, and it’s a bill that would make any Leftist European EU official proud because it is fundamentally un-American.

Over in the Senate, which has been at work since the session began, Bettencourt has a very good bill that corrects a stupid, and costly to taxpayers, mistake from last session on election vote centers .

Breitbart: Trump’s Deportation Raids in Texas Lead to 200 New Federal Criminal Cases . A good start but at the current pace Trump will be out of office before 5%, yes 5 percent, of the goal is reached .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Finally, an opening in statewide office, all thanks to the Aggies! Texas A&M has selected Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar as sole finalist for Aggie system chancellor . The Guv will appoint someone to finish out the term once Hegar resigns and the office will be on next year’s ballot. Don Huffines and Christi Craddick say they are running for Comptroller.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

The Texas House, finally, turns over previously secret expense records from its political setup impeachment of Paxton debacle .

Texas wins Site Selections’ Governors Cup for the 13th year in a row with more than twice the total number of projects than the second-ranked state .

Abbott Announces Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund Grant To KoMiCo
Siemens opens $190M plant in south Fort Worth, adding 800 jobs by 2026

Lunar Lander Is Declared Dead After Landing Sideways in a Crater , more

SpaceX’s eighth orbital test flight of Starship/Superheavy ends like the seventh flight . Once again the leftist propaganda press takes out its knives to stab SpaceX and Musk .

From Closet Station : Texas Aggie Democrats Host ‘Day of Drag’ Protest . How’s this for demonstrating that our “best and brightest” at top schools are undereducated dolts: “[Drag queens] are a vital part of our culture,...” said one of the student protestors. I wonder if the student has even a small clue as to what “vital” even means.

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Roy Maynard joins us for a Pratt on Texas Podcast Extra to discuss his great column: AP’s Argument Against Being Booted From WH Event Is Laughable Given Its History .

More background:

White House bans AP reporter from press event over style guide’s objection to ‘Gulf of America’
AP sues Trump to force White House access following ‘Gulf of America’ row
Associated Press sues three White House officials over ‘Gulf of America’ feud
Federal judge rejects AP’s bid to overturn White House ban on outlet’s access to key areas

The fact is that previous administrations have let the press insiders, the correspondents association, decide who does and does not have White House credentials and access to the press room, etc. This insider dealing has ensured that conservative leaning press outlets, including some with very large audiences, have not been given access. The administration taking over access granting is how it should be irrespective of the AP’s situation.

The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Trump Administration began building border wall in Texas today . Tariff increase on Mexico delayed until 2 April . And this: Texas GOP lawmakers want to tap local law enforcement for immigration duties . First, this is a misleading headline as the main bill in question simply require Texas sheriffs to cooperate with ICE, and it is much needed . Second, the last section of the story we see in almost all stories – all about people being afraid. Guess what?! There are many times when it is appropriate that people are afraid and having broken the law and entered our country illegally is one of those times.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

New polling, from Lefties in Texas, repeats what other polls show: Texans overwhelmingly want school choice and, they favor true universal school choice as the Senate plan provides over the income limitations in the House approach .

New Tesla “megafactory” appears to be slated for near Katy in Waller Co.

Much Texans in space news today, keep up with Firefly, Intuitive Machines, SpaceX, and more at: https://behindtheblack.com/

We remember the fall of the Alamo today:

David Price – Remember the Alamo for Texas https://youtu.be/j5dciOAZU1Y?si=4nKQp-u3v28wEMJc

Brian Burns – Ballad of the Alamo https://youtu.be/KBA_whiuV80?si=8TkbUaypLjSvSh4f

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Ancient, grimacing, doom-scrolling, witless, and worse describe what today’s Democrat Party looked like as President Trump addressed Congress Tuesday night . Politically impotent describes what we say too.

Crazier than placeholder Al Green, who got himself thrown out , ever was, Rep. Jasmine Crock’d walked out of the speech and demonstrated her great intellect and education with this quote alone : “He up there, he spewing all kinds of nonsense… and bull [expletive] let me just be real, and we wasn’t going to sit for that [expletive],” Crockett said. “If he had some sense, then maybe we would’ve been about that life, but y’all know he ain’t got no sense.”

RIP: Sylvester Turner , one of the few respectable Democrats from Houston .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

USAID case: A Supreme Court Setback for Trump in the USAID Dispute May Not Be the Last Word .

U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument over a nuclear waste site in Andrews County of NW Texas.

Vice President Vance, DNI Tulsi Gabbard, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the Texas border with Mexico today . Also, from Breitbart: Trump Shutting Down Biden’s Texas-Based Soft Sided Migrant Detention Centers, Says Source .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: From a DACA recipient caught smuggling illegal aliens to new military deployments on the U.S./Mexican border, there is much in the illegal immigration stack today.

Mexico Pushes ‘Tough on Cartels’ Propaganda in U.S. Media to Avoid Sanctions While Protecting Top Active Narco Bosses

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Orders a Stryker Brigade to Southern Border But note: “They will not conduct or be involved in interdiction or deportation operations.”

English Channel Migrant Crossings Surge, Nearly 600 Arrivals in One Day . As I’ve long said, our “lowest” numbers that get celebrated would be considered a crisis anywhere else in the world. Stop it all.

Farm Workers Union Switches Stance, Sues Border Patrol After Immigration Raids in California [And the B.S. false history by the Left of Cesar Chavez.]

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas sales tax revenue totaled $3.8 billion in February showing growth.

Anti-Wimp update: Corpus Christi homeowner shoots trespasser .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: With the previously anti-any-war, pro-Russian Left in convulsions over the Zelenskyy shakedown attempt and Trump’s not having anymore of it, noted scholar Victor Davis Hanson sums up the current state of affairs with “10 bad takeaways the Zelenskyy blow-up .”

And note that for all the European bluster of help, they still need much U.S. support . And, Trump Stunned After Zelenskyy Says End Of War ‘Very Far Away’ is a headline showing he was right, Zelenskyy isn’t ready for a negotiated peace.

Poll: 4% Of Americans Back Russia In War, But 44% Don’t Back Ukraine Either .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Trump Administration scrambling to build a deportation infrastructure and it will take Congressional action.

Is Xcel energy trying to California-ize Texas ; engaging in retaliation for blame on Panhandle wildfires, or; dangerously trading possible “public safety” problems for assured public safety problems as it turns off power for Texans during wind events ? Xcel is a Leftwing “climate change” champion .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A blow up in the Oval Office today and a somewhat contrived blow up in the Texas House yesterday – and as usual the reporting , blaming the Republican or conservative, is opposite the reality. And also as usual, the hand-wringing crowd has it all wrong including BurrowCrat Dustin Burrows who admonished the innocent conservative and ignored the way beyond the line Democrat.

See for yourself here: https://x.com/brianeharrison/status/1895335410286669969

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Oil and gas drilling rig count rises.

The deaths of 76 Branch Davidians in April 1993 could have been avoided – so why didn’t anyone care?

DOGE and cutting back federal programs and employment is now the end of the world but the press didn’t cry over Clinton and Obama on the same subject .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A very interesting story about the new Air Force One planes on order, much delayed and over budget, from Boeing being built in San Antonio .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Scum: Saks still plans to close downtown Neiman Marcus despite efforts to resolve lease issue .

DOGE says Texas nonprofit with former Biden transition member reaped millions operating empty migrant facility in Pecos.

News from the 89th Texas Legislature includes:

Texas Chief Justice Blacklock has very solid requests for the 89th Texas Legislature .

Texas public universities upset they may lose their administrative “slush funds” over DEI and other Marxist indoctrination yet, they can’t seem to stop the offensive behavior: A&M Geography Course Teaches Gender Is “Social Construct”

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: It was announced this afternoon that a deal has been made in Dallas that should (who knows with Saks?) keep the storied Neiman Marcus flagship store open in downtown Dallas . The ordeal is tied up in Texas history as much as any business story I’ve read.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Repeated musician bus trips from Mexico to Houston was a successful cocaine smuggling ring – until the border folk finally searched that “anomaly” in the big Vovlo bus’ fuel tank. Also, 118 illegal aliens were arrested in Colony Ridge raids .

News from the 89th Texas Legislature includes:

Texas House Suspends Rules to Honor Group Opposing Voter ID

School choice bill in the House now has enough co-sponsors to equal 76 votes – enough to pass .

$113K Funneled Into Legislator’s Pocket Via Taxpayer-funded Lobbying Payouts? – many legislators don’t want to stop taxpayer funded lobbying because they want to cash out with one of the lobby jobs at some point. Dems seem to have long figured out how to do it while elected!

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Shooting down drones over your property; competing tax cut ideas; Ivermectin over the counter , and; more from the 89th Texas Legislature. I explain why the Senate’s focus on property tax reduction through increasing the homestead exemption is the better path from a philosophical point of view.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Dallas Fed reports the Texas Service Sector and Retail did well in February but with a very bad attitude !

More hypocrisy from the Left and media reporters on the much vaunted, by them, “separation of church and state.” When it comes to using churches to stop the enforcement of laws Leftists dislike, then it’s all well and good for government to hand out special accommodation to churches .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Governor Abbott has been sucked into two stories he’d rather have not had to deal with. He’s there though and his get-out-in-front-of-it swings at bat are really weak on both stories.

First is the Lottery Commission scandals – Abbott has chosen not to reign in the commission for some time despite widespread knowledge of bad actions. Today he asks the Texas Rangers to investigate – way too late and really off mark because the problems are more policy related than criminal. Abbott’s own appointee as lottery commissioner has now resigned .

And the ol’ Colony Ridge development is back in the news: Colony Ridge targeted in Trump deportation push, Greg Abbott says . Abbott makes like he’s getting tough on the place, built by big donors, but note the DPS sergeant who says they are doing what they’ve been doing for two years despite Abbott’s get tough social media post.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Dallas Fed says Texas manufacturing took a dive in February . Apple announces new big server plant for Houston-area , and more business news.

A&M system’s list of 5 candidates for new Chief Aggie .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The new national Democrat boss is putting Texas high on the list for action so what’s different this time? He seems to understand what matters most – redistricting .

Meanwhile the far Leftist Democrats in Austin squabbling and it is no surprise – Soros-backed district attorneys, purposefully soft on violent crime, are a disaster nationwide. However, Senator Sarah Eckhardt is just as guilty as D.A. Garza because she has spent a lifetime pushing the radical agenda of the Marxist Left.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas lottery scandals are ballooning so it is a wonder that Gov. Abbott seems uninterested in addressing such . I wonder if legislators, despite any bloviating on the subject, actually have the guts to let the lottery die in Sunset Review this session. Here is a bunch of reporting on the scandals .

Oil and gas rig count unchanged this week.

Border news includes a really stupid report from the so-called “Human Rights Watch” blaming the Texas DPS for actions of the smugglers. Also, ICE raided a South Texas bakery that was knowingly employing illegal workers and the Leftist media acts as if it has never happened before. Heck, not that many years ago I remember reporting on the giant Shipley Do-nuts of Houston being raided for such .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate has now passed real Bail Reform , again. Once again, it will be up to the House to pass the much needed reform.

Also, the House has finally filed its school choice bill while the Senate has already debated and passed its version. There are differences .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Another “science” person needs to be corrected. I comment on this opinion column: Lubbock area measles outbreak was preventable .

Trump Orders Agencies to Stop Taxpayers’ Funding for Illegal Migrants .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Texas electricity ratepayers are paying huge amounts of money more than they should because of the variability (unreliability) of wind and solar electricity generation.

Brent Bennett, Ph.D. explains in detail the three “buckets” of cost from wind and solar variability and what needs addressing by the PUC and the legislature. You can find the full report on this matter here .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Senator Creighton introduces ‘Texas Teacher Bill of Rights’ with pay raises for teachers.

Senator Kolkhorst files bill that would prohibit hostile foreign entities from purchasing land in Texas, reworked from last sessions poorly developed bill.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: A little-reported, yet, news story out of free China, Taiwan, is huge for Texas’ future . Also, as predicted Saks is destroying the Texas-based culture of Neiman Marcus by closing the corporate offices in Texas and closing the flagship store in downtown Dallas!

Also in the key for Texas business stack: Texas Oil Export Port To Get Trump Team’s Blessing .

And much Texas space news including:

TCEQ rejects anti-SpaceX calls to deny company its Starship deluge water permit .

Firefly’s lander set to land on moon on Texas Independence Day !

Starlab space station wins $15 million grant from Texas .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Did Lubbock’s state rep. Dustin Burrows use our taxpayer money to buy the Democrat votes he used to become Speaker of the House ? That question and others are being asked today of the Republican elected by a majority of House Democrats and a minority of House Republicans.

Texan Brooke Rollins, the new U.S. Secretary for Agriculture, is looking to reform SNAP welfare with Robert Kennedy, Jr. in a great way sure to cause much distress from the Left .

Much border and illegal immigration related news in the stack today including: New head of Border Patrol swears in National Guard, DPS who can arrest immigrants .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Lieutenant Governor and others have a ridiculous idea that Texas should spend big taxpayer dollars to import Hollywood into Texas . Not only is this wrong and nothing but corporate welfare that doesn’t payback reliably, we should have the opposite policy of keeping much of the Hollywood machine out of Texas!

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Odessa’s mess foisted on it by the non-conservatives and civic cheerleaders .

Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton Stops Rad­i­cal Abor­tion­ist from Unlaw­ful­ly Sup­ply­ing Dan­ger­ous Drugs to Kill Unborn Babies

Oil and gas rig count rises.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate held hearings in which more of the scandal plagued Texas Lottery was exposed – see below. Also, the Senate passed major property tax relief.

Meanwhile, a month into the 140-day legislative session, BurrowCrat chief Dustin Burrows finally named House committees (that leaves much of the power in the hands of the same old Straus/Bonnen/Phelan crowd) and then the body voted to take another “vacation!” But don’t think they did absolutely nothing in the House, they found time to meet for 48 minutes on Tuesday and hosted a Pagan “prayer” from one of the Leftist membe rs .

Lottery scandal:

Analysis: Texas Senators Drop a Neutron Bomb on the Texas Lottery Commission
Texas Lottery jackpot under scrutiny after lawyer’s fraud allegations
Analysis: The $1M Lottery Jackpot Texas Sent to China
Aggressive Lottery Ticket Offers Join Ongoing Texas Lottery Controversies
Betting Beyond Borders: Lottery.com To Sell Texas Lottery Tickets in Europe and Africa?
How rich investors stacked the odds for a $95M Texas Lotto win

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

TPPF Secures Victory in Money v. San Marcos at the Fifth Circuit for property owners .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate continues to work while House members sit around collecting generous per diem checks. Today the Senate was working hard on much need bail reform, reform that has been thwarted by the House for several sessions . Lt. Gov. Patrick spoke to the press today and made it clear that this is an item that is of top importance to him and the Senate and for which he is willing to play “hardball.”

Also, related to the Legislature: High costs of wind and solar electric generation variability are being passed on to us, ratepayers, instead of those who cause the costs .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

There are some extremely surprising numbers and variability in today’s local city sales tax numbers . Top 20 . Look up your city here .

Harris County’s jail remains out of compliance since 2022 and the Commission on Jail Standards wants the attorney general’s office to force compliance . Note that Harris County’s Democrat leadership has money for all types of welfare and other projects but none for the basics of government.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate is already working on big priority items while the House, almost a month into the session, has not even appointed committees as of Noon today. While the House dawdles, a senate committee has passed out to the full senate that body’s property tax relief plan for the 89th Session .

Also we take a look at Senator Sparks’ bill on moving all bond debt elections to the November uniform election date .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Anti-Wimp update : Breaking into ex’s apartment proves fatal in Fort Worth .

More illegal immigration news including extreme hypocrisy from the socialist Roman Catholic pope, Pope Francis .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Pubic education is no different from any other giant government bureaucracy, it’s full of wasteful spending, questionable priorities, and fraud and that does indeed include teachers from time to time. The Texas teacher cheating scandal grows as 60 more public school teachers are added to an already big list of those being investigated for cheating to become certified teachers . More .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

How did very conservative Smith County (Tyler) become an unlikely sanctuary county for illegal aliens? By local Republicans electing Sheriff Smith, that’s how: “They Make Bond, They Get Out” Texas Sheriff Defies Abbott, Won’t Turn Over Illegals to ICE .

Under pressure from President Trump, Texas’ BurrowCrat Coalition founder, Speaker of the House Burrows, says the Texas House will pass school choice . Most everyone already expects that but the real question is: How much will the BurrowCrats muck up the good bill already passed by the Senate . Also, when will the House get to work on this or any other issue as Burrows hasn’t even appointed committees as of this morning.

State Sen. Creighton Slams Anti-School Choice ‘Rhetoric.’ Creighton, with help from other Republicans, attempted to correct the record on taxpayer-funded lobbying, per-pupil funding, and other topics related to school choice.

Oil and gas rig count up by one last week in Texas.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Steven Balch, Ph.D. may be America’s original D.E.I. on campus fighter! He is also a regular Pratt on Texas listener which is a great honor to me. Today we talk about how he and others began the fightback against campus faculty Marxism and abuse in the 1980’s and the fruit of that labor that is beginning to be seen around the country.

Dr. Balch is an American conservative scholar and higher education reformer. He was the founding president of the National Association of Scholars from 1987 to 2009. Balch received a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Brooklyn College, City University of New York, in 1964. He received his master’s degree (1967) and Ph.D. (1972) in political science from the University of California in Berkeley. It was during the Berkeley riots that he became a conservative and he is now a Republican.

Dr. Balch was awarded the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush at the White House on November 15, 2007. The award cited him “for leadership and advocacy upholding the noblest traditions in higher education,” and went on to say that “his work on behalf of reasoned scholarship in a free society has made him a leading champion of excellence and reform at our nation’s universities.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Once again, for the sixth time, the Texas Senate has passed a true school choice bill , SB 2. It’s now up to the House to get it passed and without mucking it up to much.

Note the ignorant race-baiting and contradictory statements of Democrat senators offered against the SB 2 in debate . It’s truly shameful but shows why they want substandard schooling as without such, they’d have a very hard time getting people to believe their political and social rhetoric.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

After girls’ sports investigation, Irving ISD faces legal threat over its social media censorship of criticism . Also related: Attorney General Ken Paxton Demands Documents from Dallas and Irving School Districts to Ensure That No Boys Are Competing in Girls’ Sports .

“Revolution” The Democrat elected officials and protesters openly use the word to describe what it is they are about so, why do so many cringe when I, and others, properly use the word to describe what is the Left’s goal in America?

Much border and illegal immigration news:

Homan confirms leaks to Tren de Aragua on ICE raids
Poll: ICE Agency Gets 2:1 Public Support
Another Cross-Border Smuggling Tunnel Found near El Paso
Cartels Continue Using Makeshift Landmines in Mexican Border Areas Despite Killing Innocents including a Texan

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Governor Abbott’s proposal to require a super-majority of 2/3rs for voter-approval tax rate elections is right . I explain why one of the most common arguments against this type of clamp down on local government spending is without merit.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

A federal judge has told the Trump Administration that taxpayers must continue to fund legal services to illegal and other aliens in U.S. custody even though such folks do not have a “right” to legal counsel as do citizens – see anything wrong with that?

And, here’s another Texas Democrat still in denial of the crisis at the border and with illegal immigration: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso.

Another look behind the curtain at how D.C. and the deepstate has used our money to fund their media allies: Politico, NY Times Propped Up By Millions Of Dollars From US Government [from taxpayers!]

Texan Scott Turner confirmed as HUD secretary .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Abbott says we’ll pass school choice without the big handout, offered last time, to the ISD bureaucracies . The governor points out that when offered billions last time around the ISDs wouldn’t play ball so too bad. But the real reason we should not hand more big money to the administrative machines of government school districts is the continued failure of those schools to deliver good results: Texas Students’ Test Scores Shrink as Spending Grows .

Meanwhile, Democrats keep talking about “billionaires” instead of parents and students . Also, they maintain their position that students in really bad schools should continue to be captive to such with no real alternative.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas sales tax receipts come in much stronger than last month.

Texas Secretary of State Office of Elections decertifies E-Pollbook system from ES&S .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Now friendly feds deputize Texas National Guard troops to make immigration related arrests at the border in a full reversal of past federal policy. Also, Mexico responds to massive tariff threat with pledge to deploy 10,000 of its national guard troops to the border .

San Antonio shuts Migrant Resource Center
Pro-Illegal Immigration Activists Descend On Downtown Dallas
Dallas Anti-ICE Protestors Threaten To Run Over Conservative News Personality
Anti-ICE Protestors Delay Construction in Pflugerville

Lubbock half-Americans (see the flags in the video) protest deportation of illegal aliens; silly anachronistic Brown Berets show up and make ridiculous racist charge .
Soros-owned radio station broadcasted undercover ICE agents locations, vehicle descriptions during removal operations

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Governor Abbott laid out seven legislative “emergency items” in his Sunday evening State of the State address :

Abbott Pushes for School Choice, Teacher Pay Raises, and Tax Relief in State of the State Address
Abbott Outlines Property Tax Relief, School Choice, Water Infrastructure as Emergency Items in State of the State Address

Today in Texas History mentions: Paul McCartney’s Real Buddy Holly Story – see on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ufI9gX7mE Hear Sonny Curtis perform The Real Buddy Holly Story song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L17SueZY-eo

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an important Second Amendment ruling yesterday that properly, further entrenches the historical framing required on questions of the Bill of Rights. 18 to 20 year olds are adults and the right to possess firearms applies to them as it does to all other adults. Jonathan Turley covers is well here .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Oil and gas rig count is a wash for Texas.

A court date has been set for July for the challenge to Texas law on certain state immigration enforcement efforts – SB4 from 2023.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Rep. Carl Tepper has a bill, HB 1453 , to further protect taxpayers from local government officials who have booted integrity and obvious right-and-wrong to the curb. The abuse of C.O. bonds has happened all across Texas with the latest kick in the teeth to voters happening in Ector County . (more ) Previous restrictions passed on the use of C.O. bonds was caused mainly by abuse of voters in Amarillo .

Please call and write your state representative and those nearby and ask the rep. to “sponsor” Tepper’s HB 1453 . Find your rep. here .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Should the Legislature redistrict Texas Congressional seats now to help protect Republican numbers in the mid-term election ? Yes, but not for that reason alone. After the Fifth Circuit ruling on Galveston County redistricting, Republicans should redraw state maps under that precedent.

A pox upon Irving ISD leadership. Their statement makes it clear that they are simply angry they got caught .

Texas Tech and Texas A&M still being found to have CRT & DEI present.

Border news : DPS Finds 16 Illegal Immigrants Inside Truck Tractor . It may slow but it won’t stop until we have an enforced physical border. Alexis Nungaray says: ‘It’s a Relief’ to See Mass Deportations, I Like How We’re Moving on Immigration .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Texas Senate has already moved school choice, Senate Bill 2, out of committee – meanwhile the BurrowCrat House leadership hasn’t even appointed permanent officers OR named House committees yet! So much for the oft made insider establishment argument that they, the insider crowd, are better at managing the House.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick lists his first round of Top 40 priority bills for the 2025 legislative session.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Governor Abbott calls for criminal probe into Irving school district over trans athlete comments .

Much in the border stack including a laughable, shameful episode from Mexico’s Leftist government, plus more:

Mexico Allowed Los Zetas Cartel Gunmen to Escape After Opening Fire on U.S. Border Agents in Texas
PHOTOS: Mexican Cops Find Cartel Narco-Camp on Border Island Where Los Zetas Fired at U.S. Agents
Congressman introduces bill to exclude illegal immigrants from Medicaid

White House Showcases Some Of The Most Dangerous Illegal Aliens Arrested , Exclusive: Homeland Security busts 5 ‘career criminals’ on first day of NYC raids as Trump revs up immigration crackdown

Austin’s police chief tells Hispanic leaders she isn’t facilitating ICE
And from the utter stupidity of Leftists file: Secrecy about ICE arrests is stoking fear in immigrant communities .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Cartel gunmen opened fire on U.S. officials across the Rio Grande yesterday demonstrating how right is President Trump at naming these groups terrorist organizations. Also, Governor Abbott is deploying “tactical strike teams” to help the feds roundup illegal aliens. It’s just the same thing we’ve been doing but “tactical strike teams” sound good and might net a Fox News interview!

Fun piece about CNN’s coverage of deportations from National Review by Charles C. W. Cooke: Hope This Helps .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

While trying not to do so, BurrowCrat Party founder and Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows admitted that his House Rules package he pushed through without debate or amendment, was written by a former Barack Obama White House lawyer !

We also learned that all the stuff about keeping House tradition is a lie from the BurrowCrats as Burrows intends to hold no vote on staff budgets, salaries, and other “housekeeping” matters . Instead, in full dictatorial fashion, he simply plans to fiat such matters. (More .)

Dallas Fed: Growth in Texas service sector activity moderates; retail sales growth “reverses” in January .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Just the tiniest point of the immigration law enforcement spear has been shown over the last few days and so far, the public seems supportive. However, don’t think that the sob stories and outright propaganda isn’t coming from the press and its Leftist backers. Will Americans keep their resolve?

Texas saw protests in the streets of Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and San Antonio over the deportations of criminal illegal aliens. Why, by the way, does the Hearst paper in San Antonio not call these people fascists? The story says : “…protesters waved Mexican flags and chanted slogans such as “Que viva la raza verdadera” and “F Donald Trump.” Foreign flags and slogans? That “viva la raza verdadera” sounds far more like NAZI brownshirts than anything heard from American conservatives often compared to fascists in the press.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Governor Abbott announces he will deliver the 2025 State Of The State Address on Sunday at 5 p.m. Not right guv. It’s not an emergency and so it can wait until a weekday, not on the Lord’s Day.

Senator Cruz spearheads effort to derail nuclear waste dumping in oil-rich area of Texas .

FinCEN BOI still on hold, Reuters updates their story from last week .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: What did Dustin Burrows and his BurrowCrat coalition do yesterday on adopting House rules? Don’t buy the false messaging that comes with “they banned Democrat committee chairmen” because they did and they didn’t – it’s all a big fake. If the BurrowCrats reduced the power of Texas Democrats in the Texas House, why did all but one Democrat vote for the rules?

I’ve asked our old friend and former guest host Michael Quinn Sullivan of Texas Scorecard to join us to discuss the big rules fake out in the Texas House.

Also, see yesterday’s show summary for more on the subject here .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Do Texas abortion laws really need clarification for physicians, or are legislators falling for a narrative trick ? I believe it’s the latter.

Oil and gas drilling rig count falls, again.

Senator Creighton files SB2 , a good universal school choice bill.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Dustin Burrows and his BurrowCrat leadership team’s proposed House rules try a giant fake out on voters knowing local media will ignorantly report it their way.

While the Burrows’ rules end minority party (Democrat) major committee chairmanships, the rules actually enhance Democrat power by making them automatically vice chairs with new powers, enough to gum up the works. Even worse, Burrows’ eliminates some committees and then creates a bunch of standing “subcommittees” for which Dems can hold chairmanships of and even be a majority of.

That’s all bad enough but I found two spots that should show you just how badly all have been sold out by Burrows:

One section of the rules mandates mask wearing in hearings if such is simply “recommended” by Washington bureaucrats ! See: CHAPTER D. ORGANIZATION, POWERS, AND DUTIES OF COMMITTEES Sec. 7. A new Rule 4, Section 8A, relating to required face
masks during committee meetings, shall read as follows: Rule 4, Sec. 8A.
Another section requires masks on the House floor!

And in a way even worse: Chapter D., Sec. 9, Rule 4, a “new rule ” essentially kicks the public out of committee hearings – a longtime dream of Capitol insiders:

“Rule 4, Sec. 12A. PUBLIC ACCESS TO COMMITTEE MEETINGS. The requirement for all meetings of a committee or subcommittee to be open to other members, the press, and the public may be satisfied by video broadcasting the meeting in real time through the Internet. The video broadcast must be accessible from a link on the house’s Internet website.”

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Bad news: The U.S. Supreme Court is letting the feds go ahead with the Orwellian FinCEN beneficial owners reporting .

Leftist State Bar of Texas drops its case against Attorney General Paxton over 2020 election cases filed by the state . It was always nothing but a political hit.

A big stack of border and illegal immigration news today too.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: The Trump sprint to implement policy changes goes on. Much border related news as well as Trump action on DEI and more from the 47-on-fire stack.

Trump Orders 1,500 Active Duty Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border
Texas Border Czar Mike Banks Sworn-in as Chief of United States Border Patrol
Abbott Orders Deployment of More Floating Border Barriers
Cartel Gunmen Steal Guns, Drugs from Mexican Border City’s AG Headquarters
All Federal DEI Offices To Be Closed By Wednesday EOD, Workers Placed On Paid Leave
FBI Closes ‘Diversity’ Office As Biden Exits
Trump’s FBI overhaul puts ‘untouchable’ feds on notice: former agent
Trump State Dept Bans All LGBT, BLM Flags at Embassies: ‘Only the American Flag’

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

The proposed Texas budget may be “conservative” in total numbers but it is not conservative in practice . The budget grows the size and scope of government for things Republicans favor and fails to meet past promises on border security spending.

Abilene data center makes big news once it is learned Oracle is the big user .

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: Much review and comment upon the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. Wow, he’s working fast! A record 1,300 appointees on Day One ! Trump began his term with immediate action related to illegal immigration and the border. Here is a good run down .

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Cold weather has Texas, and many other places, in its grip. Here is where you can see the ERCOT electricity grid situation at any moment.

Biden set a new low for Rule of Law and constitutional norms , pardons people not even under investigation. I guess he knows or suspects they are guilty of the things many have asserted.

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Our Lone Star story of the day: Donald J. Trump was invested with the Office of the President today in the Capitol Rotunda in the City of Washington. I’m pleased to bring you his entire inaugural address.

Also, I point out Democrats used the event to lie and propagandize about this being a “democracy” which it is not. Leftist Senator Amy Klobuchar opened by misleading the American people.

Democracy: government by the people: rule of the majority . This is the first and pure definition from Merriam-Webster and something our founders specifically opposed.

The United States of America is a Republic : a government in which the power belongs to a body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by the leaders and representatives elected by those citizens to govern according to law . This matters much because Democrats claim that might makes right, meaning, as was the case with Democrat-backed slavery and segregation, that an opinion of a voting majority is superior to guaranteed natural and constitutional rights.

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Texas baby murdering activist Cecile Richards, daughter of that piece of work Governor Ann Richards, died this morning of brain cancer . I guess she’ll be explaining to the Lord why killing millions of innocent babies was such a good idea.

Houston so certain of snow and ice tonight that both Hobby and Bush Intercontinental airports are closing at midnight and closed on Tuesday – a huge economic cost.

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The news of Texas covered today includes:

Our Lone Star story of the day: This week was quite historic for private sector space flight, or “capitalism in space ,” and space writer and historian Bob Zimmerman joins us to touch on the highlights. Texas is playing a huge role in this new industry.
Zimmerman’s website is https://behindtheblack.com/

Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick releases Senate committee assignments for the 89th session.

West Texas and state media praises Dustin Burrows for “bipartisanship. He won the Speaker chair with many more Democrat votes than Republican, showing that, as always, things that lean Democrat are praised because the media are liberal. Take this big Texas Tribune story: House Democrats hope to benefit after supporting speaker . Note Leftwinger John Bucy praised Burrows for working to weaken election integrity legislation last session!

More public school failure: Richardson ISD has a DEI chief who admits that boys may room with girls on school trips!

Trump is considering Texas’ “border czar” Mike Banks to be head of the Border Patrol .

Oil and gas rig count falls again.

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www.PrattonTexas.com