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The Texas Report 4/21

The Texas Report 4/21

April 24, 2023

Happy Monday!

Written by: Jay Williamson

Statewide News Round-Up

Six cattle died mysteriously in Madison County this past week. All six cattle were found with their tongues removed, the hide around one side of their mouths gone, and no blood spilled, authorities said. The cattle were found along the state highway in three counties (Brazos, Madison, and Robertson).

Each animal was part of a different herd and in a different pasture. Law enforcement added that "Ranchers also reported that no predators or birds would scavenge the remains of the cow, leaving it to decay untouched for several weeks." This is similar to a 2019 case in Oregon, where authorities found five dead bulls who'd had their sex organs and tongues removed. The sheriff's office noted the similar and had begun coordinating with other law enforcement agencies. (More here)

President Biden issued a disaster declaration Saturday for thirteen Texas counties, providing federal relief for areas damaged in last winter's ice storms. Relief will be available for state agencies, local governments, and some nonprofits "on a cost-sharing basis" to repair and replace damaged and conduct other emergency work. In a statement, Governor Greg Abbott said, "Texas will continue to work with our federal partners to support recovery from damage that occurred as a result of this storm." (More here)

The storms in late January and early February left a damaging coat of ice across a broad swath of Texas, cutting power to more than 300,000 customers statewide and hitting the Central Texas region around Austin particularly hard.

In a February letter to Biden, Gov. Greg Abbott had requested federal aid for 23 counties, including the 13 that were part of Saturday's order. Left out of Biden's declaration were Caldwell, Delta, Denton, Falls, Hopkins, Hunt, Lamar, Red River, Shelby, and Smith counties.

Abbott said he'd directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to help ensure the other affected counties meet the damage thresholds and be added to the disaster declaration.

A recent poll by Conservative Research organization CWS Research found that former President Trump has seen a notable increase in support from primary voters from their polling earlier in the year. In a potential primary field of eight candidates, including Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. 43% of poll respondents said they would support Trump in a 2024 Republican Primary. Desantis received 27% and Haley 5%. Trump saw a 7% gain from the last poll to this, while DeSantis lost 8%. Now this is just a poll, but it does help illustrate the current state of Republican politics as in Texas, Trump has received significantly more endorsements from Texas politicians. (More here)

Texas politicians who have endorsed Trump:

Brian Babin (Texas congressman from Port Arthur, part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team)
Michael Burgess (Texas congressman from Denton, part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team)
John Carter (Texas congressman from Round Rock, part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team)
Pat Fallon (Texas congressman from Rockwall, part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team)
Lance Gooden (congressman from Dallas), Tony Gonzales (congressman from San Antonio), Wesley Hunt (congressman from Houston), Ronny Jackson (congressman from Amarillo), Troy Nehls (congressman from Fort Bend, Pete Sessions (congressman from Waco), Beth Van Duyne (Texas congresswoman from Irving, part of the Trump campaign's Texas leadership team), Randy Weber (Texas congressman from Pearland, part of Trump campaign's Texas leadership team), and Roger Williams (congressman from Arlington, part of Trump campaign's Texas leadership team.)
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham
Former Congresswoman Mayra Flores

Desantis has not formally announced a campaign, but he has already seen millions roll into his Florida-based political committee from wealthy Texans, including Houston doctor Clive Fields and an entity called Rural Route 3 Holdings. Haley has been finding fundraising success in Texas as well and has held 12 fundraisers in the state since launching her White House bid in mid-February. According to her campaign Texas was among her top three fundraising states in the first six weeks of her candidacy.

This Wednesday, the Texas House will consider House Bill (H.B.) 9 by Representative Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin). H.B. 9 would appropriate $5 billion for broadband development and other telecommunications services. The goal behind this legislation is to create a holistic investment in addressing the state's connectivity needs. In recent studies by the Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), almost 2.8 million Texas households (roughly seven million Texans) lack broadband Internet access.

It would also eliminate the phone service surcharge from the Universal Service Fund. Should this legislation pass both chambers, it would then be presented to the voters of Texas, who would decide to allow the state to spend the $5 billion. Both chambers have expressed significant bipartisan support for broadband development. However, the Senate has no proposals authorizing this funding level. There's uncertainty about whether the Senate will be open to the $5 billion.

Also up this week in the House is H.B. 16 by Representative Shelby Slawson (R-Stephenville), which is intended to create more safety for kids using apps, websites, or software. The legislation would require online platforms to "prevent physical, emotional, and developmental harm to a minor." Providers would be prevented from collecting a minor's personal identifying information without specific parental consent, and the minor's digital services would be needed to be default set at the strongest possible security setting.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick recently released several statements in honor of some of his priority bills passing the Senate. Some legislation included Senate Bill (S.B.) 11 by Senator Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), intended to create a new structure and additional resources for schools to increase security. It also adds new requirements for communication between the school system and parents relating to school safety. The bill passed the Senate unanimously (31-0) and is scheduled for a hearing in House Public Education on Tuesday.

Also of note was the passage of S.B. 26 by Senator Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham), which would establish the "Innovation Grant" program to direct state funding to improve mental health bed capacity and services across Texas. S.B. 26 also seeks to increase accountability and transparency for local mental and behavioral health authorities to better assess services provided and ongoing treatment needs and directs the establishment of statewide discharge planning from state hospitals to community placement options.

The University of Texas at Austin recently announced a new affordable housing pilot program to provide housing scholarships for students from low- and middle-income families. The university set aside $5.8 million from its housing revenue and will prioritize first-year students.

Students who plan to live in university residence halls can receive up to $1,800 per academic year through Texas Advance Commitment (TAC). The university stated that this scholarship is "part of a larger strategy to address housing affordability." The scholarship will help 3,500 eligible students. Here is a breakdown of how much TAC will provide depending on family income and tuition support: A student who receives full tuition benefits and has a family income that is $65,000 a year or less is eligible for a housing award of $1,800 for the 2023-24 academic year; A student who receives full tuition benefits and has a family income between $65,001 and $125,000 annually is eligible for an award of $900. (More here)

The Texas Report 4/21

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