Good morning!

This is the Texas Minute for Thursday, May 29, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

House Democrats Kill Another Bail Reform Measure

• One of Gov. Greg Abbott's top priorities for the legislative session was bail reform, which Democrats in the Texas House scuttled on Wednesday night. As Brandon Waltens reports, two of the three constitutional measures dealing with issue pushed by the governor are now dead.
      
• As reported earlier this week, Senate Joint Resolution 87—dealing with bail for repeat offenders committing violent crimes—fell short of the constitutional threshold on Tuesday night. Last night, Democrats killed SJR 1, which would have denied bail to illegal aliens accused of certain violent crimes.
       
• The only major bail-related resolution to successfully clear the House was SJR 5, which gives judges the discretion to deny bail to individuals accused of violent felonies if there is clear and convincing evidence that they pose a danger to public safety or a flight risk.
      
• The failure of SJR 1 and SJR 87 now raises the question of whether Abbott will call a special session to revive the effort and push the proposals forward.

Illegal Aliens Tied to Deadly Memorial Day Jet Ski Crash

• Four individuals suspected to be involved in the tragic death of 18-year-old Ava Moore on Lake Grapevine over Memorial Day weekend were in the country illegally, having entered during the Biden administration.
         
• According to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Moore was kayaking on Sunday when she was struck and killed by a jet ski. The driver, identified as Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez, fled the scene with the help of others and was later involved in a separate hit-and-run while attempting to avoid arrest.
          
• A Venezuelan national, Gonzalez was arrested by law enforcement with the assistance of Paxton’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit. Immigration records indicate she entered the U.S. illegally in September 2023 and was released after being encountered by Border Patrol.
       
• "Ava Moore’s senseless death was caused by an illegal alien who should have never been in our country in the first place." – Ken Paxton

Patrick Says THC Ban Is a Fight To Save a Generation

• A ban on THC products has been passed by both chambers of the Texas Legislature and sent to the governor for enactment. At a press conference on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick described it as an effort "to save an entire generation."

• If signed into law, the ban will take effect on September 1. Patrick said he considers this one of the most important measures of the session.

Lawmakers Scuttle Ban on Public Library Drag Shows

• Addie Hovland reports that members of the Texas House failed to vote on legislation that would have barred libraries from receiving state funding if they hosted drag shows or drag queen story hours for minors.
      
• The Senate had passed the legislation back in March, but the House leadership did not place it on a calendar until the end of the day on Tuesday. For various scheduling and operational reasons, the measure had no chance of being considered.
       
• The proposal would have prohibited the state from funding a library that hosted a drag show targeting children. If a library violated the measure, the state and its political subdivisions could not provide any funding in the fiscal year following the offense.
      
• "While the Senate answered the call to stop taxpayer-funded drag events targeting children, House leadership chose delay and silence." – Brady Gray of the Texas Family Project

RELATED HOUSE NEWS

• The measure would disallow judges from issuing most extreme risk protection orders, also known as ERPOs or "red flag" orders. It would also bar local jurisdictions from accepting federal funding to implement or enforce them.
       
• Red flag laws are notable because they circumvent due process rights outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
       
• During debate, State Rep. Wes Virdell (R-Brady) shared a story about law enforcement officers in Maryland who visited 61-year-old Gary J. Willis’ house in the early morning to confiscate his firearms with "no actual evidence or due process." When Willis resisted the officers' actions, he was shot and died from his injuries.

Texas Set to End Schools’ ‘Sovereign Immunity’ in Sex Abuse Cases

• In a big win for protecting Texas children from sexual predators in public schools, state senators unanimously approved a House measure to eliminate school districts’ “sovereign immunity” from civil liability in sex abuse cases. Erin Anderson has the story.
     
• The legislation authored by State Rep. Mitch Little (R–Lewisville) increases accountability in Texas public schools by allowing civil liability when a school is grossly negligent or reckless, when it enables intentional misconduct in hiring, supervising, or employing individuals who commit sexual misconduct or fail to report suspected abuse.
     
• Private schools are not included in the legislation because they do not have governmental immunity from liability.
      
• "We have a sexual abuse crisis in our public schools in Texas. It’s indisputable, and we can’t look away." – Mitch Little

OTHER EDUCATION NEWS

Former East Texas Principal Indicted on Child Porn Charges

Last November, Chad Dwight Barrett was serving as a principal at Hardin Junior High School when he was arrested under allegations he sent an inappropriate video to a student. Investigators with the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office discovered pictures and videos on Barrett’s cell phone containing child sexual abuse material.

Houston Faces Lawsuit Over Continued Membership in Regional Planning Council

• Houston is facing a lawsuit from government accountability advocates after city officials renewed membership in the Houston-Galveston Area Council, despite a voter-approved city charter amendment requiring otherwise. As Joseph Trimmer reports, the membership costs taxpayers $93,000 in dues.
     
• The lawsuit, filed by Fair for Houston, claims the city violated the charter by failing to secure proportional representation on the regional planning council as mandated by Proposition B, which Houston voters approved in 2023. Prop B requires Houston to either achieve representation in H-GAC proportional to its population or to withdraw from the organization.
     
• Houston, which accounts for over 30 percent of the regional population, currently holds just two seats on H-GAC’s 37-member board.

Quote-Unquote

"Pick up a rifle and you change instantly from a subject to a citizen."

– Jeff Cooper​

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