Eye on Politics: Future of school choice legislation in Texas remains uncertain
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Early voting in the November elections begins on Monday. Border security bills are making their way through the state legislature, but legislation to provide taxpayer subsidies for students to attend private school isn't yet moving in the House. Former President George W. Bush condemns Hamas and warns about Iran.
Jack Fink dives into these stories on the latest edition of Eye on Politics (original air date: Oct. 19).
Every week, CBS News Texas political reporter Jack Fink breaks down some of the biggest political stories grabbing headlines in North Texas and beyond. Watch the latest episode of Eye on Politics in the video player above and stream new episodes live every Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. on CBS News Texas.
School choice legislation fate up in the air
Thursday night, a Republican House member introduced a bill that would use tax dollars to send students to private schools. This happened a week after the Texas Senate passed a similar measure.
Republican Rep. Brad Buckley's bill would also boost public school funding and give a one-time $4,000 bonus to teachers. The bill hasn't yet been referred to a committee.
Democratic lawmakers rallied against the Senate's legislation in Dallas last week.
"It is up to us to protect public education," said Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Plano. "Let us not rob our children of their rightful resources."
Republican House lawmakers from rural areas have joined Democrats in their opposition to the legislation because they worry it will hurt their school districts financially.
Dr. Josh Blank, research director at the Texas Politics Project at UT Austin, said the focus is on the rural Republicans.
"They're under extreme pressure. Now, the question is really how they perceive that pressure. I mean, there's no doubt that significant outside interest groups are spending resources and really trying to put the pressure on them," Blank said.
Earlier this week, Gov. Greg Abbott said his staff had been working closely with Republicans in the House to come to an agreement.
"We are closer than we've ever been," he told parents who support the legislation at a rally at the Capitol Monday afternoon.
Speaker Dade Phelan said last week the school choice or voucher bill won't pass without giving more money to public schools.
But the governor, who controls the special session agenda, said he'll add school district funding and teacher raises, only after his school choice bill passes.
Texas Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat from North Austin, co-authored a bill that would increase the amount of money school districts receive per student. Watch Jack's interview with Talarico below:
State lawmakers tackle border security
The House is considering two border security bills passed in the Texas Senate last week: SB 4 and SB 11.
During a Monday hearing, Republicans supported the bills and said they will deter illegal immigration, while Democratic lawmakers and other opponents said they don't believe they will help at all.
"As a child, I was undocumented for about eight years so when I see this legislation, I think about my history," Rep. Ana Hernandez, a Houston Democrat, said during a news conference. "We are not for stash houses, but we are not for criminalizing our families either."
At the meeting, Republican Rep. Ryan Guillen from Rio Grande City, said under SB 4, the state would establish a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for smuggling and operating stash houses:
"The crimes of smuggling and operating a stash house are a major challenge to public safety as smugglers not only take advantage of a smuggled individuals but their conduct endangers everyday Texans."
Learn more about the legislation below:
Early Voting begins
Early voting in the Nov. 7 elections begins Monday morning. Texas voters will be weighing in on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. Depending on which county you live in, there are also some local measures to vote on. Here's a quick look at some of the elections we're watching:
- Proposition 4 would raise the homestead exemption from $40,000 to $100,000 for most homeowners.
- Proposition 6 would use $1 billion to create a water fund. The fund would go toward things like fixing our state's aging pipes and finding more water sources.
- Proposition 7 would set aside $5 billion for the maintenance and modernization of the Texas electric grid, including offering low-interest loans for building new gas-fueled power plants.
- Proposition 9 would give retired teachers a cost-of-living increase through the Teacher Retirement System.
- In Denton County, Prosper ISD has a $2.8 billion bond package on the ballot. It includes Proposition C, which asks voters to approve $102.5 million to expand existing athletic facilities and build a new stadium that would seat 8,000 people.
- Also in Denton County, Lewisville ISD has a $1.2 billion bond package on the ballot. Proposition F, if approved, would allocate $20 million toward stadium improvements.
These are just a few of the ballot items. If you want to see a detailed list of what you'll be voting on and where you can vote, just visit the election website for the county you vote in to see your sample ballot.
Israel-Hamas War
Former President George W. Bush denounced Hamas and its deadly terror attack against Israel and gave his support to the Jewish state.
Speaking at his presidential library in a forum with Axios, he said he doesn't know for sure whether Iran helped Hamas with the attack, but it does have a history.
"Iran has been pretty good at using surrogate terrorist groups, Hezbollah being the key one of course."
Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn spoke on the Senate floor this week and also condemned Hamas for the attack:
"We've witnessed evil in its purest form. There's no excusing, no equivocating, no explaining the actions of Hamas."
As the Israel-Hamas War reaches a critical point, so does the rhetoric on public displays at a North Texas college campus. Watch JD Miles' report about the dueling messages at the University of Texas at Dallas about the conflict that has some concerned it's gone too far:
Other political headlines
- In a one-on-one interview, Sen. Ted Cruz told Jack that he's noticed the "open warfare" between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan and he's concerned. He said he wants both sides to "put down [their] guns."
- Former Tarrant County Elections Administrator Heider Garcia has announced he will become the new Elections Administrator in Dallas County in December after Michael Scarpello retires.
- Mitch Little, one of Attorney General Ken Paxton's attorneys during the impeachment trial, is challenging Republican Texas Rep. Kronda Thimesch of Denton County in the March primary.