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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
State of Texas: Special session redistricting brings risks; THC, floods, STAAR on agenda
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas' first special session of 2025 starts Monday, during which state lawmakers will consider new congressional maps approve the proposal. Special sessions explained: How they work, what the rules are Michael Li, senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice, specializes in voter participation among minority communities in Texas. He said that the only possible way he sees Republicans being able to maximize gains in Texas is by breaking up majority-Black or Latino districts in cities, like Houston and Dallas. 'In Texas, there really isn't a way to maximize Republican seats anymore without really targeting the political power of communities of color,' Li said. 'It's for districts that are majority non-white and that are all represented by Black or Latino members that have been floated around as districts that might be redrawn or tweaked in some way.' A statement from the Texas Democratic Party released July 10 identified the Houston-area 9th, 18th and 29th congressional districts, as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth 33rd congressional district as the seats most vulnerable to redistricting. All are currently represented by Black or Latino members. 'I am ready, willing and able': House Democrat says he'd break quorum to stop redistricting The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires certain states to have majority-Black or Latino districts, and courts have recently struck down maps for violating that provision. Alabama and Louisiana were forced to draw new maps ahead of the 2024 election that created an additional Black-majority district, and Texas is already facing litigation over its current maps. The non-white population of Texas is also quickly growing. Texas earned two additional seats in Congress after the 2020 Census, and is currently projected to gain even more if population trends hold. 'This special session and the redrawing of Texas's congressional map … is coming just as we have census data showing that people of color provided all of Texas's population growth between 2023 and 2024,' Li said. 'The white population of Texas actually fell a little bit for the first time.' That leaves congressional candidates with little time ahead of the December filing deadline, especially if the new maps become tied up in court. 'It's almost certain that Black and Latino voters, and perhaps other voters, will be in court trying to block these maps, and there will be a fight about whether the maps will be in place for 2026 or not,' Li said. 'There isn't a lot of time to get new maps in place.' There are also other risks besides legal challenges: Current districts are drawn in a way that minimizes competition and packs cities into just a handful of districts, giving Republicans an edge. Any new map the GOP draws would make current Republican seats more vulnerable in order to create gains. That comes with risks, Li said, because population and demographic changes could upend the map in unpredictable ways. Li said that Republicans are facing pressure from President Trump to get it done, but will have to weigh whether or not they want to take a gamble. 'The question really is, are they willing to give that up, particularly the younger and the members who have less time in Congress, are they really willing to have a much more competitive map for the rest of the decade,' Li said. THC regulation up for consideration Governor Greg Abbott identified six bills he vetoed that are up for further consideration during the special session. Chief among the list is the highly scrutinized Senate Bill 3, which would have outlawed all consumable hemp products containing THC, the intoxicating chemical found in cannabis. In his veto proclamation, the governor made it clear he wants the legislature to look at regulating the hemp industry over a complete ban. He argues the way SB 3 is currently written would be legally fought for years to come. 'If I were to allow Senate Bill 3 to become law, its enforcement would be enjoined for years, leaving existing abuses unaddressed. Texas cannot afford to wait,' Abbott wrote. At one point in its legislative lifespan, SB 3 was not structured as a complete ban on THC products. State Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, substantially changed the bill in the House Committee on State Affairs. It allowed the hemp industry to continue manufacturing hemp drinks and tinctures, and 'other consumable forms as long as they do not resemble a common snack marketed to children,' according to a summary of the bill changes. The King version of the bill also created a regulatory framework for those products that would have been carried about by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and the Department of State Health Services. 'It allows for some hemp sales to be continued. It bans vapes. It bans vape shops. It bans all synthetics. Delta-9, the natural flower that's grown and sold in Texas, would remain,' King said. The bill was ultimately changed back to its original state after an amendment by State Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, on the House floor. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick championed SB 3 the entire session and made it one of his top priorities before the session started. He called the products 'poison' to the community and would not settle for anything less than an outright ban. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Gov. Abbott wants to legalize recreational THC First flood-related bill filed ahead of special session Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin, filed the first flood-related bill of the special session. It proposed changes to emergency warning systems operated by municipalities and counties. Senate Bill 25 would allow municipalities to collect residents' contact information to enroll them in emergency alerts, sent via text message, with their consent and the ability to opt-out at any time. Texans would also be able to choose to enroll in emergency alerts when they apply for or renew their driver license. Related: Special session will also target transgender Texans The bill represents the first of expected flood-related measures as lawmakers prepare to address the July 4 Central Texas disaster that exposed gaps in warning systems across the region. Shortly after SB 25 was filed, Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, filed SB 26, a flood relief program that provides loans to small businesses. SB 26 would provide interest-free loans to small and micro-businesses to be used for any expenses, so long as they are Texas-based, impacted by the Central Texas floods and be in good standing with the state. Abbott placed flood warning systems at the top of his 18-item special session agenda following the July 4 floods that killed dozens of people across Central Texas. Kerr County, which suffered the heaviest losses, lacked a flood warning system despite being located in an area known as 'flash flood alley.' 'Replace the people that failed us': Former Kerr Co. IT official calls for change after flood alert delay The disaster raised questions about whether residents received adequate warnings before the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes, devastating communities along its banks. During the session, joint House and Senate committees will examine disaster preparedness and flooding issues. The committees will hold their first hearing July 23 at the Capitol, followed by a second hearing in Kerrville to gather resident input. Texas lawmakers create flood disaster committees ahead of special session The committees will examine four areas outlined in Abbott's agenda: flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding for Hill Country floods, and natural disaster preparation and recovery. Eckhardt's bill adds to growing legislative momentum to address flood preparedness issues that became apparent during the Central Texas disaster, which marked one of the deadliest flood events in state history. Odessa lawmaker files bill to scrap STAAR After multiple failed attempts in recent years, State Representative Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, is once again trying to eliminate the STAAR test from Texas public schools. Landgraf's House Bill 92 aims to eliminate the STAAR exam and reduce the scope of standardized testing in Texas classrooms. The bill targets all state-mandated assessments that exceed federal requirements and is intended to take effect in the 2025–2026 school year, if passed. 'Texans have made it clear: They want to scrap the STAAR test,' said Landgraf in a statement. 'Students, parents, teachers, and taxpayers are tired of an unnecessarily expensive system that prioritizes high-stakes test scores over actual learning.' HB 92 proposes a shift away from a test-driven education system and instead seeks to restore classroom instruction time and encourage a more well-rounded learning experience. The bill would retain only those standardized tests that are required under federal law, aiming to alleviate pressure on both educators and students. Landgraf pushed similar legislation during the regular session, but fell short of final approval. He says the special session presents another opportunity to 'get this right.' 'We were so close to scrapping STAAR earlier this year,' he said. 'This bill gives Texas another chance to get this right and put the focus of our school system where it belongs, on preparing students for life, not just filling in bubbles on an exam.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Texas special session 2025: Flood relief, THC regulation, property taxes and GOP-led redistricting push
The 30-day special session of the Texas Legislature is set to begin Monday, July 21. The agenda includes 18 legislative priorities determined by Gov. Greg Abbott. Several of the priorities listed address the recent devastating floods in Central Texas. Also on the list is regulating hemp-derived THC, property tax relief and a highly controversial proposal to redraw Texas's Congressional map in the middle of the decade. Following Abbott's announcement of the agenda, the Texas Democratic Party released a statement criticizing him for including flood relief in the upcoming special session agenda, arguing he already has the emergency authority to provide aid without legislative approval. "This session will be costly to Texas taxpayers and appears to serve Republican special interests rather than Texans," the statement said. "Texas leadership should be laser-focused on flood relief and prevention. Any attempts to pull attention away from these relief efforts are a gross injustice to all of the Texans affected by this natural disaster." Eye on Politics reporter Jack Fink spoke with Jasper Scherer, politics editor at the Texas Tribune, and Brad Johnson, senior reporter at The Texan ahead of the packed session. "It's pretty bold," Johnson said. "I'm not sure how they're going to get all this done in the span of 30 days ... this is quite a slate even for a regular session." Scherer agreed that the session seems heavy with "lots of lots of kind of long time conservative wish list items that the governor's thrown on." "It's going to be fascinating to see if they can get any of it done," he said. Abbott placed four items on the agenda related to flood and disaster response efforts including flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding for Hill Country flood and natural disaster preparation and recovery. More than 100 people are dead and dozens remain missing after catastrophic flash floods swept through Central Texas over the July 4 weekend, making it the second-deadliest flood disaster in Texas history. The Guadalupe River surged more than 26 feet in just 45 minutes, overwhelming communities in Kerr County and beyond. Kerr County, the epicenter of the devastation, did not have warning systems along the Guadalupe River due to local concerns about cost. In separate interviews for Eye On Politics, Republican state Sen. Paul Bettencourt of Houston and Democratic state Rep. Joe Moody of El Paso said they agree with comments made by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in the wake of the flooding that the state can foot the bill for flood warning systems. Another item on the agenda is the regulation of hemp-derived THC products. The legislature passed a measure known as SB 3 during the regular session, heavily pushed by Patrick, that would have banned nearly all THC products. Opponents argued that the bill would kill a booming industry in Texas and cost tens of thousands of jobs, and take away access to products used by veterans and others as alternatives to opioids for pain relief. Abbott sided with the opponents, vetoing SB3 and instead calling for legislation that would regulate the products and prohibit their sale to people under 21. Democratic state Rep. Mihaela Plesa of Dallas told Jack in a one-on-one interview Texas should look to neighboring states as a model. "We need to make sure that veterans have access to the medicines they need, and people who are chronically ill have that freedom." Plesa said. "Oklahoma has a medical cannabis program that also has something like regulations of THC and low-dose hemp and the delta-8s and delta-9s. Louisiana has a program as well, and so does New Mexico. So I think that we can just look at our neighbors' needs to see what they're doing, what works for them, and how they're protecting their consumers." In asking state lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional districts, Abbott cited a letter he and Attorney General Ken Paxton received from the U.S. Department of Justice on July 7. The letter claimed that four House districts with majorities of people of color, and all held by Democrats, were racial gerrymanders in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Critics and redistricting experts have raised doubts about that argument; In an ongoing federal lawsuit against the existing congressional map, the state has argued race was not a factor in drawing district boundaries. Last month, the New York Times reported that President Trump wanted Abbott to call a special session so lawmakers could create additional Republican districts to help the GOP retain its narrow majority House of Representatives. The president's party almost always loses seats in Congress in the midterms; Democrats gained 41 House seats and the majority in 2018, Mr. Trump's first term, and Republicans picked up 9 seats to claim the majority in 2022, during President Biden's term. Most lawmakers contacted by CBS News Texas either declined to comment on the New York Times report or said they did not know anything other than what was reported. Mr. Trump himself said recently that he wants a "simple redrawing" of Texas' congressional map where Republicans pick up five seats. Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison of Ellis County filed 10 bills concerning property tax relief, including proposing a constitutional amendment to abolish ad valorem taxes altogether. In a previous interview for Eye On Politics, Harrison said he believes that property taxes didn't go far enough in the regular session. "We did absolutely nothing meaningful on property taxes," Harrison said. "Ask any property taxpayer in the state of Texas if they believe the legislature succeeded this session, I can tell you what the answer is going to be no." "If they gave us one job this session, it was to cut their property taxes immediately and put our state on a path to full elimination. And quite frankly, I offered budget amendments over 30 of them on our budget, and I identified $90 billion that we could cut out of our budget and we could have cut people's property taxes in half, or about 40% almost immediately," he said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Redistricting expert explains the risks behind GOP plan for new maps
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Texas could soon have newly drawn congressional maps if lawmakers approve the proposal during the upcoming special session. After rumors emerged that President Donald Trump was pushing Texas Republicans to redraw the state's congressional maps to give the GOP an advantage in the 2026 midterms, Gov. Greg Abbott officially added it to the special session agenda Wednesday. One expert said there may be risks in redrawing the maps. Michael Li is the senior counsel in the democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice and specializes in voter participation among minority communities in Texas. He said that the only possible way he sees Republicans being able to maximize gains in Texas is by breaking up majority-Black or Latino districts in cities, like Houston and Dallas. 'In Texas, there really isn't a way to maximize Republican seats anymore without really targeting the political power of communities of color,' Li said. 'It's for districts that are majority non-white and that are all represented by Black or Latino members that have been floated around as districts that might be redrawn or tweaked in some way.' A statement from the Texas Democratic Party released Thursday identified the Houston-based ninth, 18th and 29th congressional districts, as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth-based 33rd congressional district as the most vulnerable seats in redistricting. All are currently represented by Black or Latino members. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 requires certain states to have majority-Black or Latino districts, and courts have recently struck down maps for violating that provision. Alabama and Louisiana were forced to draw new maps ahead of the 2024 election that created an additional Black-majority district, and Texas is already facing litigation over its current maps. The non-white population of Texas is also quickly growing. Texas earned two additional seats in Congress after the 2020 Census, and is currently projected to gain even more if population trends hold. 'This special session and the redrawing of Texas's congressional map … is coming just as we have census data showing that people of color provided all of Texas's population growth between 2023 and 2024,' Li said. 'The white population of Texas actually fell a little bit for the first time.' The special session begins July 21 and can last no longer than 30 days. That leaves congressional candidates little time ahead of the December filing deadline, especially if the new maps become tied up in court. 'It's almost certain that Black and Latino voters, and perhaps other voters, will be in court trying to block these maps, and there will be a fight about whether the maps will be in place for 2026 or not,' Li said. 'There isn't a lot of time to get new maps in place.' There are also other risks besides legal challenges. Current districts are drawn in a way that minimizes competition and packs cities into just a handful of districts, giving Republicans an edge. Any new map the GOP draws would have to make current Republicans more vulnerable in their seats in order to create gains. That does not come without risks, Li said, because population and demographic changes could upend the map in unpredictable ways. Li said that Republicans are facing pressure from the president to get it done, but will have to weigh whether or not they want to take a gamble. 'The question really is, are they willing to give that up, particularly the younger and the members who have less time in Congress, are they really willing to have a much more competitive map for the rest of the decade,' Li said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Axios
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
THC, STAAR testing and redistricting make Abbott's special session agenda
Abortion, THC, flood management and STAAR testing will be on a packed agenda when state lawmakers return to Austin for a special session later this month. Why it matters: If lawmakers act on all 18 items, the legislation would have far-ranging implications for Texans. The big picture: The Texas Legislature meets every other year. The governor has the option to call lawmakers back for special sessions and decide the agenda. The latest: Four of the items on Abbott's agenda relate to the recent flooding in Central Texas that killed at least 110 people, with 161 others still missing. Abbott wants lawmakers to pass legislation to improve warning and emergency communication systems in flood-prone areas throughout the state. State of politics: Abbott's other special session priorities include property tax reform, which could limit local government spending, and congressional redistricting, which could help Republicans shore up their slim House majority in next year's midterm elections. The governor has called on lawmakers to pass legislation "further protecting unborn children and their mothers" from abortion. Legislation pushed by anti-abortion advocates to limit abortion pills in Texas fell short during the regular session. Abbott also wants to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with "effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability," per his agenda. An effort to scrap the STAAR also fell short during the regular session. Zoom in: Abbott has disagreed with his fellow Republicans on the state's approach to THC. Abbott last month vetoed a Republican-led THC ban and said he wants the state to limit the potency of hemp-derived products, restricting synthetically modified compounds and boosting enforcement. The other side: Texas Democrats say the redistricting plan would target four Democratic districts. "This session will be costly to Texas taxpayers and appears to serve Republican special interests rather than Texans," the Texas Democratic Party said in a statement. What's next: The special session starts on July 21 and can last up to 30 days.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Soros-Funded Democrats Target Texas With New Multimillion-Dollar Campaign
(Texas Scorecard) – A Democrat-aligned political group backed by billionaire George Soros is once again setting its sights on Texas, aiming to flip the reliably red state with a new multimillion-dollar campaign. According to a Wall Street Journal report, Texas Majority PAC—bankrolled heavily by Soros—has launched a new initiative dubbed 'Blue Texas,' partnering with the Texas Democratic Party and several county parties to organize volunteers, recruit candidates, and boost voter turnout ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Campaign finance records show Soros gave $2.1 million to Texas Majority PAC in 2024 and another $1 million in April. The move marks the latest in a long line of efforts by Democrats to make inroads in Texas, a state Republicans have dominated for decades. Despite shifting demographics and repeated national predictions of a 'blue wave,' Democrats haven't won a single statewide race in Texas since 1994. Soros and his political allies tried a similar approach in the last election cycle—pouring millions into Texas Majority PAC in an attempt to build a Democrat ground game—but came up short. In 2024, Republicans not only held their ground but made gains in both the Texas House and Senate. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, won 12 of the state's 14 border counties and defeated Kamala Harris by nearly 14 percentage points. The Texas Majority PAC, which describes its mission as growing the Democrat majority and winning statewide elections, is hoping for a different result this time. Organizers say they'll hold rallies across the state in June and visit more than two dozen cities in July to recruit candidates. Their long-term goal is to make Texas a competitive battleground state by 2032, when a new round of redistricting could further increase the state's electoral significance. 'If a win is on the table in 2026, we don't want to leave it there by not being organized,' Katherine Fischer, deputy executive director of Texas Majority PAC, told WSJ. But past efforts like Battleground Texas—formed over a decade ago with similar ambitions—have largely failed. Republicans have continued to control every statewide office. Republican Party of Texas Chairman Abraham George dismissed the latest push, telling Texas Scorecard, 'They can spend all the money in the world. Texas is deep red, and the areas that are blueish now will be flipped by our grassroots efforts. We are working with all of our statewide and local candidates to bring another Red Wave to Texas, even bigger than 2024.'
