Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Governor Abbott backs that bill to ban "furries" from public schools in his push for private school vouchers, even though he knows it targets a fictitious problem: https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-03-14/furries-texas-school-choice-vouchers

...Meanwhile lobbyists for "voucher vendors" - private companies that profit handsomely from managing voucher program money - are also pushing hard for a landfall: https://www.texasobserver.org/school-vouchers-vendors-millions-legislature/

...A great new rundown of the endgame of the 2025 voucher fight in the latest Texas Take podcast: https://megaphone.link/SFO3084352092

A Lubbock hospital has experienced a major measles exposure as an infected woman was admitted to its maternity ward, potentially re-igniting the outbreak: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/texas-measles-outbreak-hospital-newborn-babies-exposed-rcna196519

Over 1,000 mourners attended the funeral service for Congressman and former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Saturday: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/15/texas-sylvester-turner-funeral-houston/

...Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee has declared his intent to run for the resulting vacancy in D.C.: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/16/christian-menefee-congress-sylvester-turner/

Battery discharge, solar power and wind power have all set new records for providing power to the Texas grid this month: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/clean-energy/texas-broke-its-solar-wind-and-battery-records-in-one-spring-week

With fire danger up today (and maybe from now on) in Texas, grab the Watch Duty app to monitor: https://app.watchduty.org/

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

New reporting by the Texas Tribune shows that a severe shortage of cooking, cleaning and drinking water for Texas towns and cities could arrive as soon as 2030: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/13/texas-water-explained-supply-demand/

...Of obvious equal importance, at least to Smithville GOP Rep. Stan Gerdes: keeping kids from being "furries" - pretending to be animals - in Texas classrooms: https://www.chron.com/news/article/texas-rep-s-new-bill-ban-non-human-behavior-20220138.php

Big Labor has a bone to pick with Elon Musk, who has retweeted a statement blaming public sector workers for the genocides of Hitler, Stalin, and Mao: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/musk-hitler-murder-public-workers-x-b2714911.html

...Polling shows a majority of Americans having severe doubts about Musk's qualifications and judgement in his new role as Trump's hatchet man: https://thehill.com/homenews/5190503-elon-musk-experience-judgement-cnn-poll/

All Texans - and all Americans - who have continued to express opposition to the Trump and Republican regime should heed the case of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian rights protestor who was "disappeared" on Saturday: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/14/why-was-mahmoud-khalil-arrested

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠⁠

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Aside from the daily drama at the Capitol, the race to succeed Ron Nirenberg as the next mayor of San Antonio is one of the top political stories in Texas, as the leadership of the Lone Star State's second-biggest city for next four years hangs in the balance.

Candidate Gina Ortiz Jones is well-known to followers of progressive politics in Texas - she has distinguished herself via an impressive military career, and serving as Under Secretary of the Air Force from 2021 to 2023 under the Biden Administration.

Learn more about Gina Ortiz Jones' run for mayor of San Antonio at ⁠https://ginaortizjones.com/⁠.

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can support our ongoing work at ⁠https://progresstexas.org/⁠.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Governor Abbott has announced a grant of over $17 million to SpaceX for semiconductor research and development in Bastrop: https://www.kxan.com/news/spacex-to-receive-17m-from-the-texas-semiconductor-innovation-fund-grant/

...While Elon Musk's slashing of federal spending has resulted in billions in funding cut from food banks, including those across Texas: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/north-texas-food-bank-usda-cuts/3791020/

...Meanwhile Tesla's stock and public profile has taken massive damage: https://www.theverge.com/tesla/627894/tesla-stock-sales-protest-musk-trump-doge

...But whether that will matter to a guy who, after losing $100 billion of his net worth, is still the world's richest man, remains to be seen: https://www.vox.com/politics/403371/tesla-boycott-trump-elon-musk-doge

Robert Morris, former Gateway Church leader and Donald Trump spiritual adviser, may not get away with sexually abusing a child back in the '80s after all - he's been indicted in Oklahoma: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/12/robert-morris-texas-megachurch-indicted-sexual-abuse/

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠⁠

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Urgent action is warranted TODAY, if you happen to be one of the over half of adult Texans who rent their home from a landlord or property owner: HB-32, promoted by the Texas Apartment Association, introduced by D/FW Republican Angie Chen Button, and curiously supported by El Paso Democrat Joe Moody, would greatly speed up the process by which your landlord might evict you from your home - and mostly without due process. This bill is being heard at the House TODAY - your action in contacting your Representative in the House is needed NOW.

Thanks to Mark Melton and Stuart Campbell with the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center for their work in opposing this bill, which is clearly bad for the millions of Texans who rent. Learn more about them at https://www.dallaseac.org/.

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and pitch in to support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

Discussion of HB3, the Texas House GOP's attempt to establish a billion-dollar private school voucher program was heated, and hundreds signed up for a long day of testimony: https://www.kut.org/2025-03-11/texas-house-republicans-get-an-earful-from-the-opposition-on-proposed-school-voucher-program

...Texas citizens called for this money to instead be invested directly in public schools, and reminded lawmakers of the segregationist origins of the private school voucher concept: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/11/texas-house-school-voucher-bill/

...Athletics programs at public schools would take as much damage as other departments - threatening a central pillar of community in small Texas towns, and increasing already-existing performance disparity between richer and poorer districts: https://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/texas-high-school-athletics-could-face-difficulties-amid-ongoing-school-voucher-debate-school-administrators-brennan-bears

In what could be seen as a major loyalty test, Republican Senator John Cornyn and Austin Rep. Michael McCaul are countering Donald Trump's latest whim - he want to get rid of the CHIPS Act, which has resulted in billions worth of semiconductor manufacturing investment in Texas: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/12/texas-congress-cornyn-mccaul-trump-chips-act/

Do you rent your home? Chances are, you do - and HB-32, being billed as an "anti-squatting" measure, would actually make it much easier for your landlord to evict you: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/squatters-renters-bill-20213405.php

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠⁠

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

A huge day at the Texas State Capitol today, as House Bill 3, which would establish a private school voucher program in Texas, goes before the House Public Education Committee: https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/texas-house-committee-to-hold-pivotal-hearing-on-school-voucher-bill

...New polling shows broad, bipartisan opposition to private school vouchers among voters in Texas: https://www.chron.com/politics/article/supermajority-of-texas-voters-out-on-school-choice-20212919.php

...Republican House Speaker Dustin Burrows, elevated to that position by the support of the Democratic minority, says he's all in for vouchers: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-house-speaker-burrows-says-he-will-vote-for-school-choice-as-democrats-fight-to-kill-the-bill/

...Governor Abbott sees vouchers as a loyalty test: if you support Trump, you should support vouchers: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/05/texas-school-choice-trump-00210195

New economic data shows that Texas would be especially hard-hit by any Trump tariffs against Mexico and Canada: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-could-be-state-hardest-hit-by-tariffs-economists-say/

A new Senate bill proposes that homeless encampments be outlawed across the state - essentially criminalizing the act of being homeless in public: https://www.fox7austin.com/news/senate-bill-241-homeless-camping-ban-enforcement

Republican Congressman Pat Fallon is holding two "DOGE workshop" events in northeast D/FW next Wednesday March 19 - should make for interesting conversations: https://www.instagram.com/reppatfallon/p/DHCKLmBTAXW/

Houston Congressman and former Mayor Sylvester Turner's body will lie in state today in Houston and later this week at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, before his funeral in Houston on Saturday: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/houston/2025/03/10/515613/former-mayor-sylvester-turner-to-lie-in-state-in-houston-austin-ahead-of-funeral-this-week/

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: ⁠https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women⁠

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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The battle over private school vouchers sees a major milestone on Tuesday, as House Bill 3 - the GOP-controlled House's latest scheme to redirect money earmarked for public schools to private and parochial schools instead - comes before the Texas House Public Education Committee. This is a debate that has become partisan at the legislative level, though not as completely as some other issue areas have - in fact, Governor Abbott (who has been well-paid by billionare benefactors to continue this push) has had a hand in ousting House members of his own party who disagreed with his plans on behalf of the schools back home in their rural districts, who will be among those vouchers would hurt worst. The people in those districts - many of whom were misled into voting for Abbott's cherry-picked replacements - are beginning to realize what's at stake and pipe up, but we're about to find out whether that awakening will come too late for public schools, both rural and urban, across Texas.

We wanted to cover, in the most basic terms possible, WHY a private school voucher plan is a bad idea not only for Texas schools and the families of our school kids, but ultimately for ALL Texas taxpayers. So we've brought in representatives from the non-profit Every Texan, who have done extensive, non-partisan research on the subject, and also Democratic State Rep. Gina Hinojosa of Austin, who sits on the House Public Education Committee and has been at the forefront of the fight against private school vouchers for nearly a decade.

See the website that utilizes Every Texan data to show how YOUR public school district will be affected by private school vouchers at https://dontdefundmyschool.com/.

Learn more about Every Texan at https://everytexan.org/.

Learn more about Texas House Rep. Gina Hinojosa at https://www.ginaforaustin.com/.

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer

Thanks for listening! Learn more about Progress Texas and how you can help support our important work at https://progresstexas.org/.

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

House Bill 3, a Republican proposal to establish a private school voucher program in Texas, is set to be heard at the Capitol tomorrow - the time to call your Representative to oppose vouchers is right now. Arizona provides a great example of what opponents of this terrible idea would like to avoid: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/vouchers-texas-arizona-football-20207580.php

The West Texas measles outbreak has spread into Lea County, New Mexico - the case count, which is certainly a massive undercount, has hit 230: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/health/measles-outbreaks-texas-new-mexico/index.html

...Supplies of MMR vaccines have become strained and in some of Texas' bigger cities, have been exhausted: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/08/texas-mmr-vaccine-measles-outbreak

...Rural communities, suffering from badly lacking medical infrastructure, are struggling to meet the moment as well: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/10/rural-texas-measles-outbreak-response/

...The AP and the Texas Tribune visited the scene in West Texas and produced an eye-opening short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2WNb5Uzqm4

The symptoms of ketamine abuse are developing troubling parallels with the behavior of Elon Musk, who is known to have used the drug: https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-drug-explanation

Women's History Month, being observed throughout March across Texas, serves both as a celebration of the history of breakthroughs for women, and a reminder that Texas is the worst state for them: https://progresstexas.org/blog/celebrating-women%E2%80%99s-history-month-worst-state-women

San Antonio listeners! Progress Texas will visit the Alamo City for the first time in far too long on May 6! Please join us for a fun fundraising gathering of progressives and a LIVE podcast taping. RSVP here: ⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/sanantonio_mixer⁠

The merch to match your progressive values awaits at our web store! Goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bsky.app/profile/progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Great fun and a huge turnout for today's rally at the Texas State Capitol! Thanks to Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Greg Casar and their teams for allowing us to capture the event and all of its speakers:

00:56 - Emcee and Travis County Democratic Party Chair Pooja Sethi

03:40 - Austin U.S. Rep. Greg Casar

13:18 - California U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu

18:00 - Austin pediatrician Dr. Kimberly Avila Edwards

25:47 - Austin U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett

41:16 - Massachusetts U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren

Thanks for listening! Learn more about and support our ongoing work at https://progresstexas.org/.