Texas is rolling in it! 

A strong economy and soaring inflation have spurred extraordinary tax and fee collections, swelling the state’s coffers by up to $27 Billion more than was budgeted. 

So the first question that comes to mind is: How is the surplus going to be spent?

Rest assured there will be a Texas-sized wishlist from politicians, especially incumbents who can afford to make big promises now as we barrel toward the November election and a legislative session that starts two months after that. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar makes his first appearance on Y’all-itics to talk to The Jasons about the unexpected windfall…whether any of it will bring much sought tax relief for Texas property owners…and what he thinks of a California-style mass check sending campaign to residents to give back a surplus there that was almost 4 times bigger than the budget bounty here in Texas.

Guest: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar

Y’all-itics: August

This episode is about the two most influential men in Texas politics that you’ve likely never heard of. They’re billionaire oil men from West Texas who also preach at their local churches.  Tim Dunn and Farris Wilks are now the focus of a new CNN documentary titled “Deep in the Pockets of Texas.”  In talking to experts and fellow conservatives, veteran Texas journalist Ed Lavandera shows how Dunn and Wilks have successfully pushed Texas politics – and that of the nation – to the far-right.  So, the Jasons invited Lavandera out for a pint to find out more about these two men, what shaped them and the political future they want for Texas.

Guest

Ed Lavandera, CNN Correspondent 

SYNOPSIS:

This past year has taught us not to take electricity for granted. Better be careful with water, too. Texas needs more of it to keep up with all the residents and businesses moving here. One small town along the Red River is already running low on the resource. The plan for Dallas / Fort Worth alone calls for five new reservoirs. One, proposed in northeast Texas, would flood 66,000 acres of land, move out families, and take property off the tax rolls. But not acting soon enough could also cost Texas billions of dollars in lost business and population. It’s a dicey dilemma and time is of the essence. Joining the Jasons this week is Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar. His office is studying what’s at stake. And Janice Bezanson, from the Texas Conservation Alliance, argues for other options besides taking away family farms.

GUESTS:

Glenn Hegar, R-Texas Comptroller

Janice Bezanson, Texas Conservation Alliance

Y’all-itics: July 24, 2022

It has become one of the most pressing debates in the life of a modern parent: when to allow their children access to social media and once they have it, how best to limit it. A Texas Republican wants to eliminate the guesswork for parents and ban any child under 18 from using social media. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, state Representative Jared Patterson joins the Jasons to discuss everything from First Amendment and parental rights, to why he thinks parents stand no chance against the algorithms social media companies are using the target their children. The lawmaker, who plans to introduce this bill during the next session in January, also explains why he doesn’t think social media companies will send any representatives to a joint committee hearing being planned next month.

Guest

Rep. Jared Patterson, (R) Frisco

The lights…and thankfully the A-C…stayed on in Texas last week. But as the state baked in triple digit temps, the electric grid operator pleaded with Texans on multiple days to hike up the thermostat and conserve power as much as possible, because the state was uncomfortably close to not having enough electricity to meet demand. And it could happen again in the week ahead, with forecasts showing another string of sweltering days. But going into the summer, Governor Abbott touted the strength of the Texas electric grid…and he has said that state leaders did everything that needed to be done to fix the problems that led to deadly, widespread outages in February 2021 when the state didn’t have enough power to go around. Beto O’ Rourke, the governor’s Democratic opponent in this year’s election has made the fragile electricity situation in Texas a key pillar of his campaign, promising to fix it if he is elected in November. This week he joins the Jasons to discuss that. Also on this episode: Ed Hirs, the Energy Fellow at the University of Houston. Professor Hirs says there are no quick, easy, or cheap fixes for the situation Texas is in. Without big changes, he predicts many more problems ahead. He adds that this status quo is enriching some energy companies and is jacking up the retail electric rates we all pay.

Guests: 

Professor Ed Hirs, University of Houston Energy Fellow 

Beto O’ Rourke, Texas Democratic Gubernatorial candidate

Y’all-itics: July 10, 2022

In their official party platform, Texas Republicans now call homosexuality “an abnormal lifestyle choice.” The party goes even further and states that it opposes any criminal or civil penalties against “those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.” And the Texas GOP still refused to allow Log Cabin Republicans, which represents LGBTQ conservatives, to have a booth at the state convention last month. Despite this hostility, some Texas Republicans who identify as gay say the platform regarding homosexuality isn’t as bad as it seems. And in this episode of Y’all-itics, a Republican leader and former LCR chair explains why he still feels welcome in the Texas GOP even though he thinks it’s an interesting time to be an openly gay Republican.

Guest

Marco Roberts, Texas Conservative Liberty Forum

Think you’re paying a lot for gas this July 4th holiday? As hard as it is to believe, you should actually enjoy it now, because you’ll likely be buying $6 gas by the time the next federal holiday rolls around. Many experts believe these skyrocketing gas prices will only accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. But that could lead to huge problems in Texas. Experts says the power grid in our state is in no way ready for EVs to comprise the bulk of our fleet, much less EV charging stations every 50-miles. In fact, the Energy Fellow at the University of Houston tells us in this episode of Y’all-itics, your neighborhood transformer might not even be ready for a few extra EVs on your block. And he explains why you’ll paying so much for gas.

Guests

Ed Hirs, UH Energy Fellow/Energy Economics Professor

Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Secretary of Energy

Y’all-itics: June 26, 2022

Chaos. If the public ever sees the body cam images, security footage and documents related to the massacre at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, state Senator Roland Gutierrez thinks that’s all you’ll find. But so far, the Democrat from San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, says he’s been stonewalled at every turn in his attempts to obtain those records. In fact, the Senator tells us he was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before he’d be able to see anything at all. In this episode of Y’all-itics, he explains why he refused and why he’s now suing the Texas Department of Public Safety, which he claims had 91 troopers on scene while the gunman was inside the classroom. You’ll also hear why Senator Gutierrez expects nothing to come out of the hearings held this week by the Senate Special Committee investigating the mass shooting and why he thinks it could take a while for the Uvalde community to regain its trust in law enforcement. And perhaps most importantly, if anything will lead to new legislation when lawmakers return to Austin in January 2023.

Guest

Sen. Roland Gutierrez, (D) San Antonio

Sen. Robert Nichols, (R)

Emergency Y’all-itics: June 24, 2022

Abortion is now illegal in Texas. Our state never repealed any pre-Roe anti-abortion statues, so the moment the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, those became immediately enforceable again. And thanks to our state’s “trigger law,” in 30-days, the penalty will become even more severe, jumping from a misdemeanor to a felony. But this is only the beginning of the story in Texas. As you’ll hear in this emergency episode of Y’all-itics, Republican lawmakers are already planning legislation that would punish businesses that help female employees obtain an abortion. Rep. Briscoe Cain says there could even be legislation that empowers district attorneys to prosecute folks from neighboring counties, if their home county DA decides not to enforce it. Meantime, Democrats call the historic ruling a devastating blow to women that will severely limit access to healthcare. And Rep. Nicole Collier wonders out loud why the same folks who used the argument “my body, my choice” to resist COVID-19 vaccines and masks aren’t making the same argument now. And finally, the Jasons and special guest host Teresa Woodard turn to one of the nation’s premiere constitutional law experts to find out if the Supreme Court’s ruling will put any other rights at risk.

Guests

Rep. Nicole Collier, (D) Fort Worth

Rep. Briscoe Cain, (R) Baytown

Steve Vladeck, University of Texas School of Law

Already this summer, Texans have been asked to conserve energy, just to make sure we have enough power. We’ve already climbed above 100 more than once, and we’re barely halfway through June. And we still haven’t recovered from the devastating winter storm of 2021 that led to the catastrophic failure of Texas’ power grid and hundreds of deaths. So, we had a simple question here at Y’all-itics. Will our air conditioning stay on during what promises to be a brutal summer? We turned to expert energy analyst Alison Silverstein and Senator Nathan Johnson, a leading voice on the power grid in the Texas legislature. They explain why we actually have so much electricity right now in Texas, some generators are losing money, while we’re paying more. It’s only possible because so many of our extra power plants are online, plants usually undergoing maintenance this time of year. And running these plants so hard, for so long, could have devastating consequences come August and beyond.

Guests

Allison Silverstein, Energy Analyst/Consultant

Sen. Nathan Johnson, (D) Dallas