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Here are the top political headlines from Austin, Washington, the campaign trail and Dallas.
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Points from Austin
1. The Legislature is in the home stretch this week, and it's likely that the final property tax and school finance changes to promised by GOP leaders will be delivered. First, lawmakers passed legislation that slows how fast property tax bills rise. They called it one of the most transformational tax changes the Legislature has ever passed. Then the Legislature passed another bill that lowers school property tax rates. This is the bill where taxpayers would see and feel the tax cut, lawmakers said. "Texas taxpayers will see property tax reductions," House Speaker Dennis Bonnen said after passing the school funding bill. So how much should you expect your bill to shrink next year? Rebekah Allen reports that taxes may decrease a little bit, tax experts said, but maybe not at all.
Meanwhile, Eva Marie Ayala reports that public school district superintendents say an "accounting ploy" threatens to keep $1.8 billion from school districts even though lawmakers promised to funnel more money to public education. Dallas-area school and business leaders on Friday urged the Legislature to reject a Senate provision that would call for calculating school funding based on current year property values instead of using the prior year. Dallas school officials estimate the district could lose up to $100 million in new money under such a scenario. Plano a estimates $35 million loss.
2. Meanwhile, lawmakers are trying to hammer out the final budget, and budget writers are urging the Legislature to cut off further funding of a massive, 12-year technology overhaul at the state's child support enforcement unit that they say has been a disappointing waste of hundreds of millions of dollars. Austin bureau chief Robert T. Garrett reports that key legislators dropped the bombshell this week over the so-called "T2" project at the attorney general's office. Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a GOP budget writer from Southlake who was instrumental in persuading House colleagues to pull the plug: "This was a $60 million idea — $340 million ago." The episode only added to Texas' star-crossed efforts of the past quarter-century to privatize computer work at state agencies. More than one of the debacles has involved Accenture LLP, the successor to Andersen Consulting that on the child support upgrade is drawing fire from indignant lawmakers. But technology giants Electronic Data Systems, IBM and Xerox also absorbed criticism for over-billing or shoddy work on past state IT deals.
3. A bill to outlaw red light cameras in Texas is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk after passing the Senate 23-8, Lauren McGaughy reports. Abbott is expected to sign it into law. The bill would prohibit cities from operating photographic traffic camera systems that catch citizens speeding or running red lights and issue them fines. A handful of Texas cities, including Arlington and Richardson, have quit using the devices, or, like DeSoto, decided against installing them. But several others, including Dallas, Irving, Garland and Plano, continue to champion the cameras, which they say improve public safety.
4. A bill cast by conservatives as religious freedom protection and by liberals as a tool to discriminate against LGBT people was passed by the Texas House on Monday. Rebekah Allen reports that he so-called "Save Chick-fil-A" bill heads back to the Senate for final approval of a House amendment before it goes to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for his signature or veto. It passed by a 79-62 vote; Houston-area Republican Rep. Sarah Davis broke with her party to oppose it. Fort Worth GOP Rep. Matt Krause, the House sponsor, said the bill stops the government from taking adverse action against a business or person for their contributions or memberships in religious organizations. The bill was born out of the city of San Antonio's vote to boot Chick-fil-A from the airport based on its charitable donations to certain Christian organizations. Democrats insisted the bill is a vehicle to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender people, under the guise of religious liberty and protecting businesses.
5. Democrats were preparing for acrimonious battles in the last week of a mild legislative session. House committees voted out controversial bills that they didn't particularly want to see hit the House floor. But by Sunday night, none of those Republican-authored bills made the list, leaving them all but dead very late in the session. For Democrats, the exclusion was a gift. For the bill authors, it was a letdown. And for political observers, it left a lingering question: Why? James Barragán and Lauren McGaughy explain what happened.
6. A House-approved plan to stop Texans from having to change clocks twice a year and let them pick either daylight saving or standard time year-round is dead, Robert T. Garrett reports. On Monday, author Rep. Lyle Larson said he was "very disappointed" that his proposal was "summarily dismissed by the Senate." Though Larson's proposed constitutional amendment and an enabling bill easily cleared the House last month, the idea of letting voters weigh in on clock changes never gained traction in the Senate.
7. W. Gardner Selby reports that social conservatives have dinged ruling Texas Republicans for being too timid about abortion — especially after another state moved this week to provoke a showdown over the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing the procedure. Granbury Rep. Mike Lang, the GOP chair of the House's 10-member Texas Freedom Caucus, said he was disappointed Texas hasn't aligned with states where Republicans have pushed through legislation nearly banning abortion. Luke Macias, a consultant to far-right candidates, said in an email that Texas "has never been able to lead when it comes to protecting the unborn." He called the Capitol's "Big Three" — Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Dennis Bonnen — the "major bottleneck" for such action.
Meanwhile, one abortion-related bill was passed by Texas House members, who approved a bill late Friday night that would bar local governments from contracting with abortion providers and could keep Austin from supporting a low-income women's health clinic. The bill heads back to the Senate for final approval of an amendment, and then could go to Gov. Greg Abbott for signing. It passed the House 81-65, with Republican Rep. Sarah Davis of Houston crossing the aisle to vote with Democrats.
8. Tired of long lines to get or renew a driver's license? James Barragán reports that help may eventually be on the way. The Texas House on Friday approved changes meant to alleviate long lines at the Department of Public Safety's driver's license centers. Senate Bill 616 by Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, would increase the expiration term of driver's licenses from six to eight years — the maximum allowed under federal law — and would commission a third-party study on moving the issuance of driver's licenses from DPS to the Department of Motor Vehicles, which oversees in the process in many other states.
9. The action during the last week of the Legislature will be fast and furious, and a good way to keep up is with our state politics coverage site, the Texas Tracker: Your Guide to the State Legislature, you'll find stories, analysis and more from the Capitol. If you're a Dallas Morning News subscriber, you can customize your feed. Sign in, click the issues you want to follow, and you'll see only posts matching those topics.
Bob's Breakdown
Bob Garrett is the Austin bureau chief for The Dallas Morning News. A fifth-generation Texan, he has covered state government and politics for decades. Here, Bob offers his take from the Capitol.
— In the kumbaya session, tempers are not exactly flaring. But they're heating up, for sure. Tuesday night's the deadline for the House to tentatively pass Senate bills. But the House spent most of Monday passing just two. And it postponed until Wednesday morning further consideration of a priority bill of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and coastal lawmakers who represent Texans who had their lives upended by Hurricane Harvey: Senate Bill 8, a bill to improve flood planning.
— At 3:38 p.m. Monday, Patrick recognized Houston Sen. Joan Huffman to describe the House's molasses-like pace. She did. Patrick then recessed the Senate, which had been moving steadily through a pile of House bills, for three hours. Burn!
— Top priorities such as school finance and property tax cuts are still being hammered out. The results of those House-Senate talks will be the week's big news. But watch this one all the way until Monday night: Acting Secretary of State David Whitley, a member of Gov. Greg Abbott's extended "family" of close aides, still awaits Senate confirmation. Democrats have the votes to block him. Some are still upset by Whitley's January advisory to county election administrators about noncitizen voting. They're keeping an eye on Whitley every day and trying to ensure their 'caucus of no' stays together in the final days.
Points from Washington
1. Freshman Rep. Van Taylor of Plano is making news in Washington with his emphasis on working with Democrats. Matthew Adams reports Taylor is without question a conservative Republican. But watching him work the House floor, you might not know it, because he spends much of his time working the other side of the aisle. That's not uncommon in Austin, where Taylor served in the state House and Senate for eight years before heading to Congress. In the Legislature, lawmakers in both parties routinely work together. So in Congress, he makes it a point, he says, to spend half his time on the House floor on the Republican side and the other half with Democrats.
2. The Trump administration says it's a crisis: More than 100,000 migrants crossed the border in April, with many voluntarily turning themselves in to authorities to seek asylum. It was the biggest monthly apprehension total since 2007. But Alfredo Corchado reports that business people along the Texas-Mexico border say reassignment of more than 730 U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers from international bridges to help deal with the flow of mostly Central American migrants is taking a toll on business. One study says wait times at international crossings are almost a third longer and billions of dollars in trade are at stake.
Points from Dallas
1. Gromer Jeffers reports that for the first time in nearly 20 years, being a Dallas mayor is in vogue and will put you at the cool table. Local leaders across the country are getting more shine. Locked in a June 8 runoff, council member Scott Griggs and state Rep. Eric Johnson are trying to convince Dallas voters that they not only would love being mayor, but also have the tools to unite the council and move the city forward. That's been a refrain in most mayoral contests, which usually include a candidate from the Dallas business establishment taking a turn at public service. Many of them had no ambition other than leading the city. "Being mayor has become more attractive in political terms as we've seen the contemporary development of cities across the country," said Jim Henson, the director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. "On one hand, the job is hard. On the other hand, local government is the last resort for getting things done as state and national government gets bogged down. It's where the buck stops."
2. After visiting with former President George W. Bush and Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wrapped up a two-day trip to Dallas amid protests last week. Corbett Smith reports that Bolsonaro and three ministers from his Cabinet gave short presentations to about 150 business and civic leaders from around Texas and Brazil — including Dallas billionaires Ross Perot Jr. and Ray Hunt and former U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm — during a private luncheon at the Old Parkland campus. The controversial president also received a "Person of the Year" award from the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce at the event. Outside, a group of about 100 protesters — including groups from Dallas' LGBTQ community and Brazilian expats — rallied against Bolsonaro, holding signs and chanting a refrain common to protests in Bolsonaro's home country, "ele não," meaning "not him." On the other side of the gate outside Old Parkland, a smaller — but vocal — counterprotest cheered Bolsonaro's visit.
Tell us
Curious Texas, an ongoing project from The Dallas Morning News, invites you to join our reporting process. You can ask us questions about politics, the Legislature or elections, and we'll have our reporters answer them. From now until the June 8 runoff, we're specifically asking for questions about the Dallas mayor's race. Submit them here.
Recommended reading
The Washington Post reports that President Trump regularly assails the flow of migrants crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Less noticed has been the surge of people heading in the opposite direction. Mexico's statistics institute estimated this month that the U.S.-born population in this country has reached 799,000 — a roughly fourfold increase since 1990. And that is probably an undercount. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City estimates the real number at 1.5 million or more.
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