Daily Dispatch 10/16/23: Week Two Of Voucher Session Begins, and More

Stories we're following at Progress Texas: Senate-approved legislation allowing private school vouchers heads to the House today: https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/politics/lone-star-politics/passing-the-texas-senate-education-savings-accounts-have-tougher-road-in-house/3360879/ ...Governor Abbott is confident that vouchers are "on the one-yard line": https://www.kxan.com/state-of-texas/state-of-texas-public-funds-for-private-schools-plan-on-the-one-yard-line/ A big win for opponents of Galveston County's 2021 voting maps, drawn to disenfranchise voters of color: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2023/10/a-trump-appointed-federal-judge-just-ruled-a-texas-county-violated-the-voting-rights-act/ Rallies supporting Israel and Palestine were held at the Texas State Capitol yesterday with only minimal conflict: https://www.kxan.com/news/hundreds-attend-israel-palestine-rallies-at-texas-capitol/ A handful of Texas U.S. Representatives have rallied behind Ohio's Jim Jordan in his bid to be Speaker of the House, but he's nowhere near there: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/13/texas-congress-speaker-vote-jim-jordan/ ...Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee condemns GOP incompetence: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/texas-congresswoman-calls-out-dramatic-cost-of-house-gop-leadership-vacuum-195370053726 Following a shooting on Saturday, the Texas State Fair's policy covering the carrying of guns on its grounds is contradictory: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/2023/10/15/does-the-state-fair-of-texas-allow-guns-its-policy-appears-to-be-contradictory/ ...They've beefed up security for the last week of the Fair: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/state-fair-of-texas-reopens-with-added-safety-precautions-after-3-shot/ Watch for the term "special interest alien", which is being used interchangeably with "suspected terrorist" by right-wing media: https://www.politifact.com/article/2023/sep/21/special-interest-alien-designation-is-based-largel/ Austin and Dallas both make the top 5 in a new study of America's most overworked cities: https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/texas-cities-rank-in-the-top-5-most-overworked-cities-in-us-study-says/