Daily Dispatch 10/30/23: Voucher And Immigration Fight Continues At Capitol, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: As a new week begins, the line against vouchers at the special session is holding...for now: https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/politics/inside-politics/texas-politics/san-angelo-republican-school-voucher-program-doa-texas-house-without-major-increase-public-school-funding/287-75354955-4380-41dc-af8e-3c77a6906c4b ...While religious schools eye the prospect of expanding into rural areas should vouchers pass: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/30/private-school-expansion-texas-vouchers/ ...Catholic schools for example, where enrollment has been sliding for decades: https://www.expressnews.com/news/education/article/texas-vouchers-catholic-schools-18452765.php U.S. Representative Colin Allred leads a Senate race poll - but ranks far behind respondents with no opinion or knowledge of the race: https://www.kxan.com/news/your-local-election-hq/allred-leads-crowded-field-in-new-texas-democratic-primary-poll/ El Paso Matters op-ed calls immigration bills speeding through the special session "bad legislation": https://elpasomatters.org/2023/10/28/opinion-texas-immigration-bills-wasteful-unconstitutional-dangerous/ Guns are still the leading cause of death among young Texans - and the numbers are getting worse: https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/30/gun-fatalities-texas-youths/ And while some progressive organizations have gotten behind Prop 1, the farming and agricultural rights amendment, Progress Texas still recommends a NO vote, due to the potential of abuse by large corporate agribusiness: https://www.kxan.com/news/protections-for-texas-farmers-on-the-november-ballot/ Thanks for listening! Grab our handy voting guide and consider making a donation to help us continue our work at https://progresstexas.org/.