Daily Dispatch 12/11/24: Texas GOP Schism Over Speaker Race Set To Widen, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas: Texas GOP machine choice David Cook and establishment-defying Dustin Burrows both claim to have enough votes to become Speaker of the Texas House - Burrows in particular is flirting with disaster: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/dustin-burrows-david-cook-texas-house-speaker-19971639.php ...Burrows has started calling himself "Speaker-elect", drawing legal scrutiny from his opponents: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/12/11/dustin-burrows-david-cook-texas-republican-state-election-code-house-speaker-elect/76889871007/ Much to review in advance of the 2025 Lege - our Advocacy department has gotten that look ahead going: https://progresstexas.org/preview-2025-texas-maga-legislative-session ...The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, known for their incompetence bordering on cruelty towards lower-income Texans, is seeking hundreds of millions of additional dollars next year: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/12/11/texas-medicaid-food-stamps-application-legislature/ ...Statewide electeds (yes, Republicans) have joined cannabis advocates and businesses in pushing back against Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's promised push to ban all THC products: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/thc-ban-texas-19964213.php ...One Republican lawmaker wants to deploy drones armed with pepper spray in the hallways of Texas schools: https://www.expressnews.com/opinion/editorial/article/texas-bill-drones-pepper-spray-school-security-19963801.php ...And another Republican lawmaker wants to stop the sale of sex toys by mainstream retailers like Wal-Mart and CVS: https://www.chron.com/culture/article/sex-toy-sales-texas-illegal-19971679.php Great to see everyone at our first holiday gathering in Austin! The second is in Dallas on December 16 - there are sponsorship opportunities available, and individual tickets are now on sale here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://act.progresstexas.org/a/progress-texas-holiday-parties-2024⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Holiday shopping for your progressive pals is easy and fun at our web store! Grab your goodies at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://store.progresstexas.org/⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're loving the troll-free environment at BlueSky! Follow us there at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@progresstexas.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Thanks for listening! Find our web store and other ways to support our important work this election year at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://progresstexas.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.