Legislative session begins on January 14

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CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS

The 89th Texas legislative session begins on Jan. 14 with a still-unresolved race for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.
State Reps. David Cook, R-Mansfield and Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, are considered the frontrunners for speaker, but speculation continues as to whether other candidates will throw their hats into the ring.
The Republican caucus is split between those who oppose appointing any Democrat to chair a House committee and those who contend it’s essential to work across the aisle to get the state’s business done in a biennial five-month session. Historically, a few chairmanships have gone to members of the minority party.
In the wake of the November elections, the makeup of the 150-member Texas House is 87 Republicans and 63 Democrats.
School vouchers will again be on the legislative plate since they are a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott. His efforts to pass what are also called Education Savings Accounts failed numerous attempts in 2023, including several special sessions.
Legislative watchers predict more bills aimed at property tax relief but geared more toward business owners, since those passed in the 2023 session were primarily aimed at homeowners.
Another issue that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has prioritized is banning the sale of all THC products in Texas. Since the state legalized the growth of hemp, some stores have begun selling products containing previously illegal levels of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its “high.”
FBI probes reported threats against SpaceX
The FBI is investigating reported threats made against SpaceX’s Starbase Facility near Brownsville, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The bureau’s San Antonio office confirmed that it is investigating “possible bomb threats in South Texas in recent weeks.”
“While we are working to carefully vet and investigate the information we have received, we want to reiterate that the safety and security of the American people is the FBI’s highest concern,” the bureau said in a statement late last week.
A frequent camper near the launch site reported five male passengers in a vehicle talked of blowing up a SpaceX space vehicle.
The probe comes as the company is working toward a planned test flight on Jan. 10 of its second-generation Starship.
The company has come under fire in recent months for its environmental record. Several Rio Grande Valley groups have sued the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for allowing SpaceX to discharge wastewater from its launch platform without a permit.
State’s citrus industry on the brink of disaster
The state’s citrus industry is reeling after a pair of natural disasters — the deadly winter storm of February 2021 and a severe drought, The Texas Tribune reported. Nearly four years after that winter storm, production levels have not recovered.
The state’s citrus industry is located entirely in the Valley and has an economic impact of more than $300 million annually.
“We are not a large physical footprint anymore, but we still pack enough economic punch,” said Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, a nonprofit trade association that represents the interests of commercial citrus growers.
Farmers in the Valley largely depend on surface water from the Rio Grande. A mature citrus tree needs between 40 and 50 inches of water a year, according to the Texas A&M Agrilife Research Center. About half of that amount must be supplied by irrigation. Drought conditions and Mexico falling behind on delivering water under a 1944 treaty are blamed for the drop in citrus production.