U.S. Sen. John Cornyn last week reversed his opposition to changing the Senate’s filibuster rules, writing in an op-ed that legislation in that chamber should pass with a simple majority, the San Antonio Express-News reported. Cornyn said the change should be made to advance the so-called SAVE America Act, legislation pushed by President Trump that would require a birth certificate or passport to register to vote.
“After careful consideration, I support whatever changes to Senate rules that may prove necessary for us to get the SAVE America Act and homeland security funding past the Democrats’ obstruction, through the Senate, and on the president’s desk for his signature,” Cornyn wrote.
Cornyn has long opposed ending the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote majority to end debate on the Senate floor. The practice dates back to the early 1800s.
Cornyn is in a tough runoff race with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. That election is set for May 26.
Middleton, Roy go on offense ahead of AG runoff
State Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, are taking the gloves off as they also head to a runoff in the GOP primary for Texas attorney general, The Dallas Morning News reported. Middleton finished first in the March 3 primary but fell short of a majority. Paxton didn’t seek reelection to the state attorney general post, opting instead to run against Cornyn.
“Chip Roy is on the ropes,” Middleton said. “We’ve got all the momentum.”
Roy, a four-term congressman, criticized what he called Middleton’s lack of legal experience.
“I wouldn’t hire Mayes Middleton into the office of the attorney general, except at a very basic level, because he has no discernible legal skills,” Roy said. Both are framing themselves as Trump allies.
On the Democratic side, state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, faces former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski in a runoff. Johnson received 48.1% of the vote to 26.4% for Jaworski in the March 3 primary.
Trump taps emergency oil reserves from Texas sites The Trump administration pledged 172 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve last week, with the oil coming from sites along the Gulf Coast, the Houston Chronicle reported. Prices for West Texas Intermediate crude oil have been hovering just below $100 per barrel since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Iranian officials have responded by essentially shutting down oil transported through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran controls.
“The market is seriously unbalanced, and that will continue until the Strait is reopened and upstream and downstream operations return to normal,” said Jim Burkhard, Vice President and the S&P Global Energy Crude Oil Markets. “It will not happen quickly.”
The national oil reserves are held in dozens of man-made underground salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana.
State ban on smokable cannabis takes effect on March 31 Smokable cannabis products must be gone from Texas store shelves by March 31, the Texas Standard reported. The new rules were formulated by the Texas Department of State Health Services after the Texas Legislature couldn’t agree on whether to regulate THC products or ban them entirely.
Annual fees charged to retailers are set to rise to $5,000 per year for each retail location and $10,000 per year for each manufacturing facility — 33 and 40 times higher, respectively, than current levies. More than 9,100 retail locations in the state are registered to sell consumable hemp products.
Cannabis advocates say the higher fees and ban on cannabis flowers and smokable extracts will send users to the underground market.
“Our concern is some of these measures are so draconian that you are going to drive people out of the business and then folks’ access to the products,” Mark Bordas, head of the Texas Hemp Business Council, said. “Invariably, we’re going to have to bring forth a [lawsuit], and the state has to defend what it’s done, and that’s taxpayer money, and it’s a waste.”
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gbo rders@ t e x a s press.com.
