Playing against the House

Good Thursday morning. Anyone else hungry for steak all the time lately?

Get in touch: greg@gregcox.law

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Today's Top Narrative

PLAYING AGAINST THE HOUSE. We've heard from Governor Abbott: "I don't have a problem with online sports betting." We have a pretty good idea of where Lt. Gov. Patrick stands: "The Texas Lottery cannot continue unless the people of Texas have faith that the game is not rigged." And now, in a new interview, we've heard from Speaker Burrows: "I don’t think that’s gonna be happening this session.”

What changed? The House, long the smoldering embers of hope for gambling advocates, seems now to be a bucket of cold water. A letter Tuesday from 15 Republican lawmakers to Rep. Ken King, chair of the House State Affairs Committee, drives the point home: “We are confident this legislation does not have the votes necessary to pass the Texas House this session." Two years ago, a casino amendment garnered 92 votes—eight shy of the two-thirds needed. This session? 12 of those 15 members are replacing aye votes from previous sessions. The math really ain't mathing now.

Not Helping: Texas Lottery Commission’s ongoing saga is not helping anyone in favor of gambling expansion. Rule changes, bills passing, committee grillings, and Ranger investigations. If Texas cannot manage a lottery without scandal, the thinking goes, how can it handle casinos or sports betting? I had previously argued that the Lottery Commission scandal could actually clear the way for gambling expansion. But with the Speaker's new comments, I may have to eat those words.

How Texas is Attempting to Capture Corporations Fleeing Delaware.

After 39 of the 55 delegates to the convention signed the final draft of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, it returned to the original 13 states for ratification. The ratification process sparked intense national debate: Federalists v. Anti-Federalists. But not quite as much in Delaware. Less than

Public Education pulls an all-nighter

Good Wednesday morning. If I had known that a large group of educators were going to be up all night, I would have dropped my kids off and gotten some sleep. Get in touch: greg@gregcox.law ⭕Today's Top Narrative ALL-NIGHTER. With over 715 witnesses registered to testify—

ESA day in the Texas House.

Good Tuesday morning. Back to your regularly scheduled programming. After a few months of late nights and early mornings, I am finally bulking up the team to help streamline my workflow and deliver a better product. You can also start to expect a regular cadence of more long-form writings. As

Our Foster Care Narrative is Broken.

Around 4:45 PM Monday, Arlington police responded to a business after receiving a 911 call reporting that a juvenile girl had said a man made sexually explicit comments to her and followed her. When officers arrived, they located a man nearby matching the provided description. The suspect resisted arrest

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How Texas is Attempting to Capture Corporations Fleeing Delaware.

Public Education pulls an all-nighter

ESA day in the Texas House.

Our Foster Care Narrative is Broken.