1 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,239 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to the Texas Tribune Trip Cast. I 2 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:21,120 am Matthew Watkins, editor in chief of the Texas Tribune, 3 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,440 and we are live from the campus of the University 4 00:00:24,519 --> 00:00:28,359 of Texas at Arlington, our second straight live trip cast, 5 00:00:28,719 --> 00:00:33,479 joined as usual by co host and politics reporter Eleanor Klibanoff. 6 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 2: Hello, Eleanor, Hello Matthew. 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:36,679 Speaker 3: Good to see you on the road again. 8 00:00:36,719 --> 00:00:41,079 Speaker 1: Exactly has been fun So in our Austin podcast, I 9 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:44,320 believe a college student came up to you afterwards and 10 00:00:44,359 --> 00:00:48,320 said that she really loved the podcast because she loves 11 00:00:48,439 --> 00:00:50,000 millennial humor, and. 12 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:52,679 Speaker 3: That was offensive to me. 13 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 4: In fact, what she said was she's getting all of 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:58,840 her friends to listen to it because gen Z loves 15 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,359 millennial humor. And I was like, well, whatever gets I'm listening. 16 00:01:02,439 --> 00:01:05,000 You know, I like to think of myself as also 17 00:01:05,079 --> 00:01:07,480 one of the young people, but apparently. 18 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:07,719 Speaker 3: That is a myth. 19 00:01:09,599 --> 00:01:11,799 Speaker 2: Yes, well, I took it as an invitation for more 20 00:01:11,879 --> 00:01:12,280 dad jokes. 21 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 3: Matthews like, we think I'm a millennial. 22 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: Amazing, So we are very pleased to be joined for 23 00:01:17,439 --> 00:01:21,680 this episode by two state representatives. First, we have it 24 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:25,159 is his district. We are in his domain. State Representative 25 00:01:25,239 --> 00:01:27,640 Chris Turner, a Democrat from Grand Prairie. Thank you for 26 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,359 being here, Thank you for having me. Great to be here, 27 00:01:31,239 --> 00:01:33,799 and we also we are near his district, not quite 28 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,959 there a state Representative Mitch Little of Republicans Lewisville, and. 29 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:38,879 Speaker 5: It's good to be here with you. Thank you so much. 30 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:41,959 I'm playing the road game, Chris is in the home game, 31 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,480 and I will try to contribute to the millennial humor. 32 00:01:44,519 --> 00:01:47,519 I'm on the cusp between gen X and millennial. 33 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 3: But you know, all generations welcome. We're being listened to 34 00:01:51,359 --> 00:01:51,879 by the youth. 35 00:01:52,040 --> 00:01:56,560 Speaker 6: You should know, surely gen X no millennial humor here. 36 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: Yes, right, Well, you know we need someone to balance 37 00:01:59,879 --> 00:02:02,840 this out here. Okay, So let's we're here to talk 38 00:02:02,879 --> 00:02:06,519 about the legislative session. It's impact, what happened, some of 39 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:09,520 the politics, and maybe look a little bit forward. So 40 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:11,240 I want to start off just by talking about some 41 00:02:11,319 --> 00:02:15,000 of the big ticket items. I think, more than anything, 42 00:02:15,159 --> 00:02:19,319 this legislative session was an education session, an issue where 43 00:02:19,479 --> 00:02:21,520 education was kind of at the forefront. It was something 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,879 we were talking about in the lead up to the session. 45 00:02:24,599 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 2: One of the. 46 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:27,879 Speaker 1: Biggest bills being HB two and eight point five billion 47 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,639 dollar infusion into the school system. And you know another 48 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,199 major bill that has sort of in some ways dominated 49 00:02:35,319 --> 00:02:40,840 legislative politics for years now, the school voucher education Savings. 50 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 2: Account program that passed this session as well. 51 00:02:43,479 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: I believe, if I'm not mistaken, we have a yes 52 00:02:46,199 --> 00:02:48,240 vote and a no vote on the voucher bill. 53 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,479 Speaker 5: That's how that went, right, Chris, which one was? Which? 54 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:52,080 Speaker 3: Tell us? 55 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 6: I think he was a yes. I was definitely an. 56 00:02:56,680 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: And two yeses on HB two right, yes, yes, all right, 57 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,479 I want to let's start. We're on your home turf, 58 00:03:03,520 --> 00:03:09,879 so let's start with you. Representative Turner. Let us kind 59 00:03:09,879 --> 00:03:13,879 of help us understand from your perspective what this legislative 60 00:03:13,879 --> 00:03:17,000 session meant for education in this state overall. 61 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,039 Speaker 2: I mean, in your. 62 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: Opinion, I think there's good and bad, right, but what 63 00:03:20,039 --> 00:03:21,400 should our big takeaway be? 64 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,719 Speaker 2: You know, now that it's all all said and done. 65 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,439 Speaker 7: Sure, well, thanks again for having me. It's great to 66 00:03:28,439 --> 00:03:29,800 be here, and thank you all for doing this at 67 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,240 u T Arlington. So there was definitely good and bad 68 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:37,680 from my perspective. So we'll start with a good. The 69 00:03:37,719 --> 00:03:40,240 eight and a half billion dollars additional to our public 70 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:45,919 schools is definitely a good step for public education this stay. 71 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,639 And just to remind everyone, you know, in twenty nineteen, 72 00:03:50,879 --> 00:03:54,280 which has now been six years, we had landmark public 73 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:56,560 school finance reform in the form of House Bill three 74 00:03:56,599 --> 00:03:59,240 that really increased funding and also made a lot of 75 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:02,199 reforms that they funding work better for our public schools. 76 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:04,240 But a lot has happened since then. We had a 77 00:04:04,280 --> 00:04:09,120 global pandemic, we've had high inflation, and there has not 78 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:13,319 been a subsequent funding increase to our public schools in 79 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:15,919 the six years since. So that's what made House Built 80 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:21,000 two so very important this year. While it was an 81 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:25,199 important step forward, I'm gonna temper my enthusiasm just a 82 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:29,680 little bit by pointing out two things. One, despite the 83 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,959 eight and a half billion dollar additional investment, that does 84 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,199 not get us back to twenty nineteen levels of funding 85 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:41,519 because of inflationary pressures. It would really take almost probably 86 00:04:41,519 --> 00:04:43,920 a little more than twice that amount to get back 87 00:04:43,959 --> 00:04:47,240 to twenty nineteen level. So that's number one. Number Two. 88 00:04:47,319 --> 00:04:51,160 I think that the bill the House passed in April 89 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,800 was again it could have been more. I think it 90 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,959 was structured well, and it was structured around an incre 91 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,879 in the basic allotment, which is the foundational funding mechanism 92 00:05:03,879 --> 00:05:07,040 we use for our public schools. We'll say it changed 93 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,279 a lot in the Senate, it changed a lot coming 94 00:05:09,319 --> 00:05:10,879 out of the Conference Committee. I think it's still a 95 00:05:10,879 --> 00:05:12,720 good bill, but I do think it's a little overly 96 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:17,560 prescriptive in how the funds are allocated and gives less 97 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,079 flexibility to our school districts than I would like to see. 98 00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:23,800 But on balance, it's a good step forward. I think 99 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,079 the key thing is we need to not take another 100 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,959 six years before we address public school funding again. This 101 00:05:29,079 --> 00:05:34,399 needs to be something we prioritize every two years. On vouchers, essays, Look, 102 00:05:36,199 --> 00:05:39,639 I'm strongly opposed to taking public funds and putting them 103 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:44,199 into private schools, and I think that, you know, we 104 00:05:44,279 --> 00:05:46,720 have a constitutional obligation in our state to provide for 105 00:05:47,519 --> 00:05:50,079 a free and efficient system of public schools. That's what 106 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:52,600 our constitution says, and I think vouchers flies in the 107 00:05:52,639 --> 00:05:55,600 face of that, and data from other states indicates vouchers 108 00:05:55,600 --> 00:06:00,279 have not been successful in improving outcomes and call have 109 00:06:00,399 --> 00:06:03,560 ballooned in the out years, and that is what I 110 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,680 fear is going to happen in Texas if we don't 111 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,639 have serious guardrails on this, but obviously it had the 112 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:13,079 votes to pass this time. It has passed, and we'll 113 00:06:13,079 --> 00:06:16,120 see how it works. But ultimately I do not think 114 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:20,720 it is going to make a significant difference positive difference 115 00:06:20,759 --> 00:06:22,439 for education in our state. 116 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 3: So that was the good and the bad for you? 117 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:28,120 Was it good and good on education? 118 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 5: I didn't see anything bad. So as we look at 119 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,079 the eight billion dollar bill that came out of the 120 00:06:33,079 --> 00:06:36,199 House on HB two, it got another half billion dollars 121 00:06:36,199 --> 00:06:38,360 added to it when it came back over from the Senate. 122 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,639 Only the eight and a half billion dollars was more 123 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,439 cabined by its use, so it is compartmentalized as opposed 124 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:47,720 to simply dumping more dollars into the basic allotment. We 125 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:49,879 know that the money will get to classrooms. We know 126 00:06:49,959 --> 00:06:52,000 that it will get to teachers, so I think that's 127 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,720 a wonderful thing. HB three obviously provides some more educational 128 00:06:55,720 --> 00:06:58,600 options for families, and it's not going to be something 129 00:06:58,600 --> 00:07:01,680 that every single family in Texas is going to be 130 00:07:01,720 --> 00:07:04,920 able to access. It's a program and it's still a 131 00:07:04,959 --> 00:07:08,720 government program, and we'll see what improvements it makes if any. 132 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:12,519 I think I look at the grand scheme of all 133 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,879 the bills that were targeted education, and for me, there 134 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:20,480 was a lot to be excited about. Especially Tasby and 135 00:07:20,519 --> 00:07:23,800 Taska were also very excited about the school discipline bills 136 00:07:23,839 --> 00:07:26,120 and their ability to get their hands around some of 137 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:28,120 the things that were going in the classroom. We have 138 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:31,160 SB twelve, which was the Parents' Bill of Rights. I 139 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:34,240 think there's going to be a significant impact there bringing 140 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,639 the Ten Commandments in prayer time back into schools, making 141 00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:42,360 that possible for families to integrate that into their students learning. 142 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:46,680 It's a wonderful thing. I also was able to successfully 143 00:07:46,720 --> 00:07:48,959 pass out of the House Bill forty six twenty three, 144 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,279 which in sovereign immunity for students who were sexually abused 145 00:07:52,279 --> 00:07:54,759 in the school system, which I think is important. There 146 00:07:54,759 --> 00:07:57,839 are a lot of things in the session that were 147 00:07:57,879 --> 00:08:02,160 targeted at education. I think it's a comprehensive overhaul of 148 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,279 some things in the past that haven't worked. 149 00:08:04,319 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 6: You know. 150 00:08:04,519 --> 00:08:08,279 Speaker 5: We also ended the affirmative defenses for educators on harmful 151 00:08:08,319 --> 00:08:12,120 display of content to minors in the school system, and 152 00:08:12,199 --> 00:08:13,879 I think that was also an important step. 153 00:08:14,519 --> 00:08:17,519 Speaker 1: I wonder do you agree with Representative Turner's assessment that 154 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,560 there's more work that needs to be done in this realm. 155 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:24,720 What's your assessment of kind of how schools should be 156 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:26,839 feeling about their financial situation now. 157 00:08:26,959 --> 00:08:30,399 Speaker 5: Well, my school districts seem to be excited about the 158 00:08:30,399 --> 00:08:32,919 infusion of capital into the system, and I think it 159 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:36,559 will make improvements. I think we constantly have to be 160 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,240 diligent to determine whether what we're doing at the state 161 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,840 level is actually reaching and improving student outcomes, because at 162 00:08:42,879 --> 00:08:44,919 the end of the day, it's about outcomes. Are our 163 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,600 students improving or not. It's not just about injecting cash periodically. 164 00:08:49,759 --> 00:08:52,039 Are we getting the intended result? And I think we'll 165 00:08:52,039 --> 00:08:55,159 see improvements in the results as a result of this investment. 166 00:08:55,720 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: Okay, another big measure that passed that got a lot 167 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:01,000 of attention is getting a lot of tension is the 168 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:07,320 ban on THCHC. This, as people may know, we have 169 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:10,360 seen all these stores and shops pop up all across 170 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:14,000 the state, big cities, rural areas, pretty much everywhere you 171 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:18,519 can imagine selling you know, substances with THHC. They're you know, 172 00:09:18,639 --> 00:09:22,759 not I guess marijuana, but hemp like substances that can 173 00:09:22,879 --> 00:09:28,039 get you high, like marijuana, the legislature moved to ban them. 174 00:09:28,080 --> 00:09:30,679 There is a push by some people to get Governor 175 00:09:30,759 --> 00:09:34,759 Rabbit to veto this bill. I'm interested to see whether 176 00:09:34,759 --> 00:09:37,919 the y'all think that's at all a realistic possibility. But 177 00:09:38,039 --> 00:09:40,559 it was interesting, you know, for you two House members, 178 00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:43,519 because if you looked at past sessions, it seemed like 179 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:46,440 the House was going in a different direction in marijuana, 180 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,600 like maybe being more open to expanding medical marijuanna, which 181 00:09:49,639 --> 00:09:52,559 also happened this session I should acknowledge, but also, you know, 182 00:09:52,639 --> 00:09:56,799 even exploring ideas of decriminalization. Then we come around and 183 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:01,320 take this very dramatic measure in a little you voted 184 00:10:01,360 --> 00:10:02,600 for this measure. I wonder if you could just tell 185 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,159 us a little bit about why why you felt like 186 00:10:05,159 --> 00:10:05,960 this was a good idea. 187 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's an it. SB three was an interesting prism 188 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:15,200 for how you view this topic. And on the Republican side, 189 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,600 so not on Christ's side, but on the Republican side, 190 00:10:18,039 --> 00:10:21,960 you have this interesting schism between what i'll call conservatism 191 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,320 and a more libertarian bent, and so not everyone on 192 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,279 the Republican side is in agreement on SB three. I 193 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:32,399 voted for it because I heard the stories. So there 194 00:10:33,399 --> 00:10:37,080 it's very impactful when you can hear families that have 195 00:10:37,159 --> 00:10:41,200 a child that was that was actually impacted by THHC 196 00:10:41,279 --> 00:10:45,320 induced psychotic disorder from synthetics that are sold in stores 197 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:48,919 that are completely unregulated and that children can walk into 198 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,200 the store and buy it. In fact, they did. They 199 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,240 did kind of a sting operation or test kids going 200 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:56,679 into smoke shops who they weren't even asked for ID. 201 00:10:56,879 --> 00:10:59,879 They're selling them to underage kids, and it's highly addictive 202 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:04,039 and highly dangerous and completely unregulated. So on one end 203 00:11:04,039 --> 00:11:07,559 of the spectrum you have the synthetics which are extremely dangerous, 204 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,480 seriously affecting young people. On the other end of the spectrum, 205 00:11:10,519 --> 00:11:13,679 you have what i'll call it low grade THC edible 206 00:11:13,720 --> 00:11:19,240 stuff that you saw in Governor Patrick's press conference. And yeah, 207 00:11:19,279 --> 00:11:20,960 I'm not going to throw anything at you guys today. 208 00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:22,960 You'll see that my hands are empty. I didn't bring 209 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:27,240 anything with me, no props. But so there is a 210 00:11:27,799 --> 00:11:31,840 schism in philosophy of adults saying, well, why can't we 211 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:34,879 when in reality the people who are most negatively affected 212 00:11:34,879 --> 00:11:37,559 by this are young people, And so the question is 213 00:11:37,639 --> 00:11:40,759 do you address that with the band? So we've decided 214 00:11:40,799 --> 00:11:42,600 to start with the band. You saw the bill that 215 00:11:42,639 --> 00:11:45,559 came over the House. It was a clean band when 216 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:47,639 it came overt of the House, and the committee substitute 217 00:11:48,759 --> 00:11:51,600 was about a million pages long, very complex, and it 218 00:11:51,679 --> 00:11:55,480 was amended back to a ban on the floor. Fortunately, 219 00:11:55,519 --> 00:11:58,759 I think there was enough momentum there to resolve that issue. 220 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:02,840 The more libert Harry inside of our party is going, 221 00:12:03,279 --> 00:12:06,200 how dare you This isn't this isn't good. This is 222 00:12:06,639 --> 00:12:11,039 you know, our liberties are being impinged. Reality. If you 223 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,279 go to these package stores where they're selling alcohol, liquor, 224 00:12:14,279 --> 00:12:16,840 et cetera, a big percentage of their profits are coming 225 00:12:16,879 --> 00:12:20,919 from THC oriented products and they're upset about it. Certainly 226 00:12:21,159 --> 00:12:23,000 there are a lot of adults that are upset about it. 227 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:28,200 My principal focus is are these synthetics harming Texans? And 228 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:29,960 I think the answer to that was a clear. 229 00:12:29,879 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 1: Yes, Representative Turner. I mean, there was a lot of 230 00:12:32,879 --> 00:12:35,080 blowback to this. It's also true though, I mean it 231 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,440 didn't really seem like this was what the legislature intended 232 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:40,799 when they passed you know, the original hYP law, right, 233 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:44,360 The idea was never for these you know, these substances 234 00:12:44,399 --> 00:12:46,919 to be sold and these stores to pop up all 235 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:48,720 over the state. Am I wrong on that? 236 00:12:49,159 --> 00:12:49,200 Speaker 5: No? 237 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 6: I think I think that's fair to say. I don't 238 00:12:51,639 --> 00:12:51,960 think that. 239 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,039 Speaker 7: I don't think this industry was contemplated when when the 240 00:12:56,360 --> 00:13:00,559 hemp law was passed in twenty nineteen, I say that, 241 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:03,279 you know, I sit on the State Affairs Committee and 242 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:07,240 we had a sixteen seventeen hour hearing earlier in session 243 00:13:07,960 --> 00:13:11,679 on at Center Bill three as well as a house 244 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:17,200 build that also sought to ban most forms of HEMP, and. 245 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:17,960 Speaker 6: We heard a lot of a lot. 246 00:13:17,799 --> 00:13:21,279 Speaker 7: Of powerful testimony from both from people who supported a 247 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,679 complete ban, from parents, moms in particular whose children have 248 00:13:25,759 --> 00:13:29,840 been adversely affected. We heard the law enforcement perspective. We 249 00:13:29,879 --> 00:13:34,720 also heard from a lot of veterans who have found 250 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:41,919 some comfort, some treatment really in being able to access 251 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:46,559 certain THHC products to help address both physical and mental 252 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:51,399 scars from their time and service. We heard from a 253 00:13:51,399 --> 00:13:53,919 lot of business owners and talk about you know, how 254 00:13:53,960 --> 00:13:59,039 they are running responsible businesses and in what the LEFE 255 00:13:59,039 --> 00:14:01,480 sites are in ended up doing was going to disrupt 256 00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:04,559 a business that employs tens of thousands of people in 257 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,480 our state. I think what came out of the House 258 00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:13,240 State Affairs committee that Chairman Ken King put together on 259 00:14:13,279 --> 00:14:18,279 a bipartisan basis, addressed a lot of the very legitimate 260 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:23,039 problems around him and represent a little articulated them. Well, yes, 261 00:14:23,399 --> 00:14:26,000 kids should not be able to access this stuff. Absolutely, 262 00:14:26,039 --> 00:14:29,399 there should not be products marketed to kids, you know, 263 00:14:29,399 --> 00:14:31,679 in the form of looking like a bag of chips 264 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:34,879 or a bag of M and ms. We should absolutely 265 00:14:34,879 --> 00:14:37,879 ban all that. We need to ban the synthetic garbage 266 00:14:37,879 --> 00:14:41,440 that's out there, which is I think has been proven 267 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,879 to be harmful in many cases. But can you can 268 00:14:44,919 --> 00:14:50,440 you do that and then regulate an industry that obviously 269 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:54,399 has some benefit to some adults in our state and 270 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,600 allow it to continue to operate. And that was sort 271 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,120 of the approach that came out of our committee, and 272 00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:02,600 I think that was the approach that made the most 273 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,679 sense to address the bad actors, address underage and some 274 00:15:06,799 --> 00:15:09,519 of the bad products out there, but be able to 275 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,759 have an industry still be able to survive. So that 276 00:15:12,919 --> 00:15:16,200 was the approach I took. Ultimately, you know, the Senate's position, 277 00:15:16,279 --> 00:15:19,200 the Lieutenant Governor's position won out, and yeah, the Governor's 278 00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:22,200 got a big decision to make. I will not take 279 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:24,559 debate and try to predict what he might do. That 280 00:15:24,679 --> 00:15:29,799 was my questioning about I'm good at predicting with the government. 281 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 5: The fascinating thing to me about this was what it 282 00:15:32,399 --> 00:15:35,039 revealed is going on with our veterans in our state. 283 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:38,080 So this was an issue where veterans kind of came 284 00:15:38,159 --> 00:15:41,919 to the forefront pretty aggressively toward the end of the session. 285 00:15:42,159 --> 00:15:45,720 And we have all these we have all these piecemeal 286 00:15:45,759 --> 00:15:48,720 approaches to addressing what is a very serious problem with 287 00:15:48,799 --> 00:15:52,480 our veterans coming home from service in foreign countries is 288 00:15:52,799 --> 00:15:55,519 they're dealing with post traumatic stress, they're dealing with TBI 289 00:15:55,679 --> 00:15:59,600 traumatic brain injury. And we had little piecemeal bills designed 290 00:15:59,639 --> 00:16:03,080 to rest like we have the Ibogain initiative that was passed, 291 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:04,960 and I think that was an important thing to do. 292 00:16:05,159 --> 00:16:08,240 There was another bill as well with a different type 293 00:16:08,279 --> 00:16:10,759 of chemical treatment, and then it really came through with 294 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:14,279 the thcpiece. And what was interesting to me was my 295 00:16:14,399 --> 00:16:17,799 friend David Lowe on the four arguing, I'm a veteran, 296 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,080 I came home with injuries, i came home with post 297 00:16:20,120 --> 00:16:24,519 traumatic stress. Don't use me as a pond for explaining 298 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,480 why this should be available to self medicate. And so 299 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:30,000 you've got him on one side as a veteran saying 300 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:32,720 this is this is not good, and a bunch of 301 00:16:32,759 --> 00:16:35,879 other veterans going, actually, this is really helpful. We need 302 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,519 to really get to the bottom of that issue. The 303 00:16:38,639 --> 00:16:43,080 problem in the legislative session is things happen so quickly, 304 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,679 and these are complex, very serious issues that are being 305 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,480 addressed in a matter of days. On the flour. 306 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,559 Speaker 1: I want to we talked a little bit about education already. 307 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:58,080 There were some other big kind of expenditures from the 308 00:16:58,159 --> 00:17:00,639 legislature that will have I think big impact on the 309 00:17:00,679 --> 00:17:03,480 future of the state. Water being a key one. Right, 310 00:17:03,519 --> 00:17:06,640 two point five billion dollars you know, appropriated this session 311 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:10,680 toward water. Assuming voters I think it's probably a fairly 312 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:15,640 safe assumption, assuming voters passed a constitutional constitutional amendment this November, 313 00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,359 we'll talk about another billion dollars each year for the 314 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,880 next twenty years. So really we're talking about more than 315 00:17:21,079 --> 00:17:23,319 you know, twenty two point five billion dollars committed towards 316 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,160 water in this session. You also had a big investment 317 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:31,279 in our energy grid five billion dollars to the Texas 318 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:36,000 Energy Fund to create more power to ensure that our 319 00:17:36,039 --> 00:17:38,920 grid can handle the growth of the state and these 320 00:17:39,039 --> 00:17:42,480 new industries that are demanding AI, bitcoin mining, those types 321 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:45,079 of things that are demanding a ton of energy in 322 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:48,680 the state. I had a conversation with a Republican yesterday 323 00:17:48,759 --> 00:17:51,920 where he made the case to me. You know, he said, 324 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,519 he said, not you, the text Tribune, but the media 325 00:17:54,599 --> 00:17:59,000 in general. And I was like, okay, focused so much 326 00:17:59,559 --> 00:18:02,839 on I appreciated the not you, but you know, anyways. 327 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:07,599 Speaker 3: I'm just being polite. You're standing in front of him. 328 00:18:07,599 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 1: But I mean, he said, you know, the media focuses 329 00:18:10,519 --> 00:18:12,680 so much on these social issues, some of these you know, 330 00:18:12,799 --> 00:18:17,200 things like THHC. The big story of this legislative session 331 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:20,240 is the investment that the Texas legislature made into the 332 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:25,240 future of this state this year. I'm curious, as a Democrat, 333 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:29,000 do you agree with that assessment? Is that the story 334 00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:32,240 we should be telling about this most recent legislative session. 335 00:18:33,279 --> 00:18:36,319 Speaker 7: Well, I think I think both stories are important to 336 00:18:36,480 --> 00:18:39,079 I think, you know, in terms of long term investment, 337 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:41,079 I think, yeah, there's some good things to talk about. 338 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:45,039 I think water to me stands out as a really 339 00:18:45,319 --> 00:18:49,880 good accomplishment done on a bipartisan basis, that is taking 340 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,079 a long term approach to addressing a long term challenge 341 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:55,880 in our state and and I think that was one 342 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:57,759 of the most positive things to come out of this 343 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:01,799 session without a doubt. And I would add from a 344 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:06,200 North Texas perspective, we beat back in a attempt that 345 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:08,440 seems to happen every two years to kill the Marvin 346 00:19:08,519 --> 00:19:12,119 Nichols Reservoir, which is critical to our long term water 347 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:15,079 planning for those of us here in the Dallas Fort 348 00:19:15,079 --> 00:19:17,839 Worth region. So that was a really important win for 349 00:19:17,920 --> 00:19:23,000 our region. But as you're telling that story about long 350 00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:25,559 term investment, I will say on the Energy Fund, the 351 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,160 five billion dollars that you've mentioned, there was five billion 352 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,319 dollars allocated two years ago, another five billion dollars in 353 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,160 this budget. In my view, it's a boondoggle and is 354 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,599 that we're lighting money on fire in the Texas Energy Fund. 355 00:19:38,839 --> 00:19:42,400 This is something that if you talk to electricity generators, 356 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:44,319 which is what this fund is designed to do, is 357 00:19:44,359 --> 00:19:46,279 to get more generation in the state of Texas, they 358 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,279 will tell you, and they have told us in State 359 00:19:49,319 --> 00:19:51,599 Affairs Committee in the last two sessions, we do not 360 00:19:51,759 --> 00:19:57,160 need this financing is not the issue. And frankly, when 361 00:19:57,200 --> 00:20:00,480 this was originally passed two years ago, interest strates were 362 00:20:00,519 --> 00:20:04,440 still at historically low levels, so access to. 363 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,319 Speaker 6: To low interest loans was not the issue. 364 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:13,039 Speaker 7: The issue is how how our electricity market is structured 365 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:18,720 and in our de regulated market, our generator is able 366 00:20:18,799 --> 00:20:20,960 to come in and be able to make a profit 367 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,480 and a return on investment for their shareholders, which is 368 00:20:23,559 --> 00:20:27,240 ultimately how they make a business decision. And the legislature 369 00:20:27,279 --> 00:20:30,839 still has not fully addressed that. And and that's the 370 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:33,480 and that's a difficult issue to address. And it's easier 371 00:20:33,559 --> 00:20:35,119 to say, well, we're just going to take ten billion 372 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,000 dollars and put it in this energy fund and problem solved, 373 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,400 but it is not. It is not solving the problem. 374 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,799 So I think that's that's an important issue that is 375 00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:47,559 going to continue to fester until we really figure this out. 376 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:52,680 I will say, thirdly, on transportation, UH, that's an area 377 00:20:53,079 --> 00:20:56,559 where again we need some long term planning, long term thinking. 378 00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:01,359 Not a lot seemingly happened in the transportation UH area 379 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:01,960 this session. 380 00:21:02,319 --> 00:21:02,440 Speaker 5: UH. 381 00:21:02,559 --> 00:21:04,160 Speaker 7: And I would just say being in a in a 382 00:21:04,519 --> 00:21:06,720 you know, the fourth largest metro area in the country 383 00:21:06,759 --> 00:21:09,880 that we're in the heart of right now. From a 384 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,400 Texas from a state wide transportation playing perspective, we have 385 00:21:13,559 --> 00:21:17,799 got to as we continue to upgrade capacity and safety 386 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,720 of our roads and highways. Uh, we have also got 387 00:21:21,799 --> 00:21:25,599 to get serious about mass transit in the state because 388 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:30,119 the growing population, we cannot we cannot pour enough concrete 389 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:31,839 to keep up with it. And we've got to have 390 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,759 a comprehensive statewide or at a minimum, regional approach on 391 00:21:36,039 --> 00:21:36,559 those issues. 392 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:39,799 Speaker 2: All right, I want to talk a little bit about 393 00:21:39,799 --> 00:21:40,839 politics here. 394 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:42,799 Speaker 6: Why why. 395 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:44,559 Speaker 5: You want to? 396 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: Okay, you know, let's have some fun the we we 397 00:21:49,839 --> 00:21:52,039 came into this session. Well, let's let me do a 398 00:21:52,119 --> 00:21:55,559 quick history here. Right at the end of last session, 399 00:21:55,599 --> 00:21:58,839 there was a lot of backlash against the speaker daide 400 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:02,759 feeling at the time, in part because of what happened 401 00:22:02,759 --> 00:22:05,160 with es A school vouchers, in part because of the 402 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:06,319 impeachment of Kim Paxson. 403 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,319 Speaker 4: Something you're gonna have to catch represent a little up 404 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,440 on that. I think he wasn't there last session, so 405 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:11,799 I actually think no. 406 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:15,640 Speaker 5: I recall that were watching it on the news, the impeachment. 407 00:22:17,759 --> 00:22:19,119 I remember it. You were there. 408 00:22:22,319 --> 00:22:25,559 Speaker 1: Representative Little of course, represented Kim Paxson in the impeachment trial. 409 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:26,039 Speaker 5: That's right. 410 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,279 Speaker 3: Yeah, the millennial humor they're talking about. 411 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,160 Speaker 1: You know, there was a big push to remove that speaker, 412 00:22:36,559 --> 00:22:40,440 which then uh led to for a brief period of time, 413 00:22:40,519 --> 00:22:44,839 a very open race, and that led to a race 414 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:49,559 between Dustin Burrows, the current speaker, and another candidate who 415 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,160 was supported by what we would maybe call the right 416 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:57,680 wing of the party. Right in that race, I believe 417 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:02,480 we have a Dustin Burrows vote and a non Dustin 418 00:23:02,519 --> 00:23:06,920 Burroughs vote. And I'm curious because we then went through 419 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,079 a legislative session that many have talked about, including Lieutenant 420 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:13,880 Governor Dan Patrick, as perhaps the most conservative legislative session 421 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,079 we have been through. I wonder whether each of where 422 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,559 each of y'all stand now, no refunds, Chris, the Dustin. 423 00:23:22,279 --> 00:23:25,519 Speaker 3: Burroughs, we might just have switched seats on this. 424 00:23:27,279 --> 00:23:30,839 Speaker 1: Speaker decision that was made at the beginning of the session. 425 00:23:31,319 --> 00:23:32,920 You got your mic up, so let's start with you. 426 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 5: Totally fascinating how that had played out. Obviously you'll you'll 427 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,519 probably know I'm a freshman. Chris has been doing this 428 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,240 this like seventh term, right, eighth term. My goodness, you 429 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,160 very experienced, you know what you're doing. You've actually been 430 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:47,480 through this multiple times. This was my first time to 431 00:23:47,519 --> 00:23:51,680 be exposed to it. You know, you you go into 432 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:53,799 politics or you're going into the Texas House thinking that 433 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:56,000 things are going to be one way and they end 434 00:23:56,119 --> 00:23:59,160 up being another. I mean, I didn't know how much 435 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:01,880 I would like Chris and Terry Mason, Salomon and some 436 00:24:02,039 --> 00:24:04,480 of the other folks that are that are here, and 437 00:24:04,599 --> 00:24:07,960 it's it actually is very easy to work with one 438 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,279 another as professionals. But you don't know going in what 439 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:13,640 it's going to be like with the new speaker either 440 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,440 is he going to carry quote unquote carry water for 441 00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:20,440 the Democrats? Is he going to shut down Republican ideals? 442 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,559 I was pleasantly surprised with the number of Republican Party 443 00:24:25,599 --> 00:24:28,279 of Texas priority bills that we passed, as well as 444 00:24:28,319 --> 00:24:32,720 some other important legislation. It things did not go the 445 00:24:32,759 --> 00:24:34,400 way that I thought they were going to go, Matthew, 446 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:36,799 What did they go the way you thought they were 447 00:24:36,839 --> 00:24:37,119 going to go? 448 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 2: Kind of. 449 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 3: You've also been doing this about how many eight sessions? 450 00:24:42,759 --> 00:24:44,759 Speaker 5: Matt Yeah, yeah, he's been doing it longer than me. 451 00:24:45,559 --> 00:24:48,319 But so. 452 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:51,599 Speaker 1: When you say things did not go the way you 453 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,839 thought they were going to go, I I taken that implicit. 454 00:24:55,039 --> 00:24:57,039 Is it you mean it went better than you thought 455 00:24:57,079 --> 00:24:57,359 it would. 456 00:24:57,440 --> 00:24:57,839 Speaker 2: Is that right? 457 00:24:58,000 --> 00:24:59,559 Speaker 5: Yeah, it went a lot better than I thought it would. 458 00:25:00,079 --> 00:25:00,799 Speaker 2: So let me ask you this. 459 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,559 Speaker 1: I mean, do you think Dustin Burroughs should be speaker 460 00:25:05,319 --> 00:25:06,319 next time around? 461 00:25:08,079 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 5: Okay, all right, that's Dustin Burrough's hype team. That was 462 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:13,759 just intro music exactly. 463 00:25:13,839 --> 00:25:14,920 Speaker 3: He's coming out, folks. 464 00:25:15,880 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 5: Well, I'll just say it from not from a an 465 00:25:21,039 --> 00:25:25,000 evaluative standpoint, just a normative statement. He's going to be 466 00:25:25,079 --> 00:25:28,880 the speaker again. And I think he probably earned the 467 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,160 right to be the speaker again based on the results. 468 00:25:31,519 --> 00:25:36,079 So I found, as someone who did not vote for 469 00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:39,279 him and should have been pushed to the margins, I 470 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:45,000 found that he was very receptive to our initiatives and 471 00:25:45,079 --> 00:25:49,640 ideals in the House. And I think the results not 472 00:25:49,759 --> 00:25:52,799 only incentive Bill's past, but a house Bill's past bear 473 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:53,200 that out. 474 00:25:54,279 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 4: Well, I'm just curious on that, like going forward, do 475 00:25:56,319 --> 00:25:58,400 you feel like, and I mean I've heard this from 476 00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,319 other members. You know that you know your freshman term, 477 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:03,519 you come in really from the perspective of like almost 478 00:26:03,599 --> 00:26:06,359 the you share the same perspective as many people that 479 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,200 you represent too, like don't have that insider view, and 480 00:26:09,279 --> 00:26:11,119 then you go inside and you realize, like you said, 481 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:13,559 there's a lot more collaboration, there's a lot more working together. 482 00:26:15,279 --> 00:26:17,480 Do you think going forward that will change anything in 483 00:26:17,599 --> 00:26:20,720 sort of how you think about the role, how you 484 00:26:20,799 --> 00:26:21,920 talk to voters, sort. 485 00:26:21,799 --> 00:26:23,440 Speaker 5: Of how you are about the speaker's role. 486 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:26,519 Speaker 3: No, about like they about my role, about your role. 487 00:26:26,599 --> 00:26:28,119 That this has been you know that there is more 488 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:29,880 room for collaboration, that it's less. 489 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,640 Speaker 5: My role in ideology didn't change what I was pleasantly 490 00:26:34,759 --> 00:26:38,839 surprised by. I think I had in my mind the 491 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:42,200 vision that everything that happens on the House floor is 492 00:26:42,279 --> 00:26:44,960 the product of what the Speaker wants. And when you 493 00:26:45,079 --> 00:26:47,480 see it play out in real life that there are 494 00:26:47,559 --> 00:26:51,680 negotiations going on led by Tony Tenderholt from the Conservative 495 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,920 Caucus with the Speaker's office, and there are negotiations going 496 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,359 on between the House Democrat Caucus and the speaker. You 497 00:26:58,599 --> 00:27:01,839 see that there is so much important stuff going on 498 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,599 on any given day, and the Speaker has to manage 499 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:09,799 it all simultaneously. It's a much bigger, more difficult job 500 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:11,960 than I realized I might go in. I might go 501 00:27:12,039 --> 00:27:14,240 on to the floor on any given day with three 502 00:27:14,319 --> 00:27:17,720 things that I'm really focused on. His office has to 503 00:27:17,799 --> 00:27:21,119 be focused on everything that goes on, so it's very complex. 504 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,400 But my role didn't change or my attitude didn't change. 505 00:27:25,039 --> 00:27:27,160 Speaker 1: Do you think, I mean one of the reasons this 506 00:27:27,240 --> 00:27:30,000 happened was because an unhappiness among the right wing of 507 00:27:30,039 --> 00:27:32,920 the party among the voters right, do you think the 508 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:36,839 voter's opinion has changed or do you think there's going 509 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,119 to be backlash for the people who Backburrow Us? 510 00:27:39,559 --> 00:27:41,759 Speaker 5: Oh? I wouldn't, don't. I don't think I could speculate 511 00:27:41,839 --> 00:27:46,240 on that. Here's the problem from my perspective, speaking only 512 00:27:46,319 --> 00:27:50,799 for my party. My party's problem are the Republican representatives 513 00:27:51,039 --> 00:27:54,720 who vote with Chris and Salmon and all those representatives 514 00:27:54,759 --> 00:27:57,400 instead of voting with me. Okay, that has nothing to 515 00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,759 do with the speaker and Chris. 516 00:28:00,079 --> 00:28:00,799 Speaker 6: We like those people. 517 00:28:01,039 --> 00:28:03,880 Speaker 5: I know you. I know you do. That's why we 518 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,000 need to get rid of them. So on our side 519 00:28:07,039 --> 00:28:10,160 of on our side of the Ledger, our problem is 520 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:14,160 fidelity to the values that the party espouses that they 521 00:28:14,279 --> 00:28:16,559 run on behalf of if they if they want to 522 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:19,680 express fidelity to some other ideology, they can run under 523 00:28:19,759 --> 00:28:24,079 that system. Our problem with the previous speaker was not 524 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,519 poor communication or poor leadership. It just was total infidelity 525 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:32,319 to our value system. You know, nobody sent the Speaker 526 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:35,400 there to impeach the Attorney General who was sitting. They 527 00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,880 did send the Speaker there to help manifest the Republican 528 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:42,400 Party of Texas's priorities. And none of that happened in 529 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:46,440 the previous two sessions meaningfully. So I see this as 530 00:28:46,519 --> 00:28:47,480 tremendous progress. 531 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,720 Speaker 6: All right, So we're to start here, So, so some context. 532 00:28:53,799 --> 00:28:57,279 Speaker 7: So Speaker Burrows is the fourth Speaker I've served under, 533 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,200 Speaker Joe Strauss, Dennis Bond, and Elen and now Dustin Burroughs. 534 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:06,960 They're all Republicans, and you know what, they're all pretty different, 535 00:29:07,079 --> 00:29:12,279 different shades, different maybe wings of the party, but all. 536 00:29:12,319 --> 00:29:13,480 Speaker 6: Pretty conservative people. 537 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:17,599 Speaker 7: And guess what, in a Republican majority in the House, 538 00:29:17,799 --> 00:29:19,960 not to mention the Senate, and with a Republican governor, 539 00:29:21,319 --> 00:29:24,359 Republican things are going to happen. And that has happened 540 00:29:25,079 --> 00:29:29,119 every session I have been there. There's an all And 541 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:33,559 so what my I guess my after action review of 542 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,279 Speaker Burrows is, I think it was basically what more 543 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:39,119 or less would I expected it to be. He's a 544 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:45,400 conservative guy, and the House Republican caucus got more conservative 545 00:29:45,559 --> 00:29:48,799 in this last election. People like Mitch and some of 546 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:52,119 his classmates came in and they're shade more conservative, or 547 00:29:52,160 --> 00:29:55,240 maybe several shades more conservative than the people they replaced. 548 00:29:56,480 --> 00:29:59,720 And frankly and my party lost two seats in the 549 00:29:59,799 --> 00:30:05,680 last selection, so there were ideologically the House shifted to 550 00:30:05,759 --> 00:30:10,119 the right in a couple of different ways. And so 551 00:30:11,119 --> 00:30:15,720 that said, you know, it's it's a fallacy to think that, well, 552 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,839 you know, Speaker Feeling, who who I like a lot 553 00:30:19,920 --> 00:30:24,440 and respect a lot, was somehow this moderate to liberal speaker. 554 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:32,640 Under Speaker Feelings speakership, the legislature passed unlicensed Carrie, passed 555 00:30:32,759 --> 00:30:36,319 a complete and total ban on abortion in this state, 556 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:41,680 and a horrific anti voter bill in twenty twenty one 557 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,720 that the Democratic Caucus broke quorum over for five weeks. 558 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,400 So while I like Speaker Feeling a lot of really, 559 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:53,079 from my perspective, bad things happened while he was speaker. 560 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,319 And I could say the same about Joe Strauss, who 561 00:30:55,359 --> 00:30:58,160 I like a lot as well. But you know, under 562 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:02,000 Joe Straus, who passed Sanctuary City, we passed Campus Carrey 563 00:31:02,559 --> 00:31:07,519 open carry. So so the point is in a Republican 564 00:31:07,759 --> 00:31:11,279 majority legislature and a Republican Speaker, and a complete Republican 565 00:31:11,319 --> 00:31:14,759 control of state government. There's gonna be things that happened 566 00:31:14,759 --> 00:31:18,720 that are, you know, from my perspective, really far out there, 567 00:31:19,400 --> 00:31:21,920 pretty far out there on the right, and this session 568 00:31:22,039 --> 00:31:25,799 was no exception to that. Now, the question is how 569 00:31:25,839 --> 00:31:28,640 did Speaker Boroughs run the House? I think he ran 570 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:33,240 it well, uh and he I think gave every member 571 00:31:33,359 --> 00:31:35,680 the opportunity to have a voice and have a role 572 00:31:35,759 --> 00:31:41,200 in the process. Whether you're a freshman Republican coming in 573 00:31:41,319 --> 00:31:44,680 to reform things like like Mitch, or whether you're a 574 00:31:44,799 --> 00:31:47,720 Democrat who you know is trying to play some defense 575 00:31:47,799 --> 00:31:50,400 and get a few things done for your district, like 576 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:54,960 like I was. You had the opportunity, and that's what 577 00:31:55,039 --> 00:31:56,920 a good speaker is supposed to do. And I think 578 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:02,960 by large he allowed that environment to happen. So that's 579 00:32:03,039 --> 00:32:04,680 my thumbnail sketch. 580 00:32:05,279 --> 00:32:05,839 Speaker 3: I'm curious. 581 00:32:05,839 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 4: I mean, you've been now eight terms. I mean the 582 00:32:08,759 --> 00:32:12,440 House has certainly only gotten more conservative. As we've just discussed, 583 00:32:12,799 --> 00:32:16,359 we've seen, you know, coming out of the last election. 584 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:19,119 I don't think there's signs necessarily that that is a 585 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:22,279 trend that's going to meaningfully swing in the other direction anytime, 586 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,480 you know soon the makeup of the Chamber likely isn't changing. 587 00:32:27,359 --> 00:32:30,119 How have you seen, like the Democrats role change in 588 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:31,559 the time you've been there, and what do you see 589 00:32:31,599 --> 00:32:34,680 as the future for the party in terms of even 590 00:32:34,759 --> 00:32:36,920 just within like the House Chamber, like getting things done. 591 00:32:37,240 --> 00:32:41,319 Speaker 7: Sure well, and I'll disagree slightly on that because I've 592 00:32:41,359 --> 00:32:43,559 seen it ebb and flow in the time I've been there. 593 00:32:43,599 --> 00:32:46,680 So in twenty seventeen, it was Joe Strauss's last session 594 00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:48,480 when we passed sanctuary cities and a lot of other 595 00:32:48,599 --> 00:32:51,119 really bad stuff that year, you know, Democrats were we 596 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,599 had fifty five seats in the Chamber, and then the 597 00:32:53,759 --> 00:32:56,200 twenty eighteen election came around and we picked up twelve 598 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,720 seats and we go up to sixty seven. And if 599 00:32:59,759 --> 00:33:02,799 you to Democrats who have served since at least twenty nineteen, 600 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,680 I think we would all say, to a person from 601 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:08,880 our perspective, that was absolutely the best session we've ever 602 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:11,599 been a part of. And part of that was Part 603 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,880 of that credit goes to Speaker Bonna and how he 604 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,599 ran the House that session, But a lot of it 605 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:20,160 has to do with just there was an electoral backlash 606 00:33:20,599 --> 00:33:25,880 to the Republican Party in twenty eighteen, and the Republican 607 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:30,720 leadership in the Capitol adjusted accordingly in that session, and 608 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:34,480 that was a much more bipartisan and I would argue 609 00:33:34,519 --> 00:33:39,079 productive session in twenty nineteen. And so looking ahead to 610 00:33:39,359 --> 00:33:43,480 the next session, here we are. Of course, twenty eighteen 611 00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:46,839 was President Trump's first midterm election. We were coming up 612 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:50,759 on his second midterm election. And I won't predict. You know, 613 00:33:51,319 --> 00:33:54,000 the political environment is changing so quickly right now, but 614 00:33:54,200 --> 00:34:00,559 historically the president's party loses seats in a midterm election. Uh, 615 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,119 we as Democrats can't count on that, and we need 616 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,599 to go out there and recruit good candidates. We need 617 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,639 to work hard, and we need to make our case 618 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:14,239 to the voters. But there are several opportunities around the 619 00:34:14,280 --> 00:34:17,400 state for Democrats to pick up seats in this next election. 620 00:34:17,519 --> 00:34:19,880 So that's that's number one. But in terms of how 621 00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:24,480 we uh navigate the process, it's it's a mixture. On 622 00:34:24,840 --> 00:34:27,719 On the one hand, Uh, there's things that we know 623 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,960 Republicans are going to bring to the House floor and 624 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:32,679 then we're just going to have a big partisan fight 625 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,639 over because and we know what the outcome is going 626 00:34:35,719 --> 00:34:38,480 to be so vouchers would be the probably the best 627 00:34:38,559 --> 00:34:40,840 example of that in this In this most recent session, 628 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:44,000 we knew after this last election the votes were there 629 00:34:44,119 --> 00:34:46,800 to pass pass vouchers, and that would have happened, I think, 630 00:34:47,119 --> 00:34:51,960 irrespective of who the speaker was. So we've got to 631 00:34:52,559 --> 00:34:55,480 go and make our best case as to why this 632 00:34:55,639 --> 00:34:59,400 is bad policy and and hopefully be able to to 633 00:35:00,559 --> 00:35:06,400 translate that into some electoral success for us going forward. 634 00:35:07,239 --> 00:35:09,719 But at the same time, we're not there just to 635 00:35:09,840 --> 00:35:13,440 do that. I mean, every member of the legislature, Republican 636 00:35:13,559 --> 00:35:15,519 or Democrat, is there to get something done, whether that's 637 00:35:15,519 --> 00:35:17,199 a big policy issue they want to work on, whether 638 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:19,679 it's a little thing for their district or some of both. 639 00:35:20,079 --> 00:35:23,039 And so Democratic members are trying to figure out how 640 00:35:23,159 --> 00:35:25,719 do we work within this system to get things done 641 00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:28,360 for our district, whether that's getting something in the budget 642 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,320 or getting a local bill passed, or whether this is 643 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,639 a policy area I really want to work on and 644 00:35:33,679 --> 00:35:36,760 I've got some expertise in it, and so I'm going 645 00:35:36,840 --> 00:35:39,840 to use my expertise to help advance policy for the 646 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:43,320 state of Texas. And by and large, I think members 647 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,159 of the House Democratic caucus punch way above our weight 648 00:35:46,639 --> 00:35:48,519 in terms of what we've got in terms of numbers 649 00:35:48,559 --> 00:35:50,719 in the Chamber, and we're able to get a lot done. 650 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:52,599 If you look at the budget, if you look at 651 00:35:52,639 --> 00:35:55,639 some of the policy decisions that were made, some of 652 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:58,280 the bills that were going to pass that were mitigated 653 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:00,000 and made less harmful. 654 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,519 Speaker 6: I think Democrats had an outsized influence in the session. 655 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:07,679 Speaker 1: So I'm going to paraphrase a question from Sarah from 656 00:36:07,719 --> 00:36:10,280 New York, New York Fort Worth Man. 657 00:36:11,639 --> 00:36:13,000 Speaker 6: A big audience. 658 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: That asks, but I'm gonna ask it in my own way, 659 00:36:18,039 --> 00:36:20,800 which is a representative little You and the Speaker have 660 00:36:21,079 --> 00:36:22,920 one thing in common, Well, you have lots in common, 661 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:25,239 but one of the things you have in common is 662 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:30,280 that the biggest donor to Republican elections in the House 663 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:33,039 right now, Texans for Lawsuit Reform. 664 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,719 Speaker 2: Seems pretty mad at both of y'all. 665 00:36:36,159 --> 00:36:40,320 Speaker 1: And I heard that that came across my feet exactly. 666 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:46,079 There's been some reporting today quoting a letter that seems 667 00:36:46,159 --> 00:36:50,280 to strongly hint an interest or a willingness to support 668 00:36:50,360 --> 00:36:54,119 primary challengers to folks like you and and maybe even 669 00:36:54,199 --> 00:36:58,880 the Speaker for what happened with Senate Bill thirty. 670 00:36:59,159 --> 00:37:02,239 Speaker 5: Chris is laughing. This is no laughing matter. Chris stopped laughing. 671 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,199 Oh yeah, well they're mad at me too. 672 00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:08,960 Speaker 4: We should just briefly say this is Texans for Lawsuit Reform, right, 673 00:37:09,039 --> 00:37:10,800 which is like one of the largest his you know, 674 00:37:11,519 --> 00:37:15,599 Republican donors brought this bill SB thirty to and that 675 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,599 you you know, this reporting from the Houston Chronicle and 676 00:37:18,639 --> 00:37:20,760 the Texas Tribune showed, you know, played a role in 677 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:25,039 killing or you're neutering to a certain degree, used. 678 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,239 Speaker 5: To really aggressive words killing and neutering. 679 00:37:27,440 --> 00:37:31,280 Speaker 3: Yes, that's the let's back up sensationalist media for you. 680 00:37:31,480 --> 00:37:34,679 Speaker 5: Let's see it is. You guys are tabloid. All right, 681 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:38,519 Let's back up a couple of steps. So that bill 682 00:37:38,559 --> 00:37:42,079 that came over from the Senate came over almost unanimous 683 00:37:42,119 --> 00:37:44,920 Senate Bill thirty. It was, in my view, the most 684 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,840 significant rewrite of civil jurisprudence maybe in the history of 685 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:50,400 our state. Okay, by the time it came out of. 686 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:52,280 Speaker 3: Okay, who's being sensationalist now. 687 00:37:53,119 --> 00:37:55,599 Speaker 5: I'm just telling you the truth. That's what it was. 688 00:37:55,679 --> 00:37:58,760 The page the bill was about probably twenty five pages long. 689 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:02,440 Did made major major changes to both civil an appella 690 00:38:02,559 --> 00:38:05,840 jurisprudence as it relates to personal injury cases or really 691 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:09,400 any case involving noneconomic damages. And then we had an 692 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:11,840 opportunity to work on the bill. I was invited to 693 00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:13,800 work on the bill. I did work on the bill. 694 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:15,320 We got it to a place where he could come 695 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,760 to the House floor, and we had an amendment go 696 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:21,719 on by seventy two to seventy vote, and Joe Moody 697 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:24,159 carried the amendment. I helped him with the amendment. And 698 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:26,199 let me explain to you the reason. The reason was 699 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:31,239 not politics, It was not lawsuit reform versus trial lawyers. 700 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,719 It was is this good for the civil justice system 701 00:38:34,960 --> 00:38:37,559 which I practice in and which a lot of my 702 00:38:37,639 --> 00:38:40,480 constituents practice in too, And if any of them actually 703 00:38:40,519 --> 00:38:43,239 get injured, they're going to live inside of that system. 704 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,639 And the question I had to ask was is this 705 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:49,840 good for the people of Texas? And I decided that 706 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,440 we needed to have that amendment on. Joe Moody carried 707 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,239 the amendment. It passed by the most narrow margin possible. 708 00:38:57,280 --> 00:38:59,199 If it had been a seventy one to seventy one vote, 709 00:38:59,199 --> 00:39:01,559 it would have failed. It passed seventy two to seventy. 710 00:39:01,599 --> 00:39:04,639 The amendment goes on, and he thought, Okay, this is good, 711 00:39:04,679 --> 00:39:07,159 and then I voted for the bill. The bill passed out, 712 00:39:07,719 --> 00:39:10,159 so it goes over the Senate and goes to Conference committee, 713 00:39:10,159 --> 00:39:11,880 and they want to strip the amendment out. I was 714 00:39:13,039 --> 00:39:17,639 on the House side, one of five conferees, and I 715 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:20,679 was a swing vote there on the conferees, and no, 716 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:22,960 I didn't vote to take the amendment out because I 717 00:39:23,079 --> 00:39:26,840 don't think it's good for civil practice. I've been practicing 718 00:39:27,519 --> 00:39:29,159 in the courts of this state and all over the 719 00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:31,639 United States for the last twenty one years. I've got 720 00:39:31,679 --> 00:39:33,719 a pretty good feel for what the rules of evidence 721 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,480 are and are not and when you try to massage 722 00:39:36,519 --> 00:39:39,079 the rules of evidence to get in information in cases 723 00:39:39,079 --> 00:39:42,000 where that may not be relevant or maybe more prejudicial 724 00:39:42,079 --> 00:39:44,159 than pro but I have a problem with it. And 725 00:39:44,280 --> 00:39:48,800 so if we had started this discussion literally in January 726 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:52,440 when the bill was filed instead of, oh, I don't know, 727 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:56,440 maybe a day or so before the deadline on second reading, 728 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:00,039 we could have had a more fulsome conversation about but 729 00:40:00,079 --> 00:40:02,480 what the rules of evidence should be massaged to do 730 00:40:02,599 --> 00:40:04,920 and what they shouldn't be massaged to do. So now 731 00:40:05,079 --> 00:40:08,480 we're in politics, right, We're out of the legslative session. 732 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:11,800 We're no longer making policy. And the political kickback or 733 00:40:11,880 --> 00:40:15,760 the political recoil from this is we don't like those 734 00:40:15,840 --> 00:40:19,119 people because they worked on our bill. The only reason, 735 00:40:19,400 --> 00:40:21,000 I will tell you, I'm one of the only reasons 736 00:40:21,039 --> 00:40:24,039 that that bill came to the fore period. And Marklehood 737 00:40:24,119 --> 00:40:27,960 is too, and Speaker Burrows is too. And so the 738 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:30,599 question people of Texas should be asking is is this 739 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:33,679 good for the people who live in my district? And 740 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,800 we decided that as it was written it was not. 741 00:40:38,239 --> 00:40:43,000 So is their political recoil from it? Probably? And I'll 742 00:40:43,079 --> 00:40:46,119 just tell you they spent probably a cost ten million 743 00:40:46,119 --> 00:40:48,800 dollars against me in the primary. That won't be anything new. 744 00:40:48,840 --> 00:40:51,400 If they want to find a primary challenger, the people 745 00:40:51,480 --> 00:40:54,280 who live in my district will decide who represents our district. 746 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:55,599 And I'm fine with that outcome. 747 00:40:56,840 --> 00:40:59,639 Speaker 1: So one last question, as we were talking about primaries 748 00:41:00,559 --> 00:41:03,639 is which primary will you be in? Because we of 749 00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:07,519 course also have a Attorney General's seat that will be open, 750 00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,639 and your name has been floated as a possible candidate there. 751 00:41:11,119 --> 00:41:12,360 Speaker 2: Will you be running for that? 752 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:16,559 Speaker 5: You'll be the fourth or fifth to know. Matthew, Okay, this. 753 00:41:16,719 --> 00:41:20,920 Speaker 3: Wounds us, wound shoe, we want to be first. 754 00:41:21,199 --> 00:41:25,719 Speaker 5: I invited first to the trip cast. Okay, now the 755 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:28,519 shoes on the other foot. Actually, to be fair, Eleanor, 756 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:30,920 I'm on the trip cast because I bothered Matthew on 757 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:32,559 the floor and I said, I listened to the trip cast. 758 00:41:32,599 --> 00:41:33,519 Why you inviting me? 759 00:41:33,559 --> 00:41:36,119 Speaker 4: And Mitch you did representive little did a little bit 760 00:41:36,159 --> 00:41:37,320 invite himself onto. 761 00:41:37,119 --> 00:41:38,280 Speaker 3: The trip cast, which I love. 762 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:40,840 Speaker 5: I I was just getting coffee at Starbucks and you 763 00:41:40,920 --> 00:41:42,480 guys asked me to come up here on the tram. 764 00:41:42,840 --> 00:41:45,480 Speaker 4: I'll say, consider that an open any lawmakers that want 765 00:41:45,480 --> 00:41:46,800 to invite themselves onto the trip cast. 766 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:47,800 Speaker 2: You know, we've got to see. 767 00:41:48,079 --> 00:41:49,039 Speaker 5: What was the question again? 768 00:41:49,519 --> 00:41:52,239 Speaker 3: Are you are you running for Attorney General? 769 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:57,360 Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll decide that when it's proper. I think here's 770 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:00,559 the thing. I just came out of a really traumatic experience. 771 00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,719 You know, Chris, it's traumatic, isn't it. Yeah? I mean, 772 00:42:05,000 --> 00:42:06,599 so you've done this eight times. This is the first 773 00:42:06,639 --> 00:42:09,280 time I've done it. Where you're you're up until two 774 00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:11,199 in the morning, you're back on committee at eight am, 775 00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:13,639 and it's like that for literally weeks and weeks and weeks, 776 00:42:14,199 --> 00:42:16,440 and so you get out of it and you come 777 00:42:16,519 --> 00:42:19,000 home and you try to reacclimate to your life. I'm 778 00:42:19,159 --> 00:42:22,000 trying to, you know, drive my daughter to dance, go 779 00:42:22,159 --> 00:42:25,159 to my son's baseball games, fix all the things at 780 00:42:25,199 --> 00:42:27,400 our houses that are broken in our absence. 781 00:42:27,679 --> 00:42:30,079 Speaker 6: You have a list as well, Yeah, yeah, I do. 782 00:42:30,239 --> 00:42:32,800 Speaker 5: I have a list. I'm about halfway down it. But 783 00:42:33,159 --> 00:42:36,000 what I was going to say is the people. Here's 784 00:42:36,039 --> 00:42:39,400 the thing, Matthew about this race. The people of Texas 785 00:42:39,519 --> 00:42:42,039 need to hire the best lawyer that they can hire, 786 00:42:42,559 --> 00:42:45,840 someone who's fought in the courtrooms of this state, in 787 00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:50,599 the courts of appeals, in courtrooms in other states. This 788 00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:53,679 is not a role where the people of Texas can 789 00:42:53,760 --> 00:42:56,760 afford to hire someone and expect them to gain new 790 00:42:56,840 --> 00:42:59,920 skills that they do not already have. And so hopefully 791 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,599 the voters are going to evaluate that race. I don't 792 00:43:02,639 --> 00:43:05,480 know whether I'll be in it. I've had several conversations 793 00:43:05,559 --> 00:43:08,000 with my wife and my kids about it, and other 794 00:43:08,079 --> 00:43:11,320 people too who have been very thoughtful in asking me 795 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:13,679 whether I want to be in it. I will tell 796 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:17,400 you and the many many people who listen to the 797 00:43:17,480 --> 00:43:22,800 trip cast, that it would constitute a gigantic sacrifice and 798 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:27,039 totally upend my life and the law firm that I've 799 00:43:27,079 --> 00:43:29,599 helped build for the last twenty one years. And if 800 00:43:29,639 --> 00:43:31,639 I decide to do it, you will know that I'm 801 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:35,719 extremely serious about it. Is that kind of answer your question? 802 00:43:36,000 --> 00:43:37,239 Speaker 2: Okay? Good? 803 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:41,199 Speaker 4: Matthew would like to leave it there, But I actually 804 00:43:41,360 --> 00:43:44,880 have something that we would like to share, and we 805 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:47,639 would like, actually represent Turner, you to be the judge 806 00:43:47,679 --> 00:43:50,000 of this, which is that we have a long running 807 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:54,119 outstanding question at the Texas Tribune, which is that And 808 00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:57,360 I did bring props and let me I'll go with 809 00:43:57,400 --> 00:43:58,159 you with the real. 810 00:43:58,199 --> 00:44:01,320 Speaker 5: This is a major breach of decorum. I agree. 811 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,960 Speaker 4: Are Matthew and Representative Little separated at birth? 812 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:06,519 Speaker 3: This is a question we have. 813 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,280 Speaker 4: This is a photo we have where they look, This 814 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:12,760 is Representative Little, where they look remarkably similar. 815 00:44:12,840 --> 00:44:16,559 Speaker 5: Okay, so this is from eighteen, and this is him in. 816 00:44:16,599 --> 00:44:20,159 Speaker 3: An astronaut costume that Twitter created. 817 00:44:20,159 --> 00:44:22,639 Speaker 5: This is from twenty eighteen. I've got less hair now 818 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:25,440 than I did then, but this suit still fits. So 819 00:44:25,519 --> 00:44:28,360 I'm proud of that. Great. I'll just say I don't 820 00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:29,960 I don't know if we were separated at birth. But 821 00:44:30,039 --> 00:44:31,800 I like him a lot. We could have been thank you. 822 00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:36,239 Speaker 1: I like you too, and this, so you know, is 823 00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:38,960 something that Rinzo Downey has been pushing in the newsroom 824 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:40,679 for a very long time, that we look very much. 825 00:44:40,719 --> 00:44:42,440 Speaker 5: Yes, well, he didn't tell me about that. I saw 826 00:44:42,519 --> 00:44:44,760 him every day for the last several months. He didn't 827 00:44:44,760 --> 00:44:45,079 tell me that. 828 00:44:45,199 --> 00:44:47,480 Speaker 3: I asked him for the copy of the photo. He said, 829 00:44:47,559 --> 00:44:47,800 Oh my. 830 00:44:47,880 --> 00:44:50,639 Speaker 6: God, I am not saying this similar. 831 00:44:53,079 --> 00:44:56,639 Speaker 8: I am not thank you for your honing something, thank 832 00:44:56,679 --> 00:44:59,480 you for your honest I will say Mitch wore some 833 00:44:59,760 --> 00:45:03,760 very uh neutral appropriate socks here at ut Allington today, 834 00:45:03,840 --> 00:45:07,480 whereas Matthew is wearing hats. 835 00:45:07,360 --> 00:45:09,679 Speaker 6: And I think I think there's a rule against that. 836 00:45:11,599 --> 00:45:14,559 Speaker 5: TA socks. Can we get him some UTA socks? Allright? 837 00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 1: Thank you to I actually did have a moment when 838 00:45:16,440 --> 00:45:17,800 I was sitting up here and I was like, I 839 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:19,880 can't believe I'm wearing these socks. I can't believe that 840 00:45:20,679 --> 00:45:22,239 the background of these socks is that they were a 841 00:45:22,320 --> 00:45:25,360 giveaway at trip Fest. There's a little goodie bag they 842 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:28,840 do for speakers, and we have about like twelve longhorns 843 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:32,880 on staff, and they all gave me the aggie. There 844 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:35,119 the Aggie socks that came from the giveaway. So basically 845 00:45:35,199 --> 00:45:36,760 these are the only songs I wear. 846 00:45:37,360 --> 00:45:39,280 Speaker 4: So what I'm hearing you say is we need UTA 847 00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:42,280 to become a part of trip Fest and get us 848 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:43,320 all socks. Yeah. 849 00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:45,599 Speaker 2: Well this has gone completely off the rails. 850 00:45:45,639 --> 00:45:48,880 Speaker 3: Absolutely cast usually does, yes. 851 00:45:49,119 --> 00:45:50,960 Speaker 1: But thank you both for being here. This has been 852 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:55,119 a great conversation. I really appreciate y'all. Thank you, and 853 00:45:55,239 --> 00:45:57,360 this concludes the Texas Tribune Tribe Cast. 854 00:45:57,440 --> 00:45:59,599 Speaker 6: Thanks Guessing, Thank you all.