Speaker Opposes Drive to End Tenure

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said Friday he opposes a push by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to end tenure for new professors at the state’s public universities and to revoke it for faculty who teach critical race theory, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Phelan, speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival, said the feedback he has gotten indicates ending tenure would make it more difficult for universities to recruit professors. That includes those with conservative viewpoints, who benefit from tenure’s protection against being fired for openly sharing their ideology.

Brian McCall, chancellor of the Texas State University system and a former Republican member of the Texas House, said eliminating tenure would “put the state at such a disadvantage,” the Statesman reported.

“Tenure exists for a reason, and that is to get thought out,” McCall said. “We’re not running Vacation Bible School. We’re teaching physics and various things that are science and not subject to certain opinions.”

Critical race theory is a college-level approach to studying racism in society. It is not taught in Texas public schools below the college level.

Cartels Designated As Terrorist Organizations Amidst a growing national fentanyl crisis, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations. “Fentanyl is a clandestine killer, and Texans are falling victim to the Mexican cartels that are producing it,” said Governor Abbott. “Cartels are terrorists, and it’s time we treated them that way.” The Biden administration recently awarded nearly $1.5 billion to support efforts to address the opioid crisis and support individual recovery efforts. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is receiving nearly $53 million as a result.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control.