The close of the Texas legislative session has left the state divided on key issues, with the controversial Senate Bill 3 -- the Texas THC Ban -- taking center stage. Currently awaiting the signature of Governor Greg Abbott, the bill has legislators at odds over the merits and consequences of its potential enactment. FOX 7 Austin reports State Senator Royce West (D-Dallas) as backing the bill's intent to limit the proliferation of THC products, especially among minors. "I think the evidence is kind of overwhelming in terms of we're seeing THC stores pop up on every corner with THC as one of the main products of those stores. We're seeing kids utilizing THC products. The fact is do we want them to pop up on every corner like liquor stores? I don't want that," West remarked.
However, on the other side of the argument, Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Waxahachie) raised concerns about the broader implications of such a ban, particularly its economic ramifications. According to a FOX 7 Austin interview, Harrison posits a dire outcome, "It's going to shut eight, nine, 10,000 small businesses are going to have to close their doors. 40 to 50,000 jobs are going to get laid off and millions of Texans are going to be faced with a choice and basically pushed into either a completely unregulated, dangerous black market or to much more fatal and addictive pharmaceuticals. Why would we do such a thing?"
Amidst the controversy of the THC legislation, Texas Democrats consider the passage of a bill providing $8.5 billion for public school funding as a triumph. The bill, which received Governor Abbott's signature, restructures public school financing with a focus on operational costs. "You can always argue about the basic allotment, but the Senate's approach was restructuring the way that we finance public schools. We added additional allotments," Senator West told FOX 4 News in affirmation of the legislature's commitment to education.
Nevertheless, concern arises from some quarters about the fiscal impacts of the session's spending, with Rep. Harrison highlighting the potential consequences on taxpayers. "Texas legislature this session basically said they are happy to continue taxing Texans out of their homes to fund a continuation of the Biden agenda to to burn the $24 billion surplus instead of giving it back to taxpayers in the form of property tax relief or to start eliminating property taxes to fund every left-wing progressive ideology under the sun," Harrison voiced during an interview with FOX 4 News. Harrison also expressed his discontent with the limitations of a new school choice program, which purportedly benefits merely 1% of Texas students.
