ACCOUNT READ ONLINE   Good morning! Here is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, April 18, 2023.   – Michael Quinn Sullivan    Senate Passes More Measures to Improve Elections With just six weeks left in the Texas Legislature’s regular session, Erin Anderson reports the Senate continues passing measures to fix weaknesses in the election process. Meanwhile, the House has yet to advance any election integrity proposals.      The latest measures to pass the Senate include several filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) in direct response to a string of botched elections in Democrat-controlled Harris County. The county is refusing to release public records from the November 2022 election, which was bungled so badly that it sparked multiple lawsuits and a criminal investigation.        Among the proposals passed by the Senate is a new law increasing penalties for intentionally failing to deliver election supplies to a polling place, obstructing the distribution of election supplies, and revealing election results before polls close. Senators also passed what Bettencourt bragged is "the best voter audit bill in the country."        Only one elections-related measure has made it to the House floor—legislation further regulating political parties. The House Elections Committee has yet to schedule hearings on any Senate bills.   Geren And Phelan Block Effort To Protect Children An effort to stop children's hospitals from performing gender mutilation procedures was blocked in the Texas House yesterday by Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) at the request of State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth). Soli Rice has the full report.   During the debate on legislation creating a new taxpayer-funded grant program for children's hospitals, State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) offered an amendment. He wanted to prohibit the grants from going to institutions performing gender mutilation and sterilization procedures on children.   Geren objected, claiming it was not "germane" to set boundaries around the grant program. Phelan agreed, effectively killing Tinderholt's amendment without lawmakers getting to vote on it.   University Sued for First Amendment Violations A lawsuit has been filed against Texas State University, claiming the institution has adopted policies designed to stifle free speech. Emily Wilkerson has the details.      You can imagine who the targets are...         The lawsuit brought by Speech First claims the San Marcos-based university's discrimination policy is so vague it could bar students from using their university email account to send messages about political issues.       “Texas State administrators have created a campus controlled by fear where students are afraid to share their opinions, engage their classmates, or even posit new ideas,” said Cherise Trump, executive director of Speech First. “By violating their students’ First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, Texas State claims they’re protecting students. How can Texas State claim to protect students while violating their rights?”   POLL: Republican Voters Oppose Crony-Gambling Push As support for casino gambling grows inside the Republican-controlled Texas House, a new poll from Texas Family Project reveals the state’s Republican voters don’t support the movement. Soli Rice has the details.       The Texas Family Project poll of Republican primary voters finds 84 percent believe gambling can be just as addictive as drugs or alcohol. It found only 4 percent of GOP voters have made a bet online and 16 percent have placed a bet at a casino or horse track in the past year. On the other hand, 47 percent of Republican voters told pollsters they did purchase at least one lottery ticket.       Legislation being pushed by the Texas House GOP leadership would create a new state agency that would select eight geographic locations for casinos. At each location, an exclusive "casino" license – free from competition – would be awarded. The licenses would go to multinational corporations like Sands, which has flooded the campaign coffers of establishment lawmakers with cash.      Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said casino legislation will not be considered unless a majority of Republican senators come out publicly in favor of it.   Substitute Teacher Encouraged Students to Fight in Class Mesquite ISD fired a Kimbrough Middle School substitute teacher after a leaked video showed her encouraging students to fight each other during class. Katy Marshall has the story.       A student in the class filmed Natally Garcia, 24, facilitating one-on-one fights between at least four 12- to 13-year-olds last week. Allegedly, Garcia outlined rules for the fights, posted one student at the door as a lookout, and told students to put away their cell phones.         Mesquite ISD called Garcia’s actions “appalling and intolerable.” The student who leaked the video, meanwhile, has been getting death threats from other students.