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A $300 million fact check

By W. Gardner Selby
January 9, 2013

Lawmakers opened the 2013 legislative session with Speaker Joe Straus saying Texas would have the world’s 14th-largest economy if it was a nation, echoing recent research in our corner.

Perhaps more eventfully, a state board headed by Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson voted to release $300 million for public schools.

We earlier checked a group’s claim that a constitutional amendment instructed the board to free the money, a characterization that we rated Mostly False. Also, we’d looked into Patterson’s claim about investment gains on a state-overseen portfolio, which came out Mostly True.

The vote doubled as a reminder that not all consequential actions take place under the pink dome, even during legislative sessions.

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More by W. Gardner Selby
Donald Trump
stated on October 22, 2018 in a rally for Republican candidates in Houston:
Says Beto O’Rourke “voted to shield MS-13 gang members from deportation.”
Mostly False
Ted Cruz
stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:
Says Beto O’Rourke described police as “modern-day Jim Crow.”
Mostly False
Beto O'Rourke
stated on September 21, 2018 in a debate at Southern Methodist University:
Says he “did not try to leave the scene of the accident” that led to his arrest for driving while intoxicated.
Mostly False
Ted Cruz
stated on August 28, 2018 in an online video ad:
Says Beto O’Rourke “voted against” Hurricane Harvey “tax relief.”
Mostly True
M.J. Hegar
stated on August 21, 2018 in an interview on Spectrum Cable's "Capital Tonight":
Says U.S. Rep. John Carter “hasn’t held a town hall in five years.”
Mostly True
Beto O'Rourke
stated on July 26, 2018 in an ad in the Houston Defender:
Says “black Americans have 10 times less wealth than white Americans.”
Mostly True

A $300 million fact check



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