Billl King Blog Readers Conference

Agenda

8:00 AM - 8:30 AM -Sign-in and breakfast

8:30 AM - 8:45 AM - Demographic Update – How Many Immigrants Have Been Deported or Left Voluntarily?

8:45 - 9:00 - What Happened to My Property Tax Relief

In 2023-2025, the Texas Legislature substantially reduced school property taxes. However, those cuts have been nearly or completely offset by cities and counties that dramatically raised their taxes. Bill King will go over the numbers.

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM - Update from the Mayor

Houston Mayor John Whitmire will give an update on the City of Houston.

9:45 AM - 10:30 AM - Data Centers in Texas

Panel discussion with John Diamond, a Rice economist, Jordan Thomas, a project manager with HVDC Transmission Development, and Rich Voorberg, former Siemens Energy President, to discuss the impact of data centers on public budgets, the electric grid, and water resources.

10:30 AM - 1:45 AM – Break - snacks served

10:45 AM - 11:30 AM – How Will the Iran War End?

Bill King will interview former Ambassador and Baker Institute Director David Satterfield.

11:30 AM- 12:00 PM – The Future of Newspapers

Bill King will interview Houston Chronicle Publisher Nancy Meyer.

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM - 2026 Elections

Rice political science professor and pollster Mark Jones, Houston City College political science professor Andy Teas, and State Senator Paul Bettencourt will discuss election-eve polling on the midterm elections.