Brent Money "Both-Sided" WHAT? Plus, Senate Passes Budget

Rape culture, budget lies, and the cost of not voting.

During a hearing on a bill to strengthen Texas’ sexual assault laws, Rep. Brent Money (R-HD02) took a detour into “both sides” territory, suggesting that, sure, rape is bad, but so is being accused of rape. Consent, he claimed, is “murky,” especially at frat parties, where apparently sexual assault is just a misunderstood rite of passage.

Yes, that actually happened. Here’s the clip:

HB324 is a straightforward, long-overdue update to Texas’ sexual assault statute. It centers consent. Not vibes, not frat house folklore. Actual, affirmative, verbal or clearly communicated consent. The bill clarifies that sexual activity is without consent if the person is unconscious, physically unable to resist, intoxicated to the point of incapacity, or unaware that the assault is even happening.

It also spells out that consent can be withdrawn, and if someone keeps going after that point, that’s not a misunderstanding. It’s sexual assault.

Beyond that, HB 324 expands accountability for people in positions of power, including healthcare providers, therapists, coaches, clergy, and anyone who uses trust, coercion, or deception to manipulate someone into sex.

This bill is about making sure survivors are protected, the law is clear, and prosecutors aren’t stuck arguing about what counts as a “real no” when someone’s passed out cold.

Here’s where this gets seriously disturbing.

Brent Money is serving his first term in the Texas House, representing House District 02. This is the same seat previously held by Bryan Slaton, who was expelled from the Texas House for getting a drunk staffer alone and committing date rape.

And now, his replacement is out here hand-wringing about the “both sides” of rape law?

What the hell is going on in Hunt County?

Because HD 02 went from electing a man who committed sexual assault to a man who’s now publicly agonizing over how hard it is to prove it.

Why does this seat attract men who seem more concerned about protecting predators than survivors?

It’s not a coincidence. It’s a culture.

HERE is the video for the full bill layout and discussion, if you’re interested.

Meanwhile, the Senate passed the State Budget yesterday.

Early in the session, we watched and analyzed the hearings in the Senate Finance Committee regarding the state budget. We learned that every government agency in Texas is underfunded and understaffed, using 40- and 50-year-old computer systems that barely function.

Yesterday, the Senate debated and passed it. Here is Joan Huffman’s (R-SD17) statement on the budget:

The bill passed unanimously, with both Republicans and Democrats voting in favor of it. SB1 contains some good things and a lot of garbage.

Let’s talk about the garbage first:

• $6.5 billion to keep Abbott’s border stunt going.

• $1 billion for vouchers.

• $403 million for 567 new DPS officers.

• $331 million for rural law enforcement.

• Despite billions in Medicaid, there’s no move to expand it to cover more Texans.

• $51 billion in property tax cuts since 2019 have benefited wealthier homeowners disproportionately.

• $5 billion for the Texas Energy Fund, a subsidy for private utilities.

Republicans are lying when they say there’s no money for healthcare, education, and childcare. We’re wasting billions upon billions on corporate handouts and political stunts.

Some good stuff:

• $4.35 billion for teacher pay raises (if SB26 passes).

• $10 billion across 29 agencies for behavioral health

• $240 million for expanded inpatient mental health beds.

• $455.6 million for women’s health programs.

• $13.6 million for maternal fetal medicine access.

• $32.6 billion in total higher ed funding.

• New funding for nursing pipeline programs.

Sure, there are wins in here, and we’ll take them. Teacher raises (contingent on another bill passing, of course), long-overdue mental health funding, and investments in higher ed are real and meaningful. But these scraps are buried under mountains of waste.

We’re spending $6.5 billion to keep troopers camped out at the border in a political stunt that does absolutely nothing except punish migrants and score Fox News airtime for Greg Abbott. We’re handing another $1 billion to voucher schemes under the vague promise of “school choice,” which means starving public schools to give wealthy families discounts on private tuition.

While our public systems run on 50-year-old tech, we’re spending hundreds of millions to hire more DPS officers, expand rural policing, and pump money into a grid “resilience” fund that props up private utilities. Meanwhile, Texas still refuses to expand Medicaid, leaving millions without coverage while pretending that throwing money at band-aid programs is enough.

This isn’t about fiscal responsibility. It’s about priorities. And when you look at this budget, the priorities are crystal clear. Protect power. Punish the poor. Throw a bone to public services when the pressure gets too loud to ignore.

Here’s how this changes:

We stop letting 7.2 million eligible Texans sit out elections.

That’s how.

Texas has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the country. Not because people don’t care, but because the system is built to make them feel like their vote doesn’t matter. The lines are long, the rules are confusing, and the maps are gerrymandered to hell. And still, there are 7.2 million people in this state who could vote, should vote, but don’t.

Imagine what happens when we change that.

When we register the unregistered, knock on doors, talk to our neighbors, and actually build power instead of begging those in power to do the right thing, we make it impossible for lawmakers to ignore the people they pretend to represent.

Because here’s the truth: the budget passed unanimously. That means Democrats voted for this mess, too. Change doesn’t come from polite negotiating inside the Capitol; it comes from pressure outside of it, from organizing, mobilizing, and voting like hell.

So yes, we’re mad about the budget, disgusted by Brent Money’s comments, and tired of watching the same games play out year after year.

But we’re not powerless. We’re just under-activated.

7.2 million people are not a sleeping giant. It’s a movement waiting to happen.

Let’s wake it up.

• June 2: The 89th Legislative Session ends.

• June 3: The beginning of the 2026 election season.

• Click here to find out what Legislative districts you’re in.

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