EDITORS — This is an early bulldog edition of Capital Highlights to accommodate early holiday deadlines. It will be updated on Sunday if needed.
State’s wind projects at a standstill
Dozens of Texas wind projects have been halted because the Department of Defense has not approved the federal permits required for them to move forward, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Early voting in runoffs ends Friday
Early voting in both the Democratic and Republican runoff races ends Friday, May 22, with the election on Tuesday, May 26.
On the GOP side, the statewide runoffs are:
The statewide Democratic runoffs are:
Top lawmakers back lifting camp safety law
Top Texas legislators are pushing to waive a new state law that requires camps to install broadband fiber optics in order to legally operate this summer, The Dallas Morning News reported. Scores of camps are struggling to meet the deadline. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows released a statement last week saying they support lifting the law.
High gas prices eating into Texans’ budgets
The average price for a gallon of gasoline in Texas has risen from $2.55 in early February to $3.91 as of Sunday, according to AAA. Diesel prices hover around $5 a gallon. The average Texan now spends $233 a month on gasoline, according to a study reported in The Texas Tribune.
Texas awards first $400 million in school vouchers
State officials began sending out the first notices to families awarded education vouchers last week, the Houston Chronicle reported. In the first round, 42,644 qualified, mostly students with special needs who are considered the highest priority.
Cost for future water needs could reach $174B
Texas will need to invest $174 billion over the next 50 years to keep up with water demand, according to a draft 2027 state water plan approved last week, the Austin American-Statesman reported. That is more than twice the projected cost in the previous state water plan published in 2022.
Patrick warns GOP could lose state House majority
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick warned last week that the GOP risks losing its majority in the state House this November and urged party unity behind the winner of the May runoff between U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Without that unity, Patrick said that state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee, could win, The Dallas Morning News reported.
Border wall through Big Bend apparently on hold
After public outcry, a physical border wall through Big Bend National Park appears to be on hold, The Texas Tribune reported.
Paxton calls for Hancock’s removal
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton called for Gov. Greg Abbott to remove acting state comptroller Kelly Hancock, calling him an “incompetent loser,” The Dallas Morning News reported. Paxton said the governor should replace him with Don Huffines, who defeated Hancock in the GOP primary race for the post earlier this month.
Islamic schools admitted to voucher program after suit
Four Islamic schools have been admitted to the Texas voucher program after a federal judge ordered the state to invite the schools to apply, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The judge also ordered the application deadline for families be extended to March 31, citing concerns that no Islamic schools had been approved for the program.