Screwworm detection prompts disaster declaration
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration late last week after the New World screwworm was found in two calves in South Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Paxton hopes to unify Republicans after runoff
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:
- U.S. Senate: John Cornyn and Ken Paxton
- Texas attorney general: Mayes Middleton and Chip Roy
- Texas Railroad Commission: Jim Wright and Bo French
- Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Place 3: Alison Fox and Thomas Smith
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.