This edition of Capital Highlights is being sent early to accommodate papers with early deadlines because of the July 4 holiday.
 
Gas prices at highest level since 2014

Democrats sue over defunding of legislative branch

Heat wave prompts conservation call
 
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas urged Texans to cut back on power usage last week when an unusually large number of power plants shut down for unexpected repairs as temperatures soared. ERCOT officials announced Friday that Texans could resume normal levels of electricity use, however.
ERCOT came under fire after widespread outages during the winter storm in mid-February, resulting in the CEO being forced out and much of the board replaced.
Saturday marked the official first day of summer.

Abbott vows to expand border ‘barrier’

Population gains, losses in state detailed

Budget headed to governor’s desk
 
The Texas Legislature sent a $248 billion two-year state budget to Gov. Greg Abbott after the House approved the measure last Thursday.
The 140-day legislative session ended at midnight May 31. Senate Bill 1 is $13.5 billion less than the previous biennial budget, with the difference to be made up from COVID-19 relief funds from the federal government. As previously reported, Abbott plans to allow legislators to decide how to allocate those funds during a special session this fall.

Note: This is a special bulldog edition of Capital Highlights for papers who have earlier deadlines because of the Memorial Day holiday. An updated version will be released at the usual time Monday.

Budget headed to governor’s desk

Special session coming this fall
Texas lawmakers will adjourn the regular session on Monday — Memorial Day — but Gov. Greg Abbott has already indicated he will call a special session in the fall to grapple with redistricting after detailed census results are finally released.

Deaths of unbuckled Texans spike

‘Constitutional carry’ bill close to becoming law