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Texas home insurers see record profits
Preliminary data indicates Texas home insurers earned a 22% profit on premiums collected last year, according to the Houston Chronicle. It was the best year insurers have had in two decades and follows several years of double-digit rate increases and flat or slightly negative returns for insurers due to increased natural disasters.
Abbott wants ban on data centers in rural neighborhoods
Gov. Greg Abbott is calling for a ban on data center construction in rural neighborhoods, according to the Houston Chronicle. Opposition to the facilities is growing because they require large amounts of electricity and water and can be noisy. The governor had previously touted Texas as “the epicenter of AI development.”
Texas first state to mandate Bible reading in school
Rural counties face hurdles in regulating data centers
Rural counties trying to slow or even block data center construction are finding they have limited legal authority, the Texas Standard reported. Hill County, for example, rescinded a one-year moratorium on data center construction after being sued for $100 million by a company planning a large-scale data center project near Hillsboro.
Gains seen in all subjects on STAAR tests
Texas high school students showed improvement in every subject in this spring’s end-of-course STAAR exams, the Texas Education Agency reported.
The results include assessments in Algebra I, English I, English II, biology and U.S. history. The biggest improvement was in biology, with 71% of students meeting expectations, up 9%.
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:
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.