Texas GOP lawmakers released their first draft of the state’s new congressional map Wednesday, proposing revamped district lines that attempt to flip five Democratic seats in next year’s midterm elections.  The new map targets Democratic members of Congress in the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro areas and in South Texas. The draft, unveiled by Corpus Christi Republican Rep. Todd Hunter, will likely change before the final map is approved by both chambers and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Democrats have said they might try to thwart the process by fleeing the state.  This unusual mid-decade redistricting comes after a pressure campaign waged by President Donald Trump’s political team in the hopes of padding Republicans’ narrow majority in the U.S. House. view article

The education system in Texas will soon change drastically for the better, thanks to Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership and determination.  After years of political infighting, the 2025 legislative session finally granted Texas families academic freedom like never before. The law signed by Governor Abbott in May, aptly named the Texas Education Freedom Act, established universal education saving accounts (ESAs) for families statewide — a direct cash grant that can be put toward private school tuition, learning materials or education services.  This law will reshape the future of Texas education — putting power back in the hands of students and parents as intended by our Texas Constitution and giving kids the chance to pursue the academic pathway that’s right for them. Freedom in education has finally won the day.  view article

With a quorum break on the table for the minority party as a way to thwart a GOP bid for more congressional seats, members travel out-of-state for a third time. view article

The money could be used to cover the $500-a-day fines lawmakers would incur under House rules set to discourage members from absconding after Democrats fled the state in 2021.  As Republicans in Texas move full steam ahead with a plan to redraw the state’s congressional districts, Democrats are privately mulling their options, including an expensive and legally dicey quorum break.  If they go that route, it appears they will have the backing of big-dollar Democratic donors.  By fleeing the state to deprive the Legislature of enough members to function, Democrats would each incur a fine of $500 per day and face the threat of arrest. Deep-pocketed donors within the party appear ready to cover these expenses, according to three people involved in the discussions.  The donors’ willingness to foot the bill eliminates a major deterrent to walking out — the personal financial cost — and could embolden Democrats who might otherwise hesitate.  But first, the donors and absconding members would need to figure out how to skirt a potential roadblock: Texas House rules prohibit lawmakers from dipping into their campaign coffers to pay the fines. Republicans approved the $500 daily punishment in 2023, two years after Democrats fled the state in an unsuccessful bid to stop Republicans from passing an overhaul of the state’s election laws. view article

Several school districts in Texas have sued against the release of the STAAR tests to help determine schools' performance ratings. Kingsville Independent School District started that lawsuit in 2023. The lawsuit argues it's against the Texas education agency accountability rating system, adding the STAAR test results are not 'valid and reliable' and should not be used to assign school ratings. view article

The Texas agriculture commissioner is among the state’s most influential executive offices, overseeing Texas’ $100 billion agricultural economy. With the 2026 elections on the horizon, the March GOP primary will shape the future of agricultural development in Texas.  Two Republican candidates have announced their campaigns: incumbent Commissioner Sid Miller and businessman Nate Sheets. view article

While Texas’ 30-day special legislative session is wrapping up its first week, a growing list of state lawmakers are announcing their commitment to banning taxpayer-funded lobbying—one of the 18 special session items.   State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R–Deer Park) was the first to announce his pledge, writing on X: “I just signed the pledge to support legislation stopping taxpayer-funded lobbying!”   Cain is not the only one to support the initiative. The Texas Public Policy Foundation reports that 22 other state representatives have signed this pledge thus far:  Daniel Alders, Benjamin Bumgarner, Caroline Harris Davila, Gary Gates, Richard Hayes, Hillary Hickland, Andy Hopper, Carrie Isaac, Helen Kerwin, Mitch Little, David Lowe, Shelley Luther, Brent Money, Matt Morgan, Mike Olcott, Katrina Pierson, Keresa Richardson, Nate Schatzline, Joanne Shofner, Ellen Troxclair, Cody Vasut, and Terri Leo Wilson. view article

One sunny morning in May, four high school students stood on a flower-dappled prairie in southern Dallas holding shovels. Before them swayed a Texas blazing star, a tall and spindly stalk that erupts in a bottlebrush of purple florets. Max Yan, a senior, made two putts on either side of the imperiled member of the aster family and was beginning to wedge it out when a siren wailed in the distance. He froze, his foot on the blade. There were no fences, no signs warning them off. But the land is, like 97% of the state, private property, and they were, strictly speaking, breaking the law.  “Hopefully that’s not for us,” he said. view article

Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick, acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock, and former State Sen. Don Huffines are seeking the 2026 Republican nomination for comptroller.  With the March Republican primary election approaching, three Republicans are vying for the nomination in the comptroller race.  The comptroller’s office is the fiscal arm of Texas’ state government—it manages the State Treasury, collects and distributes taxes, oversees and reports on state spending, and disburses over $50 billion through its subsidiary, the Texas Treasury Safekeeping Trust Company. view article

A city committee intends to develop a regulatory ordinance that addresses safety concerns while allowing scooter companies to continue operating. view article

A conservative news site published an interview with a woman who alleges a 17-year affair with the Southlake representative, who said this week he wouldn’t seek reelection. view article

North Texas school districts are beginning to plan for a new law that could ban books on the recommendation of some parents.Called a “parental rights” bill, Senate Bill 13 says districts can create a school library council that would be responsible for recommending which books can enter a school library, and which need to be removed. Signed into law after the recent regular session, it goes into effect Sept. 1.  Both Coppell ISD and Grand Prairie ISD are set to discuss at their meetings Monday night the steps they’re taking to establish their councils.  If a district doesn’t opt to form a council, parents can petition trustees to create one. It would take 10% of a district’s enrolled students - or 50 parents total, whichever is fewer - to force creation of a SLAC.   SB13 also lets parents know which books their child checks out of the library and allows them to prevent their kids from reading certain titles. view article

Speaking to two dozen state lawmakers, a packed hearing room, two overflow rooms and a robust virtual waiting room, Texans condemned the Legislature’s plan to redraw the state’s congressional map at the House redistricting committee’s first public meeting on Thursday.  “When I saw what you folks were doing up here in the Legislature, I got screaming mad,” said Christy Stockman, from Corpus Christi. “It’s a good old fashioned bait-and-switch, with a power grab added in.”  At the first of seven public hearings, Democratic lawmakers echoed these calls, pressing their Republican colleagues on why redistricting was being pushed through during an overtime special legislative session.  “The effort to change these districts at this time has nothing to do with representing people better,” said Rep. Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat and vice chair of the House committee in charge of redistricting. “It's the opposite of that. It's a power grab at the expense of Black and brown communities.” view article

Tejano superstar Bobby Pulido is forming an exploratory committee for a congressional bid in South Texas as he considers challenging Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg.  Pulido, a Democrat and Edinburg native, is a titan of the music genre that has its roots in South Texas. Thirty years after the release of his debut album, he plans to both retire from music and make a decision about pivoting to politics by the end of the year.  Under the current map, De La Cruz is the only Texas Republican that Democrats are targeting in 2026. view article

ABILENE, Texas — Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is set to launch three new technical programs this fall at its Abilene and Sweetwater campuses, beginning September 2. The Abilene campus will introduce a Plumbing and Pipefitting Technology program, while the Sweetwater campus will offer Building Construction Technology and Culinary Arts programs. view article

Nosek had convened a coterie of local homebuilders and architects for a picnic at her home in the wealthy Austin-area enclave of West Lake Hills. It was fall of 2021, and she and her husband, Luke Nosek, a venture capitalist who cofounded PayPal with Elon Musk and sits on SpaceX’s board, had two years prior moved to Texas from California.  The purpose of the gathering: figure out how to stop the state’s skyrocketing housing costs from getting worse.   In Texas, Nosek recognized the same factors that contributed to California’s unattainable housing market and spurred people and businesses to flee the Golden State: strict building and zoning regulations that make it difficult for cities to solve their housing crises and a “not-in-my-backyard” mentality among elected officials and homeowners that prevented change. view article

Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations  Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulationsSenate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC. view article

Texas Republicans are poised to redraw the state’s congressional map during a special session that starts MondayAUSTIN, Texas (AP) — U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat who represents a slice of the Rio Grande Valley along the border with Mexico, won his last congressional election by just over 5,000 votes.  That makes him a tempting target for Republicans, who are poised to redraw the state's congressional maps this coming week and devise five new winnable seats for the GOP that would help the party avoid losing House control in the 2026 elections. Adjusting the lines of Gonzalez’s district to bring in a few thousand more Republican voters, while shifting some Democratic ones out, could flip his seat. view article

"We need someone who's actually a good person."State Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat based in Austin, continued his schedule of news media interviews, sitting down with popular podcast host Joe Rogan to discuss how his Christian views contradict those of the religiously conservative politicians leading Texas. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott has acknowledged DOJ concerns that some districts were drawn “along strict racial lines.” Critics say it’s a political ploy. view article

Thus far in fiscal year 2025, Harris County has spent $1,141,056 on legal services for illegal aliens. view article

With few options to prevent the Republican majority from passing a new congressional map, Democrats threatened to filibuster, delay hearings and even break quorum.  As the Texas Legislature’s overtime special session kicked off Monday, Democratic lawmakers promised to make their Republican colleagues’ efforts to redraw the state’s congressional maps as painful and protracted a battle as possible. They threatened to drag out hearings, filibuster and even flee the state to deny the quorum necessary to conduct legislative business. view article

With a fundraising haul of more than $75,000, incumbent Houston ISD trustee Bridget Wade has outraised all declared candidates who are running for the five trustee seats up for election.  Houston voters will elect HISD trustees in five districts — District I, V, VI, VII and IX — to four-year terms in the upcoming Nov. 5 election. HISD's nine elected trustees don’t currently have any power in the district under the ongoing state takeover, but they will gradually resume oversight of the district once the Texas Education Agency ends the intervention after June 2027.   Each candidate was required to file a campaign finance report outlining if they had raised or spent money from Jan. 1 to June 30. Wade — a conservative running for a second term to represent District VII — reported raising more than double than the combined total of all the other declared candidates.  view article

Committee on Congressional Redistricting, Select view article

Pearland ISD’s board of trustees will consider a new cellphone policy that will prohibit students' use of personal communications during the school day, according to district board agenda documents.    The board will also consider a policy that changes how the district chooses and reviews books and learning materials.  Key updates in this policy—which are also from new state bills—include more parental rights, new procedures for public challenges and appeals, required board approval for certain materials and additional transparency provisions, according to board agenda documents. view article

The 2023 law, previously ruled unconstitutional by a Travis County judge, prevents cities from enforcing ordinances that don’t align with broad swaths of state law. view article

When Texas state lawmakers convene Monday for a special legislative session, they will already be strapped for time.  Members of the Legislature will have 30 days to work through a crowded agenda set by Gov. Greg Abbott defined largely by two items: legislation in response to Central Texas floods that killed more than 100 people, including dozens of children, and a redrawing of the state’s congressional districts ordered up by President Donald Trump.  It appears there is wide consensus among lawmakers that the Legislature must pass laws aimed at preventing another flooding disaster like the Fourth of July one that’s become one of the deadliest in modern state history and raised serious questions about emergency preparedness in a state where millions of people live in areas vulnerable to flash floods. view article

Texas is growing older faster than the rest of the nation. While the number of young people in the U.S. has shrunk, the population of children in Texas has grown.  The population of Texans age 65 and older grew faster than any other age group since the start of the decade, growing by 3.8% from 2023 to 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. They grew faster than working-age adults and children under the age of 18.  Their numbers show that people are living longer than in past generations. And, as they age, they'll increasingly rely on those of working age, a population that isn’t growing as quickly, said Holly Heard, vice president of data and analytics at Texas 2036.  In Texas, which has the highest levels of people without health insurance, elder Texans will likely face more ailments as they age.   view article

The state House Public Education Committee on Tuesday considered more than 30 bills aimed at making Texas public schools safer, including measures that would put more armed personnel on campuses and give districts money for sweeping security changes. The Legislature has made improving school safety a priority this session after 10 people, mostly students, were shot and killed at Santa Fe High School 10 months ago. The shooting spurred roundtable discussions and studies among policymakers, lawmakers and Gov. Greg Abbott in the immediate aftermath. “Out of that loss, we have an opportunity to devote ourselves and commit ourselves to seeing that their loss was not in vain and that future students, future teachers, future families in this state will, if at all possible, not have to experience what these individuals experienced,” said Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood, during Tuesday’s hearing. view article

Property tax reform has been a top priority for Texas lawmakers from the start of the 86th legislative session. The early filing of identical, wide-reaching bills in the House and Senate in January—Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 2—sparked debate on the topic and earned pushback from many local entities that could be affected by the proposals. The twin bills propose to lower the cap for local entities’ annual tax revenue growth from 8 percent to 2.5 percent and to improve efficiency and transparency in the tax system. The proposals were fast-tracked for debate in both chambers after Gov. Greg Abbott declared property tax an emergency item in February, and dozens of related bills have been filed in their wake. view article

Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller are back on the lesson plan after a vote by the Texas State Board of Education. The committee voted 12-2, with one abstention, on Tuesday to continue teaching students about Clinton in high school history classes, according to State Board of Education Director Debbie Ratcliffe. The board also voted to keep Keller on the curriculum. The vote reverses a September preliminary decision to cut the women, along with 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater and several other historical figures, from the required curriculum. The board said then that the change was intended to streamline the curriculum for its 5.4 million students at the recommendation of volunteer work groups. view article

School finance was the big-ticket item this legislative session, said Emett Alvarez, Victoria Democrats Club president. "Education should be important to everyone," Alvarez said. "We are all taxpayers and are affected by it one way or the other." The Victoria County Democratic Party will host its club meeting Tuesday at VeraCruz Restaurant, 3110 N. Navarro St. Guest speakers will be Dwight Harris, former president of the Victoria chapter of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, and Ray Thomas, who is running for chief justice of the 13th Court of Appeals. view article

Will there ever come a day when our state leaders and lawmakers want to make Texas as good a place for children as it is for business? The 85th legislative session didn't seem often inclined in that direction, particularly in matters related to educating the state's schoolchildren. A massive funding failure for prekindergarten students. The state Senate's defeatist response to a solid House attempt at school finance reform. Out-of-proportion talk about vouchers for those attending private schools. But let's not overlook a couple of bright spots. Thanks to skillful work by three North Texas lawmakers, the state's youngest learners should eventually get the gift of better-prepared teachers. view article

Back in March, James Dickey, then the chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, showed up at the state Capitol to testify in support of House Bill 1911 — a proposal known as constitutional carry, or the ability to carry firearms without a license. It was a top legislative priority for the state GOP, and Dickey brought a message tailored for the Republicans on the House panel considering it: Don't forget the platform. "The plank which said we should have constitutional carry scored a 95 percent approval rate, outscoring over 80 percent of the other planks in the option," Dickey said, referring to the party platform — a 26-page document outlining the party's positions that is approved by delegates to its biennial conventions. Constitutional carry, Dickey added, "is something very clearly wanted by the most active members of the Republican Party in Texas." view article

Contention over where transgender people use the restroom has clouded much of the 2017 legislative session and has expanded to cover other issues such as property tax policy and school finance as lawmakers push to complete their work by Monday. After Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick served notice that the scaled-back version of the so-called bathroom bill recently approved by the Texas House was a non-starter in the Senate, the upper chamber in the predawn hours Wednesday made an end-run effort to save the stronger measure that fell victim to legislative deadlines. But by the time the sun rose over the Capitol, it was clear that the House would kill the measure again. view article