The comptroller is asking the Legislature to increase education savings account funding from $1 billion to more than $2 billion to meet student demand. view article

A proposed increase in lawmakers’ daily per diem would also raise the amount lobbyists can secretly spend wining and dining individual legislators before triggering detailed disclosure requirements.  The Texas Ethics Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider raising the legislative per diem from $221 to $290.40. Legislators receive the per diem for each day of a 140-day regular legislative session in addition to their regular salary.  The per diem amount is also linked to the amount lobbyists are permitted to spend on gifts to lawmakers without being required to identify the recipient lawmaker by name. Under current law, registered lobbyists must disclose the names of recipients when they spend more than 60 percent of the legislative per diem in a single day on food and beverages, transportation, lodging, or entertainment for a state official or employee.  That detailed reporting includes the name of the official who benefited from the expenditure, along with details such as the place, date, and amount. view article

State Rep. James Talarico sat at the end of a long table in May 2021 and pleaded with his colleagues on the Texas House Public Education Committee.  State Rep. James Talarico sat at the end of a long table in May 2021 and pleaded with his colleagues on the Texas House Public Education Committee.  He wanted them to vote down a Republican bill prohibiting transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity.  “I know many of you don’t like this bill because you tell me you don’t like this bill, but you think it’s a compromise,” Talarico said. “But if history has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t compromise with hate.”.” view article

On the same day the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ board of directors moved to nearly double its CEO’s salary, board members also signed off on a 30% pay bump for themselves, according to newly disclosed information about the raises. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is now calling on the ERCOT board to undo the raises. “My suggestion to them is to reverse their own increase,” Patrick, who helps in appointing ERCOT board members, wrote in a statement Thursday. “If they do not want to serve, I am sure there are plenty of public-service minded Texans who are willing to take their place.” view article

Texas officials have sued a Houston area postpartum center as well as investigated Rio Grande Valley hospitals over allegations of soliciting foreigners to have babies on U.S. soil. view article

Texas Secures Legal Victory Against ‘Birth Tourism’ Operation  De’Ai Postpartum Care Center was accused of importing foreign nationals to give birth in the U.S. solely for the purpose of attaining citizenship for the children, without any intent of living here. The center catered to Chinese nationals, communicating with clients through Chinese social media and websites. view article

Abbott Moves Forward With Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree Initiative.  A newly selected working group will develop recommendations for accelerated bachelor’s degrees intended to reduce college costs and address Texas workforce needs view article

A longtime minister at Democrat U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico’s Austin church was caught on undercover video claiming he is moderating his positions on transgender issues to win the election and will “change his tune back” afterward.  The footage, first reported by The Daily Wire, features Rev. Babs Miller, a minister at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, where Talarico has long attended and preached. The outlet reports that Miller has been part of the church community since the 1990s and was ordained there in 2014.  During the conversation, an undercover journalist brought up Talarico’s previous statement that “God is non-binary” and noted that Talarico had recently walked back the remark. view article

The commission doesn't have anything to do with railroads. It regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry. Here’s where 2026 candidates Bo French, Jon Rosenthal and Arthur DiBianca stand.  About the elected seat: The Railroad Commission, one of Texas’ oldest regulatory agencies, has not regulated railroads since 2005. Instead, it oversees a constellation of energy infrastructure across the state. Its elected commissioners and staff are tasked with regulating oil and gas production, natural gas facilities, hydrogen, pipelines, coal and uranium surface mining. With several field offices across Texas, the commission inspects facilities, enforces penalties and reports to the Texas Legislature. More recently, the agency has also taken on regulating hydrogen storage and carbon dioxide injection and storage, as companies look to create alternate sources of energy and take advantage of federal financial incentives to recapture carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. view article

Appointing a deputy comptroller who graduated from Texas A&M three years ago is just one of numerous shake-ups at an agency responsible with some of the state’s most important business.  As Don Huffines settled into his new post this summer as the new Texas comptroller overseeing the state’s finances, he arranged meetings to introduce himself to top level staff and to get to know their work. Often, he was accompanied by his second-in-command.   Call him “Mr. Betz,” Huffines instructed in one such meeting, referring to his fresh-faced top deputy.   Mr. Betz is Noah Betz, a Gen-Z political wunderkind who graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in business administration in 2023 and is now holding the second-most powerful position at the state agency with 3,000 employees. Betz did not disclose his age. Public records suggest he is either 24 or 25 years old.  view article

Rove, a former adviser to President George W. Bush and longtime Texas GOP political consultant, made the comments at a private lunch in Austin, according to attendees.  Karl Rove, former adviser to President George W. Bush and longtime Texas GOP political consultant, said he will vote for Jon Rosenthal, a Houston Democrat running to serve the Texas Railroad Commission, after Republican Bo French posted racist comments on Sunday about South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin.   Rove made the comments at a members-only lunch event at the Headliners Club in Austin, where he called French a “bigot,” according to three attendees to whom The Texas Tribune has granted anonymity to discuss the conversation.  Rove said he has only ever voted for one Democratic candidate, Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, who was up for reelection in 1994. view article

Oversight of the state lottery was moved to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation when the Lottery Commission was disbanded following a series of scandals. Most notably, an international gambling ring rigged a 2023 jackpot, aided by online lottery ticket resellers and the Texas Lottery Commission.  view article

Gov. Greg Abbott is directing the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data centers that have not complied with legally required water-use reporting. As Brandon Waltens reports, those penalties could include potential criminal referrals and permit disqualifications. In a letter sent yesterday to the TWDB leadership, Abbott wrote that major water users, including data centers, "appear to have committed civil and criminal violations" by failing to provide information required under the Texas Water Code.  view article

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Friday gave its approval to a controversial, 370-mile-long transmission line project,  The Howard Solstice transmission line, as it is known, will transport electricity through South Texas to the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin. The changes the commission seeks should reduce construction through grassland, the commission said.  The line will stretch across 14 counties, including Uvalde, Kerr, Bexar and Medina counties. The five-panel commissioners directed the two transmission companies to work with landowners to make further route modifications after residents expressed concerns that the lines would significantly damage their properties. view article

Dallas lawmakers and civic leaders preview the major issues up for debate for The Texas Legislature and what’s at stake for Dallas residents view article

It is not clear if Patrick’s campaign sought permission from three Texas universities to use their trademarks in a college football-inspired ad that appears to be AI-generated.   Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick used three of Texas college football’s best-known traditions to mock Democratic candidates in what appears to be an AI-generated campaign ad ahead of November’s elections.   The universities restrict how outsiders can use their brands, including in political campaigns and advertising. Patrick’s ad tests whether they will enforce those rules. view article

French, the Republican nominee for a statewide position regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry, posted a photo of University of Texas students, while decrying “foreigners” displacing Americans. view article

The Public Utility Commission will vote to greenlight three proposals to build first-of-their-kind transmission lines after approving two massive lines last month.   The Public Utility Commission of Texas will consider approving the buildout of three 765-kilovolt transmission lines spanning nearly 800 miles — roughly the size of Texas’ largest congressional district — to deliver electricity to the oil and gas industry and support the state’s booming industrial sector.   The hearing will take place Friday at 9:30 a.m. and can be watched online. view article

Texas can be more transparent with how much it spends to temporarily house foster children and with what its private contractors are spending to provide foster care services for half of the state, a new state report shows.  The state’s Legislative Budget Board said in its 2026 Strategic Fiscal Review that the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services could shore up financial reporting in those two areas and did not indicate the agency was misspending state dollars. Without detailed expenditure information, it makes it tougher for lawmakers to assess whether the spending is justified, the LBB indicated.  How well Texas’ foster care privatization efforts are going — nearly a decade after it started — is expected to be a major lawmaker focus next year, especially after the state fired its largest foster care contractor this summer and as attorneys for the state work to convince a federal judge to dismiss a 15-year lawsuit that has forced the state to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to fix foster care conditions. view article

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking a fourth four-year term in 2026, and faces Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D-Austin) and Libertarian Pat Dixon in November.  Abbott is a prolific fundraiser who has long leveraged the power of incumbency to collect enormous checks from wealthy business interests like energy CEO Kelcy Warren and school voucher supporter Jeff Yass.  In recent years, he’s also been so safe in his position that much of the money could be spent helping other candidates, like the millions he spent knocking out voucher critics in the 2024 GOP primary. view article

  Gov. Greg Abbott’s campaign is launching its first direct attack against Democrat gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa, branding her “Gender Bender Gina” over her voting record on gender mutilation policies involving children.   In a Tuesday email, the Abbott campaign pointed to Hinojosa’s 2023 vote against Senate Bill 14, which prohibited physicians from performing gender mutilation surgeries on minors or prescribing puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones for the purpose of transitioning a child’s biological sex.The legislation also prohibited the use of public money to provide the procedures. Hinojosa voted against the measure before it was ultimately approved by lawmakers and signed into law by Abbott.  Abbott’s campaign also targeted Hinojosa over her opposition to House Bill 1106 during the most recent legislative session. That legislation amended the state’s definitions of child abuse and neglect to provide that a parent’s refusal to affirm a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity does not, by itself, constitute abuse or neglect. The measure was approved by lawmakers and signed by Abbott in June 2025. view article

On the campaign trail, the governor said dismantling city-owned utilities will save customers money by introducing competition. view article

President Donald Trump went to bat for fellow Republican Ken Paxton on Wednesday, but not before taking a few vicious swings at the U.S. Senate candidate’s clothes, appearance and TV presence.  Trump’s backhanded compliment, if you can even call it that, came during a meeting with GOP congressional candidates in Washington, D.C. Although Paxton wasn’t there, the Texas attorney general and his turbulent Senate campaign appeared to be on Trump’s mind. view article

The former Houston legislator left the Democratic Party over its stance on gender-transitioning care for minors, and is now embraced by Republicans.  Thierry served four terms in the Texas House as a Democrat representing a Houston district, but lost her primary in 2024 after breaking with her party to back bills that barred doctors from providing transition-related medical care to children and teens. view article

From school takeovers to college affordability, the Democrat and Republican are rolling out their education priorities ahead of November’s election. view article

Abbott, who is seeking reelection, wants recommendations on how to implement shortened programs to ease student costs and meet workforce needs.  Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on Wednesday to work on pathways for students to earn bachelor’s degrees in three years.  Such a program could have college students take about 90 hours of classes instead of 120 to earn a degree, thus reducing the cost of higher education, shortening the time for degree completion and allowing the state to respond to workforce demands quicker, state leaders said.  “Texas students are our future leaders and the workforce of tomorrow,” Abbott wrote in a statement announcing the directive. “They deserve the option to receive a degree in a high-demand, high-wage field in less time as a means to reduce the overall cost of securing a degree.” view article

See the latest fundraising totals, where the money is coming from and how super PACs are spending in what’s poised to be Texas’ most expensive Senate race.  The race for Texas’s senate seat is shaping up to be one the most expensive competitions in the nation. Democratic nominee James Talarico is setting records, raising more at this stage of the race than any Texas general-election candidate in the past decade and posting the largest quarterly haul of any active Senate race.  GOP nominee Ken Paxton is lagging behind, having raised less than a quarter of what his rival has since the start of the race. Despite his fundraising disadvantage, Paxton benefits from new rules on how national party committees can spend in coordination with candidates and, like many cash-strapped Republicans, is leaning heavily on fundraising in coordination with other candidates and party groups. view article

The Louisiana Republican is visiting four districts, each of which are majority Hispanic and were carried by Donald Trump in 2024. The seats could help decide control of the House this fall.  House Speaker Mike Johnson is coming to South Texas this week to campaign with Republican candidates across four congressional districts, highlighting the importance of the region in the race for control of the lower chamber.   Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is currently governing a 218-212 House GOP majority, and is attempting to defy political history and headwinds by maintaining or expanding it this November. To do so, Republicans may need to pick up all three Democratic-held seats in South Texas that the Texas Legislature redrew to favor the GOP. Additionally, Johnson’s party is playing defense in the region in a couple districts targeted by Democrats. view article

With just 72 days to go until November's midterm elections, some Republicans find themselves worried about losing Texas -- a state President Donald Trump won by nearly 14 percentage points in 2024. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is not one of them.Abbott sat down with ABC News' "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl on Friday at the Texas governor's mansion in Austin, Texas, and made clear he believes Texas voters will see this election as a contrast between Democrats and Republicans.  "What matters in elections is not in August, what matters in elections is November," Abbott said. "There's a choice at the ballot box. And when those voters go in, they're going to choose between common sense that's offered by Republicans versus the crazy that's offered by the Democrats." view article

He also backed the DATA Act, a bill by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, that would let data centers build off-the-grid power systems exempt from federal regulation. view article

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has ordered school districts unaffected by a recent court ruling to comply with a state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms beginning Sept. 1.  The Aug. 25 directive came less than a week after a federal judge in San Antonio blocked the statute from taking effect in 11 school districts named in ongoing litigation filed by 16 multifaith and nonreligious families with children in public schools.  Paxton echoed supporters of Senate Bill 10, who say the 16-by-20-inch classroom displays are a way to honor the nation’s history and help instill traditional values.  “From the beginning, the Ten Commandments have been irrevocably intertwined with America’s legal, moral and historical heritage,” Paxton said. “Schools not enjoined by ongoing litigation must abide by SB-10 and display the Ten Commandments.” view article

CORPUS CHRISTI (Nexstar) — In 1994, Democrat Bob Bullock was re-elected as the Texas Lieutenant Governor. He wasn’t the only Democratic candidate elected that cycle, but he was the most prominent — as Governor Ann Richards lost her re-election bid to future President George W. Bush.Since then, the Democrats haven’t won a single major race where all Texans had a say. Between elections for Governor, Lt. Gov., Attorney General, U.S. Senate, Comptroller, Agriculture Commissioner and Public Lands Commissioner Republicans have gone 53-for-53.  With such a hefty losing streak, the conventional wisdom is that breaking the cycle of defeat is an uphill battle. But Texas Democratic nominee for Attorney General Nathan Johnson doesn’t see it view article

Residents and industry leaders at odds over transmission lines at legislative hearingThe growing backlash surrounding 765 kv lines, as well as data centers, was tackled at a nine-hour House hearing that included testimony and recommendations but no definitive answers.  Flashes of yellow were all around the Texas Capitol grounds on Wednesday as legislators gathered to consider two of the most controversial issues in Texas politics: data centers and transmission lines.The color — displayed on bandanas, pins, shirts and dresses — has become the symbol of a grassroots movement dedicated to blocking the buildout of 765-kilovolt transmission lines across the state. A coalition of those groups gathered on the steps of the Capitol building in the morning as testimony got underway for the House Committee on State Affairs’ interim meeting dedicated to the backlash against the transmission lines and data centers. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday he plans to call for a ban on school districts employing anyone with an H-1B visa, a move that could cost hundreds of Texas teachers their jobs. At a news conference in Austin, Abbott said the ban was part of a sweeping effort to stamp out “indoctrination in the classroom” that includes forbidding schools from accepting gifts or partnerships with foreign governments. “Bottom line is this: foreign influence of any kind has no place in our classrooms,” Abbott said at a Tuesday news conference in Austin. view article

Texas lawmakers will examine Tuesday whether colleges are doing enough to protect research from foreign adversaries, while Gov. Greg Abbott plans to unveil measures aimed at limiting foreign influence in education during a campaign event later that day.  The House Higher Education Committee’s agenda does not name a specific law. However, its focus on screening, reporting, oversight and the Higher Education Research Security Council closely tracks House Bill 127, which committee chair Rep. Terry M. Wilson, R-Georgetown, authored last year. The law created the new council and set safeguards for certain researchers, foreign gifts, academic partnerships and work-related travel.  Texas universities must screen foreign citizens who are not permanent residents, as well as people with certain work, training or institutional ties to a foreign adversary, before hiring them into research jobs or giving them access to research data, according to the law. view article