Critics say a House bill proposing $7.5 billion in new funding for public education doesn’t go far enough, The Dallas Morning News reported. House Bill 2 would raise the per-student allotment by $220, to $6,360 a year. It would also invest $750 million in teacher pay and $450 million in teacher trai...

The Texas Lottery Commission and its former director are under scrutiny after they allegedly helped a single entity win a $95 million Lotto Texas Jackpot, the Houston Chronicle reported. Written testimony at a state legislative hearing last week from an attorney indicated an entity called Rook TX gu...

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has released his top 25 legislative priorities as the legislative session gets underway, The Texas Tribune reported. They include banning all forms of consumable THC, the psychoactive ingredient in CBD products; increasing the school homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000...

Drivers will no longer be required to get annual safety inspections beginning Jan. 1, the Texas Standard reported. However, drivers in the state’s 17 most populous counties will still be required to get an emissions test in order to register their vehicles. While mandatory vehicle inspections are go...

Gov. Greg Abbott issued three executive orders last week targeting the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, The Dallas Morning News reported Abbott said the orders were intended to protect Texans of Chinese descent from “harassment and intimidation” by the Chinese Communist Party and ...

Texas lawmakers last week filed more than 1,500 bills ahead of the next legislative session, which begins Jan. 14. The Houston Chronicle reported the proposed measures cover a range of topics ranging from border security to abortion access, education and other issues. Republicans have expanded their...

Capital Highlights A 200-page report from the Department of Homeland Security faulted U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, concluding they “failed to establish command and had inadequate training” in one of the deadliest classroom attacks, The Dallas Morning Ne...

The dog-day heat wave has sent power demands to new records, the Austin American-Statesman reported. With much of the state enduring an excessive heat warning, power demand peaked at 85,559 megawatts last week, breaking a record set last August. While searing outside temperatures certainly boost dem...

Texas public schools received more than $19 billion in pandemic relief funds over the last four years, but that pipeline of cash will largely end on Sept. 30, The Texas Tribune reported. That means many Texas schools already struggling with budget deficits will begin the school year with even more s...

A year after a new state law ended mandatory water breaks in Texas, a proposed federal rule would protect millions of workers from the risks caused by extreme heat, The Texas Tribune reported. The rule would require employers to create plans to prevent heat injuries and illnesses and ensure workers ...