State 977
Freeman Martin Sworn In as New Texas Department of Public Safety Director
Lt. Colonel Freeman Martin will be the new director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), becoming the first Texas Ranger to lead the agency in its history. “With a wealth of experience in law enforcement and a strong commitment to uphold the rule of law, Freeman Martin is the right choice to lead […]
Consolidated Data, Law Enforcement Coordination Needed to Combat Organized Retail Theft in Texas
Organized Retail Theft (ORT) is neither tracked sufficiently nor effectively prosecuted in Texas, reads a new report from the Comptroller of Public Accounts. At the Texas Legislature’s direction, Comptroller Glenn Hegar convened the Texas Organized Retail Theft Task Force to evaluate the problem of retail theft in the state — a committee that included retail […]
Abbott Warns of Funding Loss After Texas Doctor Advises Non-Compliance With Citizenship Questions
A Texas doctor has gone viral on social media after advising patients that they may ignore Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order (EO) requiring healthcare providers to ask patients for their citizenship status, which Abbott warned could threaten his employer’s Medicaid funding. In a TikTok video that has now amassed over 1.2 million views, Dr. Tony […]
Public Utility Commission to Require Registration of Virtual Currency Miners in ERCOT
The State of Texas and its main power grid are coping with a drastic increase in electricity demand brought in by computer-heavy operations such as virtual currency miners. Texas’ utility regulator will now require these facilities to register with the state. An April report from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) raised the bar […]
Texas Supreme Court Sends Lawsuit Against Pro-Life Organization Back to Court of Appeals
The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) ruled against a lower court’s dismissal of Texas Right to Life’s appeal against Planned Parenthood. The Court of Appeals must first establish whether the multiple abortion organizations suing Texas Right to Life, for allegedly orchestrating lawsuits against violators of the state’s abortion laws, have a legal standing before the […]
Texas State Board of Education Votes to Adopt New State-Owned Instructional Material
The Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) has given final approval to adopt a new state-created curriculum that faced criticism for its inclusion of religious references in lessons for elementary schoolers. In a vote of 8 to 7, three Republican members of the board joined the four Democrats in voting against the adoption. × This […]
Texas Supreme Court Halts Trial Court’s Depositions of Ken Paxton, Aides in Whistleblower Suit
The depositions of Attorney General Ken Paxton and three of his top aides have been halted by the Texas Supreme Court, which sided with the agency’s argument that its January concession of the case concluded the dispute. In 2020, four employees of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alleged they were fired for bringing […]
University of Texas System Expands Low-Income ‘Tuition-Free Education’ Program
The University of Texas (UT) System Board of Regents has given preliminary approval to take the “next significant step” in expanding the school’s “Promise Plus” program, which provides “tuition-free education” to low-income students. The approval would create an “immediate infusion of $35 million” as part of the Promise Plus endowment. In addition to the increased […]
Texas Offers Border Ranch Land for Trump’s Mass Deportation Effort
The State of Texas has offered 1,400 acres of land in Starr County to the federal government so that the Trump administration can build facilities used to stage its intended mass deportation efforts. General Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham made the offering in a formal letter to former and President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday. × This […]
Texas Lawmakers File Health and Food-Focused Bills for 2025 Legislative Session
President-elect Donald Trump made “Make America Healthy Again” a theme of his campaign, a message underscored by his nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Here in Texas, lawmakers have filed a wave of bills addressing the state’s food system, public health, and […]
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Announces Texas Dementia Research Institute as Legislative Priority
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposed launching a new taxpayer-funded research program, the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas (DPRIT), to draw in “leading Dementia researchers and companies” to the state — modeled after the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). Patrick announced this new “major legislative initiative” for Texas legislators on Monday, saying […]
Abbott Issues Executive Order Against Chinese Communist Party’s Harassment of Dissidents in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott has issued an executive order (EO) in an effort to protect Chinese dissidents in Texas from coercion and harassment by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its governing Chinese Communist Party (CCP). “The Chinese Communist Party has engaged in a worldwide harassment campaign against Chinese dissidents in attempts to forcibly return […]
