THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKDAILY BRIEFING · 2026-10-01
Official releases published on 2026-10-01, plus newly retrieved releases whose publication dates were unavailable.
Governor Greg Abbott today joined manufacturing and business leaders for a roundtable discussion on Texas’ economy followed by a press conference to highlight Manufacturing Week in Texas.
Official original(AUSTIN) — Those accused of the most serious crimes under Texas law could be denied bail if they have a previous conviction for another serious crime or are out on bond for one under a measure approved by the Senate on Wednesday. SJR 87, by Houston Senator Joan Huffman, would ask voters to approve an amendment to the state constitution that would r…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate kicked off the first called session of the 89th Legislature on Monday, one which will see lawmakers consider legislation to aid regions of the Texas Hill Country devastated by record flooding in early July. Governor Greg Abbott added these issues to the agenda of a session he called following his veto of SB 3, a bill that woul…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate concurred in House amendments to two property tax bills whose author says will reduce the property tax bill of Texas homeowners by hundreds of dollars each year, sending those measures to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature. SB 4 and SB 23, both by Houston Senator Paul Bettencourt, would raise the homestead exemption, allow…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today announced the first round of Rural Texas Strong grant awards, providing $51 million in federal funding through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to eligible rural hospital districts and authorities. The funding will help create or improve community-based prevention, wellness and nutrition programs.
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott named Elizabeth “Lisa” Maciejewski-West as Chair of the Risk Management Board for a term set to expire at the pleasure of the Governor. The State Office of Risk Management administers insurance services obtained by state agencies, including the self-insured government employee’s workers’ compensation insurance program and the s…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Texas Legislature will stay in session until House Democrats, who left the state to deprive the House of a quorum to stop consideration of a controversial mid-decade redistricting map, return to Austin, Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement Tuesday. “I will continue to call special session after special session until we get this T…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott appointed Brooks Bennett to the Texas Municipal Retirement System Board of Trustees for a term set to expire on February 1, 2031. The Board oversees the Texas Municipal Retirement System, which is responsible for providing a secure retirement benefit plan for eligible employees of more than 800 cities.
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate on Saturday voted in favor of a new congressional district map that its author believes will increase the number of Republicans Texas sends to Washington, D.C. This issue sparked House Democrats to leave the state for two weeks to delay passage and raised a national debate on mid-decade partisan redistricting. They were succes…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today delivered remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony for Saronic Technologies’ Port Alpha manufacturing facility at the Port of Brownsville. The shipyard will generate up to 10,000 jobs and create an estimated $264.5 billion in economic impact for the State of Texas, marking one of the largest economic development projects in…
Official original(AUSTIN) — Any Texan would be permitted to bring a lawsuit against a manufacturer or a distributor of abortion-inducing medication under a bill considered by the Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday. This is the same mechanism that allowed Texas’ 2021 “Heartbeat Bill”, which effectively banned abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, to sur…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate on Wednesday moved forward on the governor’s special session agenda, though bills passed by the body can’t become law if the House members who broke quorum over the weekend don’t return in time. SB 9 by Houston Senator Paul Bettencourt, is intended to slow property tax growth by lowering the “voter approved rate” threshold. In…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today issued a statewide disaster proclamation to allow expanded use of dyed diesel on Texas roads. The proclamation also raises the allowable weight for fuel, agricultural, and timber loads, and suspends Texas Low Emission Diesel (TxLED) rules to the extent the EPA authorizes. The Governor also requested that the EPA waive fed…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today announced Morgan Stanley Services Group, Inc. is establishing a new U.S. hub in Dallas, with a $684 million capital investment that will create more than 3,800 jobs. A Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) grant of $43,849,500 and a Veteran Created Job Bonus of $40,000 have been extended to Morgan Stanley.
Official original(AUSTIN) — Three years after a gunman shot and killed 19 students and 2 teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, the Senate approved a bill Monday that looks to improve the way that police, emergency medicine, and other first responders deal with active shooting events. Crafted in the House by former Uvalde mayor and current Representative Don McLaug…
Official original(AUSTIN) — New emergency plans, detection and warning systems, and training for emergency management are part of a broad based plan considered before a Senate committee on Friday. Since 138 Texans died in the floods that struck the Texas Hill Country on July 4th, lawmakers have been working on ways to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The state of Texas must once again update its laws regulating the use of name, image, and likeness (NIL) for college athletes as a pending court settlement looks to upend the current status quo, said the sponsor of a bill considered before the Senate Committee on Education K-16 Tuesday. A 2021 Supreme Court ruling opened the door to pay …
Official original(AUSTIN) — The state is poised to put more money into public education this session than it ever has before, according to the chair of the Senate Education K-16 Committee. That panel held a hearing Thursday to roll out the Senate’s version of a plan to increase public education funding by $8 billion in the form of HB 2. More than half of that money…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Texas House cannot conduct business as more than 50 Democratic representatives headed out-of-state in order to stop consideration on a controversial mid-decade redistricting map that looks to add five more Republican seats to the congressional delegation. House Democratic leaders announced the quorum break on Sunday from Illinois. At…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate on Tuesday approved spending $13.2 billion of the state’s $23.8 billion budget surplus to align what was projected to be spent in 2023 with what was actually spent. Because the legislature budgets prospectively, using estimates and projections to craft a plan to pay for state services for the following two years, the supplemen…
Official original(AUSTIN) — Lawmakers on the House and Senate Select Committees on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, along with Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows, held a meeting in Kerrville on Thursday to hear from local officials and residents on how they are rebuilding following the catastrophic flooding that hit the region overnight on…
Official original(AUSTIN) — Leadership in each chamber announced Thursday evening that they have reached agreement on a package to deliver $8.5 billion in new funding to public schools. This follows weeks of negotiations as lawmakers worked out how to get that money into classrooms and into the pockets of teachers. “We have been working diligently with the House in…
Official original(AUSTIN) — Families of the 25 young girls and two counselors who died in the July 4th floods at Camp Mystic in Kerr County spoke in favor of reforms to camp safety requirements in the wake of that tragedy. Governor Greg Abbott singled out youth camp safety as a specific priority for the second special session, and the Senate Select Committee on Dis…
Official original(AUSTIN) — Members of the House and Senate spent all day Wednesday hearing from state emergency response officials about what went right and what went wrong in the state response to the disastrous floods that struck the Texas Hill Country in the wee hours of July 4th, claiming 137 lives, with two still missing. Leading off the hearing was Texas Dep…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today announced the launch of a free online course to expand the number of certified New World Screwworm (NWS) inspectors across Texas. This course will allow more Texans to inspect their animals and certify the documentation required to safely move them, which is critical to ensuring cattle and livestock commerce continues uni…
Official originalGovernor Greg Abbott today hosted a meeting of the Texas Jobs Council at the Governor’s Mansion and received an update on the Council’s work to strengthen Texas workforce development and help more Texans access in-demand, high-paying jobs. He also signed a proclamation declaring October 2-9 Manufacturing Week in Texas.
Official originalGovernor Abbott Holds Severe Weather Briefing, Activates Additional State Emergency Response Resources
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate passed Thursday evening a bill that would overhaul safety standards for youth camps following the death of twenty-five campers and two counselors at Camp Mystic during the July 4th floods. The family and friends of the victims were present in the chamber gallery to hear members express grief at what happened and resolve that i…
Official original(AUSTIN) — With just a few days left in session, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and a number of senators held a press conference Wednesday to tout the Senate’s work on banning intoxicating hemp consumables while expanding the state’s medical marijuana program. Alarmed by the rapid expansion of the hemp consumable industry – more than 8,000 retailers in 3…
Official original(AUSTIN) — The Senate State Affairs Committee on Tuesday took up a bill that would permit and regulate the sale of certain hemp consumables like CBD and CBG supplements and some hemp-derived products like oil, seeds, and protein powder. It would also effectively end the intoxicating hemp consumables industry targeted in SB 3, the regular session bi…
Official originalCoverage depends on available official sources. Government releases reflect their issuers’ positions.
Get the free daily email