Pooja Salhotra

The five bills that would require complete air conditioning in state prisons haven’t had a hearing yet, and the money set for the upgrades falls short of the estimated cost.

The bill would more than double the amount of money Texas spends to lure film and television projects and has the backing of Texas movie stars including Matthew McConaughey.

About two-thirds of Texas prisons are not fully air conditioned, and dozens of inmates have died in the sweltering heat.

Proposed legislation includes increased penalties for retail theft, car burglaries and forgery, among others.

Brittany Marlowe Holberg was convicted in 1998 of robbing and murdering an 80-year-old man in his Amarillo home. The appeals court said critical evidence was withheld.

The measles outbreak in rural Texas has exposed how hospital buildings are ill-equipped. Meanwhile, long distances between providers makes testing people and transporting samples difficult.

Democratic state Rep. Gene Wu criticized the department for treating an August 2024 federal report as “nothing.”

The directive comes as some state agencies have downsized their office spaces after the pandemic forced many employees to work remotely.

Texas’ indigent defense commission wants lawmakers to spend $35 million on public defender offices in rural areas, but some say that isn’t nearly enough to ensure compliance with the U.S. Constitution.

The package was fast-tracked after Gov. Greg Abbott declared “bail reform” an emergency item. The bills now head to the House for consideration.