Pooja Salhotra

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.

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.

The Texas Senate has proposed injecting a staggering half a billion dollars into film production, as economists and fiscal hawks question the return on investment.

Faced with more immediate funding needs, state officials haven’t asked for more money for rehabilitation programs, such as STRIVE, next budget cycle.