NEWS IN STATE GOVERNMENT
Governor:
Governor Abbott Names Chair and Appoints Four to Parks And Wildlife Commission: Governor Greg Abbott has appointed James Abell, Jeff Hildebrand, and Bobby Patton to the Parks and Wildlife Commission for terms set to expire on February 1, 2025. Click here to read more about this and other gubernatorial-appointments made this week.
Comptroller:
Texas Sales Tax Holiday This Weekend — Aug. 9-11: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar reminds shoppers the annual sales tax holiday is scheduled for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 9-11. Click here to read more.
State Sales Tax Revenue Totaled Nearly $2.9 Billion in July: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said state sales tax revenue totaled $2.86 billion in July, 4.3 percent more than in July 2018. Click here to read the full news release.
Comptroller Glenn Hegar Distributes $877 Million in Monthly Sales Tax Revenue to Local Governments: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose taxing districts $876.8 million in local sales tax allocations for August, 4 percent more than in August 2018. Click here to see that list of allocations and to read the full news story.
General Land Office:
Commissioner Bush Announces Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court Approval of Land for 10th Nursing Home: Veterans Land Board Chairman George P. Bush released the following statement announcing the Tarrant County Commissioner’s Court unanimous vote to approve the donation 12 acres of property for the creation of the Texas Veterans Land Board’s 10th Veteran’s Home. Click here to read the full news release.
Railroad Commission:
RRC Commissioners Assess More Than $800,000 in Penalties: The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $864,689 in fines involving 270 enforcement dockets against operators and businesses at the Commissioners’ conference this week. Click here to read more.
OTHER NEWS
State Headlines:
Analysis: A Small, but Ill-Timed Exodus of Texas Republicans from Congress: Three Texas Republicans have announced they won’t seek reelection in 2020, and that will probably turn out to be an incomplete roster of retirees. Click here to read the full Texas Tribune analysis.
Texas House Committee to Probe Allegations Against Speaker Dennis Bonnen: The House General Investigating Committee, which holds subpoena power, will review allegations that Bonnen offered media credentials to a conservative group if it targeted 10 GOP lawmakers in the upcoming election. Click here to read the full Texas Tribune article.
NRG CEO Gutierrez says ERCOT Overstates Generation Capacity: The CEO of NRG Energy said Wednesday that the state’s power grid manager is overstating the amount of generating capacity and electricity supplies will be much tighter in coming years than estimated. Click here to read the full Houston Chronicle article.
Texas Now Boasts the Nation’s Strongest Laws to Shield Patients from Surprise Bills: Sweeping legislation that will help protect thousands of Texans from the calamity of surprise bills and price-gouging associated with freestanding emergency rooms (FSERs) was a high point of the 86th Texas Legislative session. Click here to read the full TribTalk article.
Permian Fracking Activity Sets New Records with Fewer People: Companies are hydraulically fracturing more oil wells in the booming Permian Basin than ever before and getting it done with far fewer workers than just a year ago, according to new studies.Subscribers can click here to read the full Houston Chronicle.
Crude Ends Week Lower After Largest Dip in More than Four Years: Oil finished down for the week as positive U.S. jobs news wasn’t enough to erase a plunge triggered by President Donald Trump’s escalation of the trade war with China. Click here to read the full Bloomberg article.
What’s in the Way of this Texas Pipeline? A Cute Songbird: The warbler (an endangered songbird native to Central Texas) is at the center of a fight between Kinder Morgan and landowners in the Hill Country who want to block the company’s proposed pipeline through the 25-county region. Click here to read the full article published by Grist.
OTHER NEWS
Dates to Note:
Farm and Food Leadership Conference
Texas State University, San Marcos
August 11 - 13, 2019
August 14 - 16, 2019
TCCRI 13th Annual Legislative Conference Dinner
August 15, 2019
Austin, TX
Energy Trade Mission to Israel 2019
September 16, 2019 to September 20, 2019
September 26 - 28, 2019
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Stalwart Strategies Capitol Appreciation Party
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
The Belmont, Austin, TX
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Texas House Republican Caucus Fall Golf Tournament
October 17 - 18, 2019
Texas Energy Summit at the Capitol
November 12 - 14, 2019
Click here for House of Representatives Capitol Events Calendar.
Click here for Texas Senate Capitol Events Calendar.
