Andrew Schneider | Houston Public Media

Michael Coen, chief of staff of FEMA under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, called on the state to be more proactive in preparing for disasters.

President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation package, which he signed into law July 4, includes roughly $13 billion in funding to reimburse states that spent, or plan to spend, their own funds to deter illegal border crossings between January 2021 and January 2029.

Sixteen Texas families of multiple faiths and nonreligious backgrounds filed the case against multiple school districts across the state, asserting Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment and Free Expression Clauses of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is leading incumbent U.S. Sen. Cornyn in most polls in the Republican Senate primary. But the most recent poll on the 2026 general election shows former U.S. Rep. Allred within striking distance of beating Paxton if he ends up being the GOP candidate.

The organizations, which recently won a legal victory against Louisiana over its law requiring the Ten Commandments in schools, are also considering a suit against Texas over its new law allowing for prayer and Bible readings in public schools.

Abbott is under heavy pressure from Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to sign Senate Bill 3 into law, but the multibillion-dollar legal hemp industry is pushing back just as hard for a veto.

Senate Bill 16, one of Republicans' priority measures, failed to make it to the House floor before the regular session of the 89th Texas Legislature ended Monday.

Four civil liberties groups, some of which already are suing Louisiana over its law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public-school classrooms, plan to file a lawsuit against Texas as soon as Gov. Greg Abbott signs Senate Bill 10.

The poll also shows the Texas attorney general leading the state’s senior senator by 7 points if U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt enters next year's Republican primary for Cornyn's Senate seat. But Paxton’s lead drops to within the margin of error against his most likely Democratic challengers in the general election.

House Bill 3053 would have an outsized effect on Houston and Harris County, which have collected thousands of firearms at such events in recent years.