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State Government

All articles tagged with #state government

politics3 days ago•2 min saved

Texas faces new voter registration backlog days before early voting begins

Texas county election officials are processing a new backlog of 15,000 voter registration records just four days before early voting starts, following a separate state error. This latest issue affects address updates submitted via the Texas.gov website between September 1 and last week. Officials must quickly verify which records were submitted before the October 5 deadline to ensure they are updated in time for the November 3 election. This comes shortly after counties cleared a massive backlog of over 500,000 records caused by a Department of Public Safety software error. The Texas Secretary of State’s Office is offering grants to help counties cover overtime costs, while election officials criticize the state’s voter registration system for creating unsustainable unpredictability.

via The Texas Tribune|

#election-administration #midterms-2026 #politics

politics19 days ago•1 min saved

State leaders pivot to emergency fuel measures as midterm elections near

Governors and legislators in Ohio, Texas, Georgia, and California are implementing emergency measures to lower fuel costs ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. These actions, driven by high prices from the ongoing U.S.-Iran war, include suspending gas taxes and declaring disasters to bypass transportation restrictions. While the moves aim to ease consumer costs, they risk reducing state transportation funding and have sparked partisan debates over federal responsibility.

via Politico|

#energy-policy #fuel-prices #iran-conflict

politics21 days ago•6 min saved

Walz Accepts Blame for Fraud but Argues It Should Not Define His Legacy

Outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz accepted responsibility for the state’s fraud crisis in an exit interview, stating he should have acted sooner. However, he argued the $9 billion loss is less significant than the White House ballroom cost and should not overshadow his other policy achievements. Republican lawmakers rejected this view, citing tax hikes, lockdowns, and the pardon of a child rapist as defining moments of his tenure.

via foxnews.com|

#amy-klobuchar #lisa-demuth #minnesota-fraud

politics26 days ago•0 min saved

NH Libertarian Party X Post Calling for Democrat Assassinations Draws Bipartisan Condemnation

The New Hampshire Libertarian Party’s X account posted a call for the assassination of all elected Democrats in the state. The post, attributed to party chair Jeremy Kauffman, sparked immediate bipartisan outrage and prompted the national Libertarian Party to disavow the local chapter. Law enforcement is aware of the threats, but it remains unclear if they will be prosecuted as incitement or protected speech.

via New Hampshire Public Radio|

#jeremy-kauffman #libertarian-party #new-hampshire

health1 month ago•6 min saved

Local Health Officials Counter Federal Vaccine Rollback with Grassroots Campaigns

As US measles cases surge and deaths rise, local health officials are stepping in to fill the void left by federal vaccine policy changes. In Pennsylvania, county departments are using mobile clinics and school partnerships to vaccinate students, countering misinformation from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While the federal government has reduced recommended childhood vaccines and split the MMR shot, state and local leaders are relying on scientific consensus to maintain immunization rates. This shift highlights a growing tension between federal anti-vaccine rhetoric and local efforts to protect public health, with some states forming coalitions to bypass CDC guidance.

via The Guardian|

#health #measles #public-health

state-government1 month ago•15 min saved

Abbott Halts State Funding for Flock Cameras Amid Misuse Scandal

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies to pause funding for Flock AI-powered surveillance cameras following a surge in privacy concerns and reports of officer misuse. The directive comes as The Texas Tribune prepares to release an investigation revealing that the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has spent at least $30 million on the technology since 2023. While Abbott frames the move as a necessary crackdown on abuse, critics argue the state facilitated a widespread surveillance network without proper legislative oversight.

via The Texas Tribune|

#ai-cameras #flock-safety #greg-abbott

state-government3 months ago•23 min saved

Schatzline exits Texas House to steer Abbott’s election policy push

State Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Fort Worth Republican and hardline conservative, resigned from the Texas House to become Gov. Greg Abbott’s senior adviser on election policy, leading policy development and legislative strategy on election integrity. The role is expected to shape next-session priorities, including efforts to close primaries and tighten voting rules; Schatzline had been floated as a potential secretary of state, a job Abbott sought to fill.

via The Texas Tribune|

#election-integrity #greg-abbott #nate-schatzline

state-government3 months ago•20 min saved

Abbott taps Huffines to run Texas comptroller for the year

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Don Huffines, a former Republican state senator, to be Texas comptroller for the rest of the year after acting head Kelly Hancock resigns; Huffines, who defeated Hancock for the GOP nomination, is running for a full term against Democrat Sarah Eckhardt in November and would oversee taxes, spending audits, contracts and the state’s $1 billion Education Freedom Accounts voucher program.

via The Texas Tribune|

#2026-elections #don-huffines #greg-abbott

state-government3 months ago•20 min saved

Texas Comptroller Hancock to Step Down After One Year at the Helm

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock will resign at the end of July, a year after taking the job appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Hancock oversaw the rollout of Texas Education Freedom Accounts, the state’s $1 billion school-choice program. He lost his bid for a full term to Don Huffines, who will face Democrat Sarah Eckhardt in November. Hancock remains confident the agency will continue to function smoothly and that Huffines will build on the ongoing work.

via The Texas Tribune|

#comptroller #don-huffines #education

state-government4 months ago•24 min saved

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson to resign, ending a three-and-a-half-year tenure

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced she will resign effective July 17, ending a 3.5-year tenure as the state’s top election official. Gov. Greg Abbott will nominate a successor “without delay,” though the reason for Nelson’s departure and potential candidates were not disclosed. Nelson’s tenure included overseeing seven statewide elections with 27 million ballots cast, and managing controversial data-sharing efforts with the DOJ and the SAVE database, which prompted lawsuits from voting-rights groups. Her time in office also coinced with the TEAM election-management overhaul, which officials say still needs fixes.

via The Texas Tribune|

#greg-abbott #jane-nelson #state-government

state-government5 months ago•20 min saved

TX lawmakers push to drop fiber-optic rule for summer camps

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows urged lifting the state requirement that youth camps install end‑to‑end fiber-optic facilities to qualify for licensure, arguing other reliable connectivity could meet the rule’s goals after a lawsuit by 19 camps; the mandate was enacted following the July 4 Hill Country floods that killed campers, and critics say fiber costs can be prohibitive or impractical for rural camps, with lawmakers planning to revisit camp safety standards in 2027 while there was no immediate comment from the Department of State Health Services.

via The Texas Tribune|

#dan-patrick #dustin-burrows #fiber-optic-internet

state-government5 months ago•34 min saved

Camp Mystic director apologizes as Texas flood investigation unfolds

At a state House and Senate flood hearing, Camp Mystic director Edward Eastland apologized to families whose children died in last year’s flood, saying they tried their hardest and regretting not communicating sooner. Lawmakers heard harrowing accounts from grieving parents, assessed the camp’s preparedness and evacuation plans, and debated license renewal with the Texas Department of State Health Services, with some suggesting shutdown if deficiencies aren’t fixed. The testimony underscored the trauma for survivors and the political pressure surrounding Camp Mystic’s future.

via The Texas Tribune|

#apology #camp-mystic #flood

politics6 months ago•2 min saved

Red-State AGs Join Court Bid to Shield Trump’s Mail-Voting Order

Twelve Republican attorneys general moved to intervene in a Democratic-led lawsuit challenging Trump's March 31 executive order on mail voting, arguing the order would actually bolster state authority by creating federal voter lists with DHS/SSA and restricting ballot delivery via the USPS. The judge’s decision on intervention is pending; notable signatories include Kris Kobach and Steve Marshall. The case is part of broader legal challenges to the EO, including a separate Massachusetts suit by voting-rights groups.

via Democracy Docket|

#elections #lawsuits #politics

state-government6 months ago•25 min saved

Texas governor withholds millions to press cities on ICE policy

Gov. Greg Abbott warned Houston, Dallas and Austin that roughly $200 million in state public-safety funding could be cut unless their police policies fully cooperate with ICE, ranging from $110 million for Houston to about $2.5 million for Austin and $32+ million for Dallas plus World Cup funds. The move catalyzes pushback from city leaders and a Paxton-led investigation and lawsuit against Houston, as officials defend SB 4-compliant policies and emphasize public safety and constitutional rights. The dispute underscores tensions between state immigration enforcement and local policing policies.

via The Texas Tribune|

#austin #dallas #greg-abbott

state-government6 months ago•34 min saved

Texas cities resist immigration crackdown as state threatens funding and probes local leaders

Houston's ordinance to curb police cooperation with ICE sparks a state funding cutoff threat and an AG investigation, illustrating how Texas cities are navigating the Trump-era immigration crackdown; Austin and other cities are crafting policies to protect residents while complying with Senate Bill 4 and balancing state leadership.

via The Texas Tribune|

#austin #greg-abbott #houston