Severe weather from hurricanes and other weather events has not spared the state’s public schools, resulting in skyrocketing property insurance costs, the Houston Chronicle reported. Insurance costs for districts have increased by 44% statewide in the past five years, according to TEA. 

The problem is particularly acute in coastal areas hit by hurricanes and severe storms. Part of the major school finance package passed by the House in April would reimburse school districts in 14 coastal counties for insurance increases above the state average.

Another bill, filed by state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, would give districts in coastal counties a credit against recapture payments for wind and hail coverage.

“You don’t want education to suffer because you’re worried about getting money to cover buildings for the kids,” Hunter said.

Abbott signs Texas version of DOGE into law

The Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office is now set to become law after Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law last week. The state office aims to eliminate waste, fraud and corruption in state government and is patterned after the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The office will launch in 2026 with a $10-million, two-year operating budget. 

“We in Texas will now have our own DOGE, known as the Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office,” Abbott said. “This law will slash regulations, put stricter standards on new regulations that could be costly to businesses, and put a check on the growth of the administrative state.”

The new office will also work to reduce state regulations that it considers outdated or unnecessary.

SBA assistance granted for Northeast Texas counties hit by twisters

The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved Abbott’s request for a disaster declaration for Northeast Texas communities hit by tornadoes and severe weather earlier this month. The declaration includes Bowie, Camp, Cass, Marion, Morris, Red River, Titus, and Upshur counties.

The approval gives homeowners, renters and businesses access to a number of low-interest loans in affected communities. 

Applicants can apply online at sba.gov/disaster or by calling 800-659-2955. A Disaster Loan Outreach Center has opened in Daingerfield to assist with completing applications and answering questions.

Bill clarifying abortion laws clears Senate panel

A bill to clarify the state’s abortion laws has passed out of a Senate committee, the Texas Standard reported. Some amendments have been added to address criticism from the left and right, the report said. Senate Bill 31 is intended to clarify when doctors can legally intervene and “aligns language” between the state’s three bans on abortion. It would also remove the requirement that a medical crisis be imminent before a doctor can act.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate floor for debate, specifically says a woman who has an abortion can’t be criminalized “as a party, principal, perpetrator, or accomplice” to the prohibited abortion.

A companion bill in the House is still in committee.

Texas Republicans try to rein in housing costs

A poll last year indicates 90% of Texans view the state’s high housing costs as a problem, one that GOP leaders hope to fix, The Texas Tribune reported.

“Young people have been boxed out of the housing market,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said earlier this month.

While buying or renting a home in Texas is still cheaper than California and New York, rising costs could affect the state’s competitive advantage. In addition, the state needs about 320,000 more homes than it has, according to an estimate from one housing advocacy group. 

One approach GOP legislators are trying is to force cities to reduce lot sizes and allow homes to be built in more places, though the proposals would only apply to the state’s 18 largest cities.

“The bottom line is there’s no new land coming online,” state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, who is behind some of the Senate’s efforts, said during floor debate on one of the bills. “It’s supply and demand. If there’s land ripe for development, for homes, for families, no government should stand in the way.”

Nuclear power in midst of a resurgence

A research lab at Abilene University is building the nation’s first nuclear research reactor in more than four decades, The News reported. The goal is to prove that small modular reactors can be a clean, reliable source of energy.

“Our goal is to take this technology and bless the world with it,” said Rusty Towell, an engineering professor at ACU who leads the university’s effort to build a small nuclear reactor.

The state has signed off on supporting nuclear technology with a $5 billion development fund. Nuclear power is seen as a way to provide stable energy while slowing climate change. Texas now has nuclear reactors at Comanche Peak, southwest of Fort Worth, and the South Texas Project, about 100 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.

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Gary Borders | [email protected].