Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said today that State Sales Tax Revenues totaled $3.99 billion in July, 0.1% more than in July 2023. The majority of July sales tax revenue is based on sales made in June and remitted to the agency in July. Total sales tax revenue for the three months ending in July 2024 was up 1.7% compared with the same period a year ago. Sales tax is the largest source of state funding for the State Budget.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick sent a letter to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) urging them to claw back $800 million of ratepayer money from CenterPoint Energy in Houston. Upon sending the letter, Lt. Gov. Patrick stated: “As promised, here is the letter I sent to the PUC urging them to claw back $800 million of ratepayer money from CenterPoint. I remain committed to fighting on behalf ratepayers to ensure they do not pay for CenterPoint’s mismanagement.

While Democrats and their media allies may have been singing Kamala Harris’s praises in public the past two weeks, don’t be fooled. A new report is already revealing how Harris’s Democrat Party allies are singing an altogether different, much less optimistic tune in private. In private, Democrats are admitting how anxious they are about Harris's ability to connect with White Middle-Class Working Voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan & Wisconsin. “It’s not as if... ‘Oh, we have the best candidate in the world [in reserve].’”

“Kamala Harris is in much better shape than Joe Biden, but she has one big problem – the Electoral College,” wrote nationally recognized Political Statistician Nate Silver – a self-proclaimed liberal in his Tuesday, July 30th Election Forecast. “The candidate who I honest-to-God think has a better chance (Trump,) isn’t the candidate I’d rather have win (Biden),” Silver said, as his latest forecast shows Democrats’ gambit of switching out candidates is still on track to go down in flames.

“In December of last year we discovered that more than 1-in-every-5 voters admitted to voting fraudulently during the 2020 Election – and in April of this year we found that 28% of 'Likely Voters' admitted they would cheat in the upcoming 2024 Election if given the opportunity,” said Donald Kendal, director of the Socialism Research Center at The Heartland Institute. “The tools for election fraud are everywhere – that’s why people are rightly worried that millions of illegal ballots might be cast this November."

Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted that her agency failed to protect him. She must be held accountable. As the chairman emeritus and a current senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, I will be working with my colleagues to conduct oversight of these failures by visiting the site of the rally and questioning key Biden Administration officials. The American people deserve answers – and I’m committed to getting them.

Kimberly Cheatle must resign as Director of the Secret Service – and a resignation will not excuse her from accountability. Every day brings more major revelations in the embarrassing failure to keep President Trump and his supporters secure. We will find out the truth – and not rely on Trump-haters to tell us what happened. I will not stop asking questions and demanding answers for the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.

Individuals and households in Brazoria County, Galveston, Jefferson & Orange Counties are now eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance due to Hurricane Beryl's impacts.  Assistance is available to Individuals and Households in need of financial and direct services who have uninsured or underinsured necessary expenses and serious needs. HERE's several ways, and HOW to apply.

These emergency rules will expedite the permitting process for local governments in Nueces, Matagorda, Brazoria, and Galveston counties affected by Tropical Storm Alberto and Hurricane Beryl. Implementing these rules will also help property owners make emergency repairs and build dunes quicker without the GLO’s review. However, it’s important to note that local government authorization is still required.

Governor Greg Abbott today celebrated Texas continuing to outperform the nation and lead all states for jobs added over the last 12 months following the release of June employment data. Texas also set new highs for the number of Texans working and the size of the Texas labor force. Governor Abbott also recently celebrated Texas again being recognized with a Gold Shovel Award by Area Development magazine.

Last Saturday, I was horrified as I watched the events in Butler, Pennsylvania. I am so thankful that President Trump was spared by the grace of God. I join in mourning with our country, those who were harmed, and the family of Corey Compertore, who lost his life protecting his family. Following this tragedy, I hope to see a shift in political dialogue to fix, not fight. This is the time to unify as Americans, and political violence is decidedly un-American.

"Never before has an election mattered so much. We're facing an invasion on our southern border. Not figuratively—a literal invasion. 11.5 million people have crossed our border illegally under Joe Biden. Look around you, this arena holds about 18,000 souls. Now imagine 639 arenas just like this filled to the brim. That is 11.5 million people—larger than all but eight states in the nation."

The state’s seasonally adjusted total nonfarm employment, which is estimated independently of the civilian labor force statistics and refers to the number of filled jobs within Texas, showed a decrease of 1,200 jobs—from 14,190,000 in May to 14,188,800 in June. However, Texas’ nonfarm job count grew by 267,400 positions since June 2023. This reflected a 1.9 percent annual growth rate, which outpaced the nation by 0.2 percentage points.

“Texans are rightfully upset with the overwhelming failure of electric utility companies to restore power in a timely fashion following Hurricane Beryl. The electric utility companies’ failure cannot be tolerated, especially when it was so obvious a storm was headed toward Texas," said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, announcing the creation of the Senate Special Committee on Hurricane and Tropical Storms that will be chaired by State Sen. Charles Schwertner, with Sen. Phil King serving as Vice Chair.

From 1909 to 1965, the Blackwell School served as the only school for children of Mexican descent in Marfa, Texas. In 2019, the school was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and met qualifications to become a National Historic Site. The Blackwell School National Park Site is one of the few national park sites designated to commemorate Latino history and culture in the United States.

“As communities recover and rebuild from Hurricane Beryl, Texas continues working to ensure that impacted Texans have access to fresh, quality food. With power outages still affecting Texans, this federal approval for 36 Counties will help eligible Texans purchase hot, ready-to-eat meals for themselves and their families," said Governor Greg Abbott earlier today after the Texas Health & Human Services Commission received federal approval. Here's a listin of the 36 Counties, and how to apply.  

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar today said he will not release a formal revision of the Certification Revenue Estimate (CRE), citing the fact that net general revenue-related (GR-R) collections through the first 10 months of fiscal 2024 are tracking with the 2024-25 CRE (PDF) issued last October. The October 2023 CRE forecast a 2024-25 ending certification balance of $18.3 billion.

After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of Vice President of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio. J.D. honorably served our Country in the Marine Corps, graduated from Ohio State University in two years, Summa Cum Laude, and is a Yale Law School Graduate, where he was Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and President of the Yale Law Veterans Association

​​​​​​"Everyone should be prepared for severe weather events, including during hurricane season. That's why the lack of power provided by CenterPoint compromises our No. 1 Goal: protecting life," said Gov. Greg Abbott as he toured a resource staging area at NRG Park in Houston, thanking 1st Responders who've worked around the clock to help their fellow Texans throughout Hurricane Beryl. After the tour Abbott held a Press Briefing with State & Local Officials to provide an update on the state’s continued response and recovery efforts.

“Texas farmers and cities are suffering because Mexico has consistently failed to uphold its end of the bargain and provide Texans with the water they count on in the framework of the 1944 Water Treaty. This amendment strengthens the Treaty by introducing measures the Secretary of State must and can take to ensure Mexico provides predictable and reliable deliveries," said Sen. Ted Cruz, as he and Sen. John Cornyn introduced their effort to create a new framework for the waters of the Colorado, Tijuana, and Rio Grande Rivers.