“When I issued my first round of interim charges, I indicated there may be a second list to come later. Interim charges are based on issues the 31 Senators suggest for possible interim hearings. You can read the second list below. Following completion of hearings, committees will submit reports with their specific findings and policy recommendations before December 1, 2024. At the beginning of the 89th Legislative Session in January 2025, the Senate will hit the ground running," said Lt. Gov. Patrick.

Members of the San Antonio Congressional delegation sent a bipartisan letter led by Rep. Tony Gonzales (TX-23) to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough urging the agency to reverse canceling the annual Veterans Day Observance Ceremony at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The agency announced that the ceremony would continue as planned after pushback from Rep. Tony Gonzales, San Antonio veterans, and members of the San Antonio Congressional delegation.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire and NASDAQ President Nelson Griggs headlined the 2024 Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) Houston Energy Summit where business and community leaders from across the region convened to hear from local officials as well as energy and economic experts. “The Texas oil and natural gas industry is proud of its long, productive history with the city of Houston, and its partnership with strong leaders like those featured here today," said TXOGA President and former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., is encouraging all Texans to prepare for potential tropical storm conditions along the coast. There is a high degree of uncertainty as to the storm’s path and impacts; therefore, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is warning all coastal Texans to be prepared. The GLO works with local communities to encourage all Texans to protect their families and homes from natural disasters.

On Monday, I will release a report on my three-year-long investigation into the administration’s deadly Afghanistan withdrawal. My report will ensure key Biden-Harris administration officials are finally held accountable for this deadly withdrawal. This report will serve as an indictment of the administration’s refusal to properly prepare for the withdrawal, and their culpability in the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers who were killed. President Biden and Vice President Harris will no longer be able to sweep their unmitigated disaster of epic proportions under the rug.

Democrats and their media cheerleaders will smugly tell you, “Noncitizens can’t vote; it’s illegal!” Well, let’s be real – it’s also illegal to cross our border without going through a Port of Entry, but under Biden & Harris nearly 8 million people have done it anyway. Congress is heading back to D.C. this week, and Speaker Mike Johnson has made it clear – he will attach the "SAVE Act" to the upcoming government funding bill, requiring documentary proof of U.S. Citizenship. Illegal voting by noncitizens is a major issue we can’t afford to ignore.

Governor Greg Abbott announced a Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) grant totaling more than $331,400 has been awarded to Western Texas College by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). The JET grant will support career and technical education (CTE) training by helping the school purchase and install equipment to train students for high-demand occupations.

“Not only have I raised concerns earlier this year without a response, but I now also have extreme reservations about leasing vast swaths of the Gulf of Mexico to a company that apparently has no experience operating a single offshore wind turbine," said Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, submitting a second letter to oppose the Biden-Harris Administration's newest proposal for an offshore wind energy lease headed by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM.) Its for approximately 142,528 acres.

This hearing was an opportunity for me and other Members of Congress to hear from Federal Agencies, as well as state and local leaders, to identify issues and further improve recovery efforts. At the hearing, we discussed challenges and successes in response to the fires and long-term recovery. Some key takeaways revealed that building trust is essential for recovery and while temporary housing is an essential, there have been unintended consequences.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) released the following statement after the United States secured the freedom of 135 political prisoners on humanitarian grounds, including 13 individuals affiliated with Texas-based religious organization Mountain Gateway. These political prisoners were being wrongly detained by Nicaraguan authorities.

While Texas Counties have no Statutory Authority to print and mail State of Texas Voter Registration Forms, and “Despite being warned against this blatantly illegal program that spends taxpayer dollars to mail (State of Texas Voter) Registration Applications to potentially ineligible voters, Bexar County has chosen to violate the law,” said Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. ​​​​“It's a crime to register to vote if you're ineligible.” Are San Antonio & Bexar County Commissioners trying to steal elections?

The public comment period on the proposed rules opened on August 16 and will continue through September 30. This week the RRC will also hold two hearings for public input on the proposed rules.  One hearing will be held in-person on Thursday in Austin, and the RRC will hold a virtual hearing on Friday. More information on both hearings, including how they can be viewed via webcast, can be found on the RRC website.

Three years ago, the last U.S. military flight left Afghanistan following President Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. During this evacuation, the Biden-Harris Administration stranded at least 1,000 Americans, abandoned our Afghan allies, and left behind $7 billion worth of U.S. Military Equipment. And, after 20 years of American blood, sweat and tears being poured into the country, Afghanistan has once again become a terrorist safe haven – where women are forced to live in the shadows under Taliban rule.

The grants support a wide range of services from emergency financial assistance to transportation, legal services to family support services, and home modification, rental and mortgage assistance. The Texas Veterans Commission’s TVC Grants Across Texas Awards includes in five categories: General Assistance, Housing for Texas Heroes, Veterans Mental Health Grants, Veterans Treatment Courts, and Veteran County Service Officers. Here's some details on each.

Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) awarded $1.4 million in grants for Youth Robotics programs that will enable more than 8,200 Texas high school students to participate in Youth Robotics competitions. This year, two applicants received grant awards — Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, Inc. and FIRST in Texas. Robotics competitions bring together the excitement of sports, science, and technology.

“Receipts from restaurants declined slightly from a year ago, the first decline for the sector since the pandemic," said Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar earlier today, while announcing that in November the Comptroller’s office will deposit $2.74 billion into both the Economic Stabilization Fund and the State Highway Fund for use in Fiscal Year 2025 – both receive funding from Oil & Natural Gas Severance Taxes. Oil Production Tax Revenue was up 6.3% from FY 2023, while Natural Gas Production Revenue dropped 36.3% compared to 2023.

Mark Zuckerberg admitted in a letter to the House Judiciary Committee recently – at the behest of the Biden White House – that Meta censored online discussion. Mark Zuckerberg’s letter outlining that the Biden-Harris administration pressured Meta to silence differing voices and opinions on COVID-19 pandemic, Hunter Biden's laptop, and the Biden family is damning. ​​​​​​​The purchase of X (formerly Twitter) by an industry outsider is the only thing that's returned a modicum of balance to the enforcement of online content laws.

Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hosted a roundtable featuring leaders from the advanced aviation industry regarding the effort to bring a new federal research and testing center to Texas. As one of the authors of the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Sen. Cruz championed a provision authorizing the creation of a new federal research and testing center for emerging aviation technologies like drones, electric air taxis, and supersonic and hypersonic aircraft.

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) recognizes the state’s workforce for making Texas the best place to live and work. The Lone Star State enjoys a prestigious reputation due to the skill and dedication of its workforce and the vast opportunities for its businesses. In recognition of Labor Day, TWC spotlights these qualities by celebrating yet another year of record-breaking growth for the Texas labor force.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won a nationwide stay that blocks the Biden Administration from forcing federally-funded healthcare providers to conduct “gender transition” surgeries. Previously, Texas won a stay of agency action that blocked the rule from enforcement in the plaintiff States, Texas and Montana. Applying the same logic, Texas then argued for nationwide relief, and the court has expanded the relief to the entire country.