"Although we can't bring Danica Kaprosy or the 1,000s of others who've fallen victim to this drug back, we can work to ensure this does not happen to more Texas families," said Gov. Greg Abbott yesterday, honoring the hard work of Texas families, loved ones and community members who are on the front lines of raising awareness of the growing fentanyl crisis plaguing Texas – and the nation.

In a clear attempt to shut down oil & gas operations in an area of over 28,270 square miles in the Gulf of Mexico – an area larger than West Virginia – based upon the single sighting of a whale in 2017, Senators Ted Cruz & Joe Manchin are leading a group of senators in urging the Biden White House not to shut down needed oil & gas operations in the gulf based upon an unpublished, still in peer-review study.

"Texas has long had a deep spiritual, political and economic connection to Israel and the Israeli people. They are our friend and ally – and we will provide them with the financial liquidity needed to respond to the atrocities we've all witnessed," said Comptroller Glenn Hegar earlier today, announcing the purchase of $20 million in Israel bonds to provide liquidity in defending itself against Hamas.

"Texans can 'give the gift of Texas history' and support conservation with the GLO's 2023 Limited Edition Christmas Ornament – or any of the 45,000+ maps, sketches and drawings from our treasured collection. Help preserve our state's history for generations to come," said Commissioner Dawn Buckingham as she announced the ornament and a striking 1859 F.H. Arlitt map of Llano County.

​​​​​​​"What we are doing is running a relay race that began in 1989 – the baton has now been handed off to me, and it's my job to carry it to the finish line. I am committed to however long it takes, and I'll not stop until we get school choice passed in the state of Texas," said Gov. Greg Abbott last night at the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s 2023 Parent Empowerment Leadership Summit in Austin.

"I'm proud to work with Sen. Booker to move towards solutions to the horrific fentanyl pandemic," said Sen. Ted Cruz, introducing the "Targeting Online Sales of Fentanyl Act" with Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). “The online sale of illicit drugs laced with fentanyl has had a devastating effect – overdoses now surpass suicide, traffic accidents and gun violence as one of the leading causes of preventable death among those 18 to 45," said Sen. Booker.

During his Good for Texas Tour: Energy Edition, Comptroller Glenn Hegar is spotlighting the information his office has gathered about Texas’ energy sectors. He is touring some of the state’s key power entities, meeting with company officials and local community members to hear more about the challenges and successes in energy generation, management and planning.

The Texas Veterans Commission and Bexar County Military & Veterans Services Center event will be held on Saturday, October 28th in San Antonio at Mission Park 2, and includes an opening ceremony with TVC Chairwoman Laura Koerner, VLB Executive Secretary Tony Dale, and an inspiring performance by the Southwest High School's Mariachi Group. (Details are below.)

​​​​​​​“We are deeply concerned about the White House’s recent actions to release $6 billion in frozen funds as part of a prisoner exchange with the Iranian regime. Further, it is concerning that the administration’s U.S. Office for Palestinian Affairs called on Israelis to 'refrain' from a retaliatory response to Iran-backed Hamas’ terrorist attacks," said Cong Tony Gonzales – and every Republican member on the House Homeland Security Committee.

“As this conflict unfolds, I remind businesses that my office maintains a list of companies that boycott Israel. Texas Government Code defines 'boycott Israel’ as 'refusing to deal with, terminating business activities with, or otherwise taking any action intended to penalize, inflict economic harm on or limit commercial relations with Israel or an entity doing business in Israel.' On this issue, there can be no equivocating."

"Colleges and universities across Texas are dedicated to offering exceptional resources and educational support to our brave veterans – and I thank them for their ongoing work to provide comprehensive services for student veterans and military-connected students," said Gov. Greg Abbott, congratulating 21 Texas schools and honoring them with the Texas Veterans Commission's 2023 Veteran Education Excellence Award.

In 1987, Iowa’s top state income tax rate was 9.98%, and that rate kicked in at an income of $45,000. In California that same year, the top tax rate was 11%, but California Gov. George Deukmejian and the legislature dropped the top rate to 9.3% in 1988. That rate kicked in at $47,000. I don’t know which part of the previous sentence is more surprising: that California’s government dropped the tax rate, or that California once had a Republican governor.

"This  Jobs & Education Grant will help equip Southwest Texas students with the skills and experience they need to thrive in high-demand careers. I thank the Texas Workforce Commission, Southwest Texas Junior College, and our educational partners for their ongoing dedication to bolster Texas' workforce to create more economic opportunities for hardworking Texans," said Gov. Greg Abbott.  

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced today he will send cities, counties, transit systems and special purpose districts $1.1 billion in local sales tax allocations for October, 4.5 percent more than in October 2022.

“Innocent children were gunned down at a music festival. Seniors were slaughtered and kidnapped. Americans are among the lives lost in the deadly attack that's killed more Jews than any attack since the Holocaust," said Gov. Greg Abbott Monday night at the Dell Jewish Community Campus in Austin, asserting Texas’ enduring support of Israel and the Jewish people during a solidarity gathering for Israel.

The Legislature set a target of 1,000 orphaned wells to be plugged in fiscal year 2023, and the RRC plugged a total 1,750 wells – including 730 orphaned wells using federal grants. The Texas RRC’s Oil & Gas Division worked tirelessly to exceed the target in its award winning Well Plugging Program for the 7th year in a row.

The letter, which follows up on multiple letters led by Sen. Cruz on this topic, highlights the project’s ballooning costs over the last decade from $13 billion (2012 estimate) to $37 billion (2022 estimate). In addition, Senators are seeking answers on the redirection of money from federal grant programs intended to help smaller communities to the Gateway Program, which has received the largest federal transportation grant in history.

“On Saturday the world witnessed the largest mass murder of Jews on any day since the Holocaust. Iran-controlled Hamas terrorists used Nazi tactics: house-to-house murders of entire families, the murdering of babies in front of their parents, marching victims through the streets. The United States must be unambiguous about our commitment."

In a complete reversal from Joe Biden's campaign promise that "there will not be another foot of wall constructed on my administration," the Secretary of Homeland Security announced last week that the Biden White House would construct some 20 more miles of the border wall in South Texas. I was just in Eagle Pass, and the border is in absolute chaos.

Approximately 9 million illegal immigrants – including  gotaways & apprehensions – have unlawfully entered the United States under Joe Biden. The majority of those have been released into the interior of our country – and reportedly, many have settled in my Texas Congressional District in a community called “Colony Ridge” that's located within Liberty County just northeast of Houston.