Legislative Services

Abbott Directs a Pause and Scrutiny on Data Centers

Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to conduct a comprehensive verification and audit of all data centers advancing through ERCOT’s interconnection process. The audit must be completed before any data center project can move forward. Projects that fail to comply with PUC and ERCOT requirements will be denied connection to the Texas grid.

The Governor has also directed the Texas Water Development Board to review and assess penalties for those data centers misreporting water use.

Read more in the governor’s announcement here and here.

Burrows Issues Supplemental Interim Charges

On Aug. 12, Speaker Dustin Burrows charged the House Committee on Public Health with a new set of study issues and created a Subcommittee on Maternal Health, Menopause and Access to Evidence-Based Medicine.

House and Senate Committees Remain at Work

In March, Burrows issued interim charges directing House committees to study a wide range of perennial and emerging issues in Texas. He issued an additional round of supplemental interim charges in August.

Numerous House committee hearings examining Burrows’ interim charges have taken place since our last update. A selection of notable hearings follows. Click the links to view archived footage.

Elections, Aug. 3 and 4: Examined technology in elections and voter registration on Aug. 3, and integration of early voting and election day voting and performed agency oversight on the Office of Secretary of the State on Aug. 4.

Transportation, Aug. 17: Examined a range of issues and heard invited testimony from Bell County Tax Assessor-Collector Shay Luedeke and TAC Director of Legislative Services Caroline Love at about the 1:36:00 mark.

House Subcommittee on State-Federal Relations, Aug. 17: Examined the impact of discontinuing penny production on county government and federal changes to postmark procedures. Hood County Treasurer and County Treasurers’ Association of Texas First Vice President Leigh Ann McCoy testified about the disparate impact of discontinuing penny production on county governments and the need for statewide guidance from the Legislature. Travis County Treasurer Dolores Ortega Carter also testified. Chairman Carl Tepper (R-Lubbock) asked county treasurers and tax assessor-collectors to work together to assist him with a bill for the upcoming session that will “make cents.”

State Affairs, Aug. 19: Examined issues surrounding data centers and planned 765-kV transmission lines.

Archived video of completed committee hearings is available in the House archive.

Senate committees also are conducting hearings on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s interim charges, including the initial round and subsequent charges. A selection:

Natural Resources, Aug. 11: Examined strategies to protect Texas from wildfires.

Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2: Examined the water demands of energy-intensive technologies on Sept. 1 and examined management of the Pecos River Basin on Sept. 2.

Local Government, Sept. 1 and Sept. 2: Examined the effect of increasing the homestead exemption and transparency in appraisal district funding on Sept. 1 and examined housing affordability and accountability for local government fees on Sept. 2.

State Affairs, Sept. 15: Examined gambling loopholes, banking practices, the judiciary and alcohol sales.

Additional hearings are available in the Senate archive.

Notices of upcoming meetings are posted on the House and Senate websites.

Demographic Center Requests County Feedback on 2025 Population Estimates

The Texas Demographic Center (TDC) has released its Vintage 2025 preliminary population estimates and is asking counties to check the numbers before they become final. The estimates cover Texas counties and places for two reference dates: July 1, 2025, and Jan. 1, 2026.

The preliminary estimates are available on the TDC website. County officials who spot an error should flag it. TDC welcomes all feedback but asks that requested changes come with supporting evidence or data.

Comments are due to tdc@utsa.edu by Oct. 9. Preliminary figures may be revised once that review wraps up.

This is worth a county's time. Population estimates feed funding formulas, grant eligibility thresholds and program planning, making local review an important step for counties.

Month in Review is a collaborative column from TAC Legislative Services.