Legislative Services

Primary Election Shakeup

Headlining Tuesday’s primary election news was the defeat of Texas’ senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn, by Attorney General Ken Paxton. Cornyn’s loss sets up a November showdown with state Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), who is seeking to break a 32-year Republican hold on statewide offices in Texas.

State Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) held off U.S. Rep. Chip Roy to earn a spot on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. Middleton will face fellow state Sen. Nathan Johnson (D-Dallas) to decide who will succeed Paxton as attorney general.

Full primary election results are available from the Secretary of State.

Special Election Installs New Senator

Former Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon (R-Conroe) defeated Democrat Ron Angeletti in the May 2 special election to replace former state Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe). Ligon immediately joins the Senate, representing Senate District 4 for the remainder of Creighton’s term.

Ligon captured 75% of the votes cast in the special election. He and Angeletti will again face off in the Nov. 3 general election, this time for a full four-year term.

House and Senate Committees at Work

Speaker Dustin Burrows issued interim charges directing House committees to study a wide range of perennial and emerging issues in Texas. Committees continue their work on the task. A number of hearings have taken place since our last update (click links to view archival footage).

A selection of recent hearings:

State Affairs, May 6: Examined the development of distributed energy resource projects and microgrids, as well as public-private partnerships governed by Chapter 2267 of the Government Code.

Elections, May 14: Examined electronic voting systems, election timelines, election transparency and ballot privacy, citizenship and voting, and election administration staffing needs.

Additional completed hearings are available in the House’s archive.

Senate hearings to examine Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s interim charges (both the initial round and subsequent assignments) are also underway. A selection:

Criminal Justice, May 4: Examined efforts to eliminate contraband in prisons and regulate the role of reserve peace officers.

Criminal Justice, May 5: Examined strategies for addressing juvenile violence and protecting the public from violent offenders found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Additional completed hearings are available in the Senate’s archive.

Notices of upcoming meetings will be posted on dedicated House and Senate websites.

Flood Infrastructure Fund Offers Public Comment Opportunity

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) administers the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF), a program created by the Legislature and approved by Texas voters to provide zero-interest loans and grants for flood control, flood mitigation and drainage projects. Political subdivisions, including counties, are eligible for FIF grants and loans. The draft SFY 2026-27 FIF Intended Use Plan was published May 13. The public comment period is open through June 12.

County officials can bolster their long- and short-term water planning efforts by using TWDB’s robust suite of data resources.

Panhandle Water Workshop Upcoming

The TWDB, in partnership with the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission, is hosting a Financial Assistance Workshop on June 9 at 1:30 p.m. at 415 SW Eighth Ave. in Amarillo. The workshop will cover many important programs, including:

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund
• Drinking Water State Revolving Fund
• State Water Implementation Fund for Texas
• Flood Infrastructure Fund
• Texas Water Development Fund
• Texas Water Fund
• House Bill 500 Water Supply & Infrastructure Grants and more.

The TWDB encourages interested parties to register as soon as possible, as venues are subject to capacity limitations. General questions may be emailed to Financial_Assistance@twdb.texas.gov.

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