A state grant program that has bought ambulances for 152 rural Texas counties would open to counties nearly three times larger under a bill filed Nov. 9 by Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa, one of three rural-focused measures he filed that day. A second bill would set aside up to $750 million to bring fiber internet to small-town counties that state broadband programs have so far skipped.
House Bill 717 would raise the population limit for the rural ambulance service grant program from 68,750 to 200,000, according to the bill text. Counties under 10,000 residents could still receive up to $500,000; counties between 10,000 and 200,000 could receive up to $350,000.
The program, created by the Legislature in 2025 and run by the state comptroller, pays for ground ambulances, equipment and vehicle modifications. As of Oct. 1, the comptroller had awarded 152 counties a total of $64.75 million for fiscal 2026, according to the comptroller’s award list. Recipients include Brewster County in the Big Bend, which received $500,000 as voters there approved a new emergency services district to keep ambulances running.
Raising the cap would bring in fast-growing counties on the edges of the big metros along with mid-sized counties such as those around regional cities. Supporters of a wider pool say ambulance gaps are not limited to the smallest counties. The trade-off is that unless lawmakers add money, the smallest counties would compete with larger, better-resourced ones for the same dollars. The bill does not change the program’s funding.
Landgraf’s House Bill 869 would direct the comptroller to set aside up to $750 million in the state’s broadband infrastructure fund for fiber-to-the-home service in “eligible” counties. A county would qualify if its county seat has between 5,000 and 25,000 residents, it was not selected for the state’s second round of broadband grants, known as Bringing Online Opportunities to Texas II, no broadband project there has received state money, and at least 95 percent of homes and businesses lack fiber service under the latest federal data. The state’s broadband office would prioritize projects using gigabit fiber, partnerships with local governments or private companies, and local matching money, and would report to the Legislature each year.
The third bill, House Bill 713, would raise the floor the state uses to fund the smallest K-12 school districts. Today a district with fewer than 130 students in average daily attendance is funded as if it had 130, provided it has at least 90 students or is at least 30 miles by bus from the nearest high school district. The bill raises that number to 200, according to its text. Small districts say fixed costs — a principal, a bus route, a building — do not shrink with enrollment.
The bills arrive as rural services face pressure on several fronts. The state’s broadband office drew criticism from lawmakers this year; its new director told a House panel in August that the office “went astray.”
None of the bills has a cost estimate yet. Fiscal notes are prepared after bills are referred to committee when the Legislature convenes Jan. 12, 2027.
Key facts
- HB 717 (Landgraf), filed Nov. 9, 2026, raises rural ambulance grant eligibility from counties of 68,750 to 200,000 residents (bill text).
- The comptroller awarded 152 counties $64.75 million in fiscal 2026 as of Oct. 1, 2026 (comptroller award page).
- HB 869 would set aside up to $750 million for fiber in counties with seats of 5,000-25,000 skipped by BOOT II and at least 95% without fiber (bill text).
- HB 713 raises the small-district funding floor from 130 to 200 students (bill text).