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THE TEXAS DISPATCH

Under the Dome

Inside the Texas Legislature -- bills, votes, and committee action from the Texas House and Senate.

Latest Stories
August 19, 2026 at 6:00 am CDT

Senate Veterans Panel to Review Claims-Fraud Strike Force, Transition Support and Benefits Database

The Texas Senate Select Committee on Veteran Affairs will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 26 to take invited and public testimony on three interim charges: how well the state protects veterans from unaccredited benefits-claims operators, how Texas supports service members leaving the military, and how two 2025 laws are being carried out.

August 18, 2026 at 12:04 pm CDT

Senate Transportation Panel to Weigh Rail-Crossing Money, Driverless Cars and CDL Oversight

The Texas Senate Committee on Transportation will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 25 to take invited and public testimony on three interim charges: how the Texas Department of Transportation is spending a fast-growing pot of rail grade-separation money, how the state's driverless-vehicle law is being carried out, and whether Texas is issuing commercial driver licenses carefully enough.

August 18, 2026 at 12:04 pm CDT

House County Government Panel to Weigh Sheriff Staffing, Medical Examiner Expansion

The Texas House Permanent Standing Subcommittee on County and Regional Government will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 25 to take invited and public testimony on two interim charges: whether Texas counties can recruit, train and keep law enforcement officers, and whether more counties should be required to run a medical examiner's office.

August 17, 2026 at 6:00 am CDT

House Natural Resources Panel to Take Water Planning to the Valley, Weigh New-Supply Fund

The Texas House Committee on Natural Resources will gavel in at 10 a.m. Aug. 24 at Weslaco City Hall to hear invited testimony on the state and regional water planning process, the project types eligible for the New Water Supply for Texas Fund, oversight of the Texas Water Development Board and implementation of a 2025 law on jointly operated water and sewer utilities.

August 14, 2026 at 11:48 am CDT

House Ag Committee to Review Farm-Loan Overhaul, Weigh Future of Texas Agriculture

The Texas House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock will gavel in at 11 a.m. Aug. 18 to take invited and public testimony on three interim charges: implementation of last year's overhaul of the state's farm-lending authority, the long-term resiliency of Texas agriculture, and oversight of the 14 state agencies under the panel's jurisdiction.

August 14, 2026 at 9:07 am CDT

‘A threat that’s operating in plain sight’: DPS tells senators cartel fuel trafficking may now out-earn drug smuggling

Cartel fuel trafficking generates an estimated $12 billion to $21 billion a year — and some federal investigators now believe it has passed narcotics as the cartels' top revenue stream, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety told the Senate Select Committee on Homeland and Border Security Thursday.

August 13, 2026 at 10:55 am CDT

Texas House Public Health Committee to Examine Social Media, Infant Mortality, AI and Disease Threats

The Texas House Committee on Public Health will gavel in at 9 a.m. Aug. 20 to hear invited testimony on four interim charges that run from social media's effects on young Texans' mental health to infant mortality, artificial intelligence in medicine and the state's readiness for communicable-disease threats.