Texas Comptroller Don Huffines announced Sept. 28 the approval of $12.4 million in public safety grants scheduled for distribution to 58 rural counties and local offices across three programs supporting emergency response, law enforcement and immigration enforcement activities, according to a news release from the Comptroller’s office.
“These grants strengthen the ability of rural communities to provide essential public safety services that protect Texans statewide,” Huffines said in the release. “I’m proud to help channel vital resources into rural jurisdictions across Texas, enabling local agencies to maintain and strengthen critical emergency and law enforcement services.”
About $10.8 million of the total is to be allocated to 47 local entities under the Rural Law Enforcement Salary Assistance Grant Program, according to the release. The Texas Legislature created the program in 2023 to supplement salary assistance for sheriff’s departments, constable’s offices, and district and county attorney’s offices in rural areas. The Comptroller’s office said it awarded $254.4 million to more than 1,000 recipients of the salary assistance grants in 2024 and 2025.
Huffines also awarded $1.59 million to local governments through the Rural Ambulance Service Grant and Sheriff Immigration Law Enforcement Grant programs, both of which the Legislature created in 2025, the release said.
The Rural Ambulance Service Grant program supports adequate ground ambulance services in rural areas, including the purchase of ambulances, accessories and needed modifications, according to the Comptroller’s office. To date, the agency has awarded $63.9 million to 150 recipients of the program.
The Sheriff Immigration Law Enforcement Grant Program supports sheriffs who participate in recognized immigration law enforcement agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the release said. The funds help cover costs associated with those agreements that the federal government does not reimburse. As of Aug. 25, the agency had awarded $5.84 million to 70 recipients of that program, the Comptroller’s office said.
The release directed readers to the Comptroller’s website for more information about the public safety grants the agency administers. The release did not name the individual counties or offices that will receive the latest awards.