A bill Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed in 2019 could have increased participation in phone-based emergency warning systems, according to experts and the bill’s

Abbott has tasked lawmakers with redrawing congressional districts mid-decade. The move follows a U.S. Department of Justice letter to state leaders that said three Houston districts and a Fort Worth area district are “unconstitutional ‘coalition districts’” because they’re racially drawn.

President Donald Trump is seeking to pick up at least four, potentially five, Texas congressional seats for Republicans in a midterm election cycle that ordinarily would favor the Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott has obliged Trump by adding redistricting to a crowded special session that also includes disaster recovery and preparedness.

"We must ensure better preparation in the future," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement posted on social media.

The state Legislature will look at proposals for emergency preparedness in a special session that was already planned over hemp laws. A bill to help build emergency systems failed in the spring.

Texas Legislature undertakes controversial mid-decade redistricting, amidst criticism and concerns of minority voter disenfranchisement.

The Texas GOP knows the risk. In the 2010s, the Republican-controlled Legislature drew political lines that helped pad the GOP’s House majority. That lasted until 2018, when a backlash against Trump in his first term led Democrats to flip two seats in Texas that Republicans had thought safe.

Texas lawmakers in 2023 passed House Bill 2127, dubbed the “Death Star” bill by opponents, which aims to overturn cities’ progressive policies and prevent them from enacting future ordinances that aren’t aligned with broad swaths of state law.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said search and rescue efforts continue after the deadly floods in Central Texas as crews work to remove debris from roads and bridges. The governor said search parties still include many out-of-state volunteers and dog teams.