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TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, entered the U.S. Senate race on the final day to file, pitting her against state Rep. James Talarico, D-Round Rock. The Austin American-Statesman reported the difference between the two is more of style than substance, with both raising the issues of income inequality, rising prices, corruption and polarization.
Crockett, in her second House term, has made a name by attacking both President Donald Trump and other GOP opponents, such as U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. In her announcement on Dec. 8, she warned Trump, “I’m coming for you.”
Talarico has also gained a large social-media audience with a message far less confrontational in nature. He is a Presbyterian seminary student whose Christian faith is a running theme.
“I am called to love all of my neighbors like I love myself, because despite our differences, we all want the same things: a safe neighborhood, a good job, a quality, wellfunded public school, and the ability to see a doctor when you need one,” he said at his announcement.
The Republican primary also promises to be a spirited race, with incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn facing two challengers: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston.
Tax cuts major part of Abbott’s reelection campaign Gov. Greg Abbott is seeking an unprecedented fourth term and is making propertytax cuts the centerpiece of his campaign. He faces 10 largely unknown candidates in the GOP primary and is widely expected to win the nomination.
Abbott wants to make it harder for Texas cities and counties to raise property taxes and has also called for the elimination of school property taxes for homeowners and a slowdown in the rise of property values, according to The Texas Tribune.
Both cities and counties rely heavily on property taxes to pay for services such as public safety, parks, libraries and road maintenance. Lawmakers in 2019 passed tighter limits on how much they can increase property taxes without voter approval.
“Local property taxes are the foundation of essential community services — they keep police and firefighters on duty, streets maintained and trash collected,” said Monty Wynn, who heads the Texas Municipal League.
In recent years, the Legislature has cut school property taxes by billions of dollars, primarily by raising the homestead exemption.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has proposed increasing that exemption by another $40,000 and allowing homeowners at age 55 to take an additional $60,000 off their home’s taxable value. That benefit is now limited to those 65 and older.
Texas leads nation in 12-month job gains
The state’s job market continues to outpace the rest of the nation, according to labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Texas Workforce Commission. The state now has the largest labor force in its history at 15.879 million, gaining 168,000 jobs from September 2024 to September 2025.
“Texas’ job market and labor force continue to grow because we have a dynamic workforce system that fosters opportunity for businesses and workers alike,” said TWC Chairman Joe Esparza. “TWC will continue to provide the resources and support needed to keep this momentum and ensure that Texas remains a national leader in economic opportunity.”
The state’s unemployment rate stood at 4.4% in September, nearly identical to the national rate.
State plan to battle screwworms faces pushback As the New World screwworm makes its way to the Texas-Mexico border, potentially endangering livestock and wildlife, the Texas Animal Health Commission’s proposed plan to combat it is facing pushback from agriculture groups, The Texas Tribune reported.
A panel of lawmakers heard from state and federal officials as well as industry groups last week.
“The plan needs significant revision,” said Tim Niedecken, executive director of the Livestock Marketing Association of Texas. He said the draft plan would require animals being moved out of an infested zone to have an ear tag, a vet inspection and receive treatment.
That does not “meet the realities of this industry today,” he told lawmakers.
Lewis “Bud” Dinges, the animal health commission’s executive director, said it will likely publish its response plan in about two months. He said the goal is to align with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to ensure their actions do not harm trade.
The USDA is building a sterile fly production facility at Moore Air Base in South Texas and is also assisting with similar efforts in Panama. The screwworm was detected about 70 miles from the Texas border in September. It infests cattle by laying eggs in open wounds and can be fatal if untreated.
November was warmer and drier than normal
A trend that began in August continued through November, with warmer and drier weather throughout much of the state, according to Mark Wentzel, a hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board. By the end of November, 54% of the state was in drought – up 20 percentage points in about a month.
Wentzel said by the end of next February, drought conditions are expected to improve in the eastern half of the state but get worse in the western half.
South Texas and the Big Bend region of West Texas are experiencing the most severe levels of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
More than 4 million real Christmas trees sold in Texas annually Real Christmas trees are an important contributor to the Texas economy, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, with more than 4 million sold each year. That generated a total economic contribution of $812.7 million and produced more than 6,000 jobs last year.
“Real Christmas trees hold cultural, environmental and economic significance, but the scope of this study was focused specifically on the economic contribution of the real Christmas tree industry,” said Xufang Zhang, Texas A&M Forest Service forest resource analyst.
Tree-production acreage increased from 945 acres in 2017 to 3,565 acres in 2022. The average Christmas tree takes about seven years to reach maturity.
Borders is a veteran awardwinning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress. com.-
