How should Texas address rising property taxes, growing concerns about public safety, and the challenges facing the state's criminal justice system? On this episode of the @TXTalksPodcast, host @bradswail sits down with State Representative @realmitchlittle, who represents Texas House District 65 in southern Denton County, for a wide-ranging discussion on criminal justice policy, government regulation, property tax reform, and the priorities shaping the next legislative session. Little, an attorney and member of the Texas House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, shares insights from recent interim hearings and discusses how lawmakers are evaluating issues ranging from rural attorney shortages and elder fraud to prosecutorial accountability and public safety. Looking ahead, Little identifies property tax relief as one of the most significant issues facing Texas families and outlines his perspective on how lawmakers can reduce the burden on homeowners while maintaining essential public services.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality @TCEQ is approaching the June 16 deadline for public comment on proposed regulations that would allow companies to apply treated oilfield wastewater onto land surfaces. buff.ly/auW27PA

The Texas Education Agency @teainfo released the Spring 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course results, revealing academic gains across all five tested high school subjects. buff.ly/Ib35cGt

The Texas Oil & Gas Association @TXOGA, the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, and the Texas Pipeline Association issued a joint memorandum defending the necessity of a massive extra-high-voltage power grid expansion in West Texas, calling the Texas Public Policy Foundation's @TPPF recent criticism of the project misleading. buff.ly/JZkteOi

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas @ERCOT_ISO board of directors has approved a new data center rule that focuses on how these facilities behave once they are plugged into the state’s power grid. buff.ly/RhPYSvk

Border security's impact on school safety: State Rep. @donfortexas, former mayor of Uvalde, speaks with host @bradswail about smugglers and high-speed chases.

Governor Greg Abbott announced $166 million in energy assistance funds to help low-income families maintain safe housing and manage utility costs. buff.ly/lzG5Dpy

During a recent episode of the Texas Tribune TribCast, journalists and agricultural experts discussed the confirmation of the parasitic New World screwworm fly in Texas for the first time since 1982. buff.ly/vPjRi4J

The Texas Department of Information Resources @TexasDIR launched a digital content library to help state agencies modernize their public-facing websites. buff.ly/kBWkKLM

The Texas Medical Association @texmed delivered testimony to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and the House Select Committee on Health Care Affordability, offering a policy framework they say would curb rising health care costs for Texas patients and employers. buff.ly/TSOuAcy

This week, a biological threat long considered eradicated from the United States breached the Texas border, instantly disrupting the stability of the state’s agricultural sector and triggering a major regulatory and political response. buff.ly/wc2IODD

Why are Texas police departments struggling to recruit officers? State Rep. @donfortexas speaks with host Brad Swail about the lasting impacts of the Defund the Police movement.

Two Texas residents monitored for possible hantavirus exposure after traveling aboard an Antarctic cruise ship completed their observation period without developing symptoms. buff.ly/enydk93

The regulatory battle over Texas’s extra-high-voltage grid expansion has taken a new procedural turn, as state regulators agreed to review a landowner complaint even while the evidentiary hearing moves ahead. buff.ly/ZpmrlyC

"A national security issue": Just days before a New World screwworm case was confirmed in Texas, State Rep. @donfortexas spoke with host @bradswail about his concerns over the parasitic fly. There are now five New World screwworm cases in Texas, as well as one in New Mexico.

Governor @GregAbbott_TX directs PUC and ERCOT to shield Texas ratepayers from data center costs, Speaker @Burrows4TX signals support thetexasdispatch.com/abbott-…

Texas Railroad Commissioner @ChristianForTX applauded a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to revoke Endangered Species Act protections for the dunes sagebrush lizard. buff.ly/0FI1bUl

Texas Agriculture Commissioner @MillerForTexas responded to the additional New World screwworm detection by demanding the immediate federal deployment of a specialized fly suppression system. buff.ly/mbJpW4z

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas @ERCOT_ISO board of directors has endorsed a new large-load screening framework that is already reshaping which massive technology infrastructure projects will advance on the state’s power grid. buff.ly/tzZzkXJ