Latest news with #GovGregAbbott
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Abbott announces special election for Texas Senate
The Brief Gov. Greg Abbott announced a special election for Texas Senate District 9 set for Nov. 4, 2025. The seat was vacated earlier this month when Kelly Hancock took a position in the Texas Comptroller's Office. On Friday, political activist Leigh Wambganss announced she would seek election. AUSTIN, Texas - Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday announced a special election to fill the Texas Senate seat left open by outgoing Sen. Kelly Hancock. A special election for Senate District 9 will be held on Nov. 4, 2025. The district covers around half of Tarrant County, including North Richland Hills and more than half of Fort Worth. The North Richland Hills Republican resigned from the Senate earlier this month to become chief clerk of the Texas Comptroller's Office. He will assume temporary leadership of the office Tuesday. Hancock announced his campaign for comptroller, who serves as the state's chief financial officer, on June 19. On Friday, political activist Leigh Wambsganss announced her candidacy for the open seat. "I have spent my entire adult life as a volunteer public servant, not for a title, but out of conviction," she said in a statement. "From leading grassroots campaigns to serving on the front lines of the Second Amendment and pro-life movements, my mission has always been clear: to defend conservative Christian family values, safeguard our freedoms, and ensure Texas remains a stronghold for faith, family, and freedom." In the wake of Hancock's announcement, Rep. Nate Schatzline said he would be looking to take the vacant seat, but pulled his candidacy on Friday announcing he would instead seek re-election in the House. Schatzline put his support behind Wambsganss. "My #1 goal was for SD9 to be represented by a true conservative, & with Leigh Wambsganss, that's exactly what you'll get. She has my full support," he said on X. Wambsganss also won the support of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. "She has been a leader of the conservative movement in Tarrant County and all of Texas," Patrick said. "She will be a great addition to our conservative Texas Senate." The Source Information on the November special election comes from Gov. Greg Abbott's office. Comments from Leigh Wambsganss, Nate Schatzline and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick come from their respective X accounts.


Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Texas Lottery Commission to be disbanded as state game gets new restrictions
On Sunday night, Gov. Greg Abbott ensured the Texas Lottery will continue for another four years, signing into law new provisions to clamp down on the state's games after lawmakers weighed abolishing the lottery entirely. As lawmakers sparred over high-profile issues like public school funding, property tax cuts and THC regulation, the Texas Lottery emerged as a smaller, unexpected flashpoint during the recently-completed regular session. Criticism of the lottery and the Texas Lottery Commission largely stemmed from two controversies: a $95 million Lotto Texas win claimed by a single group that purchased 99% of the 25.8 million possible ticket combinations and the proliferation of online ticket sales through apps known as lottery couriers. Couriers act as ticket resellers, printing physical tickets for customers across the state in small stores they own before sending digital scans of the tickets for customers to view through apps. Some lawmakers said the services violated state law, which banned sales 'by telephone,' while providers said they acted legally and with the approval of the lottery commission. The couriers' unclear legal standing was further exacerbated by the commission, which allowed the services for years before suddenly moving to ban them mid-session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, made banning couriers one of their top priorities. The result was Senate Bill 3070, introduced almost two months after the filing deadline but granted an exception by the Senate so it could move forward. The bill, which took effect immediately, allows the lottery to continue until 2029, but with greater restrictions and without the Texas Lottery Commission, the agency that has run the game for three decades. The bill prohibits online ticket sales and abolishes the commission; starting Sept. 1 the lottery will be run by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A TDLR spokesperson said it was 'premature' to discuss the specific structure of their lottery oversight, but that they have organized a three-person transition team and are assembling working groups with both TDLR and lottery commission staff. For a moment, the controversy that rocked the state's 33-year-old lottery through the session seemed to provide a window for long-time detractors an opportunity to abolish the games completely. But concerns over how the state would replace the $2 billion that the lottery provides yearly to the public education fund ultimately halted those efforts. 'It didn't take a lot of in depth discussion, It was really around, 'We're so far into the budget for this next session, we're not going to be able to end (the lottery),'' Hall said. 'We need the income to balance the budget for this next (biennium,) and so let's work out how we make that happen.' Hall, SB 3070's author, had been at the forefront of the lottery's opposition, but called his bill 'the next best thing' to abolition. The new law allows players to purchase up to 100 tickets in person at lottery retailers during store hours. Selling tickets online or through apps or websites will be a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. Lawmakers say that will prevent a replay of the $95 million win secured by the purchase of 99% of the possible ticket combinations. Legislators will have another opportunity to decide the lottery's fate in 2029, as SB 3070 requires lawmakers to extend the game after a review by the Sunset Advisory Commission. Even with all the new guardrails in place, lottery critics like Hall say it may not be enough to satisfy his and others' long term concerns. 'I would much rather have seen an end to the lottery for a number of reasons,' Hall said. 'I do not feel that there's anything in any book on good government that has the state being involved in the gambling business.' While questions still remain about how TDLR will continue the lottery — and who will help them — much of the lottery commission's top administration has already stepped out of the picture. The agency's executive director, Ryan Mindell, resigned in mid-April, a departure that was bookended by resignations from two of the five commissioners in February and May. The end of the lottery commission does not mark the ends of its controversies, however. The Texas Rangers, a division of the Department of Public Safety, are currently investigating two jackpot wins — including the $95 million win — as well as courier operations in Texas. The commission is being sued by the winner of an $83.5 million jackpot who has not been paid yet. Kristen Moriarty, the Houston-area woman who won the jackpot in February, bought the ticket through Jackpocket, the country's largest lottery courier. Her win is also part of the Rangers' investigation, and the Lottery Commission has cited the investigation as the reason she hasn't been paid — but Moriarty said she has yet to be contacted by anyone with DPS. 'It was excitement and happiness at first, and then it just has progressed to stress and anger,' Moriarty said. DPS did not respond to questions on Moriarty's case, stating they cannot comment about ongoing investigations. ___ This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.


New York Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Where Are Anti-Trump Protests Expected on Wednesday?
Demonstrators in several cities said they would stage rallies on Wednesday to protest President Trump's crackdown on immigration. The number of planned protests suggests that the demonstrations that began last Friday in Los Angeles are likely to keep expanding to new cities. Activists in many cities are planning protests for Saturday as part of the 'No Kings' movement, which opposes the Trump administration. That is also the day of a planned military parade in Washington to celebrate the Army's 250th birthday. Here is a partial list of cities where protests are planned for Wednesday. Los Angeles: A sixth day of protests is planned downtown and near federal buildings after Mayor Karen Bass declared an overnight curfew for downtown. Eugene, Ore.: Several groups including the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which calls for the end of capitalism, said they planned to hold a solidarity protest in the city. Mission Viejo, Calif.: A protest is planned for Orange County, according to the local branch of the 50501 Movement, which says it formed as a decentralized response to the Trump administration's 'anti-democratic' actions. Raleigh, N.C.: Hundreds of people are expected to gather in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday evening, according to the local NBC affiliate WRAL, spurred in part by anger over a state immigration bill. San Antonio: Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas has deployed National Guard troops to San Antonio ahead of a major protest planned on Wednesday, according to The San Antonio Express-News. Seattle: The Party for Socialism and Liberation is among the groups behind a planned 'ICE Out' protest in the city against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency that has conducted immigration raids. St. Louis: A 'NO ICE' protest is planned, according to the group 50501.


The Independent
19-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Texas lawmakers OK former Uvalde mayor's effort to fix police failures in Robb Elementary attack
Texas lawmakers on Monday passed a plan sponsored by Uvalde's former mayor to fix police failures laid bare by the hesitant law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022, sending the bill to the governor days ahead of the third anniversary of the massacre. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed and 18 people were injured in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Saturday is the anniversary of the attack. The measure given final approval by the state Senate and sent to Gov. Greg Abbott is dubbed the 'The Uvalde Strong Act' and is meant to correct the problems in the slow and often chaotic law enforcement response that day with better training and coordination between agencies and basic equipment requirements. Nearly 400 local, state and federal officers waited more than an hour to force their way into a classroom where the gunman was before killing him. Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as parents begged officers — some of whom could hear shots being fired while they stood in a hallway — to go in. The bill's author, first-year Republican state Rep. Don McLaughlin, was Uvalde mayor at the time and was critical of the law enforcement response that day. 'The Uvalde Strong Act is aimed at fixing the breakdowns in communication and coordination that were exposed in the Robb Elementary shooting,' McLaughlin said. 'This is about keeping our schools safer. ... We owe it to the families to take action that really matters.' The bill requires school districts and law enforcement to meet annually to develop active shooter response plans, and mandates officers be trained on how to respond to an active shooter at primary and secondary schools. The measure also requires enhanced incident command training and mutual aid agreements among agencies. School districts would be required to have at least one breaching tool and ballistic shield available at each campus. And the bill requires emergency medical service providers to file reports if they are called to an active shooter scene. Multiple investigations into the law enforcement response found cascading problems in training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers. Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo and former school police officer Adrian Gonzales have been charged with multiple counts of child endangerment and abandonment. Both have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled for trial in October. The families of the victims have several lawsuits pending in federal and state courts, including a $500 million lawsuit against Texas state police officials and officers.