The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would more than double the amount of money the state spends to lure film and television production to Texas. Senate Bill 22, filed by Houston Republican Sen. Joan Huffman, would direct the comptroller to deposit $500 million into a new Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund every two years until 2035. That figure is more than state lawmakers have ever allocated for media production since they first started funding a film incentive grant in 2007. The bill received heavy praise from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and passed with a 23-8 vote. Those who opposed the bill raised concerns about how the governor’s office will determine which productions to fund. The bill gives the governor’s office complete discretion over which projects receive grant funding. The bill now moves to the House for consideration. Since 2007, lawmakers have funded the film incentive program at varying levels, with $50 million during one legislative session followed by $45 million the next. A then-historic $200 million came during the most recent session. The variability has left producers tentative to film in Texas for fear that the money might vanish at the whims of lawmakers….

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has officially launched a campaign for the U.S. Senate, setting up a high-profile primary battle against fellow Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Paxton, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, made the announcement during an interview Tuesday night on Fox News. His decision opens what is expected to be one of the most closely watched and contentious GOP primaries of the 2026 election cycle. “I believe it’s time we had a strong conservative representing Texas in the Senate,” Paxton said during the appearance. “I’m running for U.S. Senate to fight for President Trump’s agenda and take a sledgehammer to the D.C. establishment,” Paxton said in a post on X. “Together, let’s send John Cornyn packing.” Paxton has long been a polarizing figure in Texas politics. In 2023, he survived an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate after the House voted to impeach him on charges including bribery and abuse of public trust. He also recently resolved a nearly decade-long legal battle involving securities fraud charges by agreeing to pay restitution. His campaign is likely to draw strong support from the party’s right flank. Over the past year, Paxton has garnered national attention by pushing aggressive…

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Thursday that he has launched an investigation into one of the state’s Medicaid insurance providers after allegations that the company illegally spied on Texans. The state is investigating Superior HealthPlan, an insurance company that provides Medicaid coverage to adults and children and coverage for the Children’s Health Insurance Program in Texas, for allegedly using private investigators to perform surveillance and gather potentially confidential information on lawmakers, journalists and other Texans. “The allegations concerning Superior’s actions, such as actions that were characterized as potentially blackmailing lawmakers to secure state contracts and surveilling private citizens to avoid paying legitimate claims, are deeply troubling,” Paxton said in a statement. Superior HealthPlan CEO Mark Sanders was questioned Wednesday by members of the Texas House Committee on the Delivery of Government Efficiency about his company’s use of private investigators. The topic surfaced as lawmakers questioned company representatives about potential fraud and waste of taxpayer funds connected to its Medicaid contracts, and Sanders told the committee members that the company used private investigators in the past, but hasn’t done so for the past few years. On Thursday, Superior fired Sanders, the Dallas Morning News reported. At Wednesday’s hearing, Sanders defended…