Texas

Learning Before Legislating in Texas’ AI Advisory Council

Published

2 years ago

April 28, 2024

Learning Before Legislating in Texas’ AI Advisory Council

From controlling home environments with commands like “Siri, turn on the living room lights” to managing fraud and risk in financial institutions, artificial intelligence is integral to many products and services we use daily.

And the news cycle reminds us frequently that this is just the beginning — that the full promise and peril of AI still lies before us. This is not just technology that will allow us to do the same things in a new way; it has the potential to make us “extra” human — smarter, faster versions of ourselves.

“Every aspect of civilization will be impacted, I believe, by AI, and therefore I wanted to study it thoughtfully and thoroughly before jumping into legislation,” said Senator Tan Parker.

The Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council was established through House Bill 2060 during the 88th legislative session. Composed of founding members and Co-Chairs Senator Parker and Representative Gio Capriglione, along with five other public members, the council intends to increase the study, use, and public awareness of AI. At the heart of any successful endeavor lies collaboration. The Texas AI Council will serve as a nucleus for fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, including government agencies, industry leaders, academic institutions, and research centers.

“There are very real and concerning downsides that have to be managed when it comes to AI and as a result of that, while I am always a free-market, free-enterprise guy trying to minimize regulation, some regulation will be necessary,” said Senator Parker.

That’s why he and the AI advisory council are taking a thoughtful approach. Through public hearings and agency testimony, they will create recommendations for legislation, which they plan to issue by December 2024.

“Communication and knowledge are the cornerstones of progress, and our council will serve as the catalyst, uniting minds from all sectors to produce thoughtful policy concerning AI advancement and technology,” according to Senator Parker.

The group’s first working meeting was at the end of March, when it heard from four state agencies, including the Texas Department of Information Research (DIR) and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

“I was quite pleased, actually, with the progress and the thoughtfulness of the agencies in terms of how they’re approaching AI,” Senator Parker noted.

For example, TxDOT is using AI to cut down accident response time, process payments, manage traffic, and evaluate aging infrastructure.

The Texas Workforce Commission also testified about their chatbot named Larry being used to screen calls and efficiently connect them with the best department. Parker doesn’t envision this ever becoming an all-bot operation, saying the people of Texas are best served by man and machine working together.

“We must maintain a human touch and a human presence with regard to the workforce commission, as you have people that are struggling for work and trying to find new careers and so forth,” Senator Parker said.

The council will continue hearing from agencies and the public through the summer—information that will help inform the group’s recommendations. Parker is confident in this approach. He strongly believes in the states, particularly Texas, leading the nation on critical issues.

He pointed to Jenna’s Law. Passed in 2009 and amended in 2017, the legislation mandates K through 12 training for educators. After being passed, a study found educators reported suspected abuse almost four times more than before the training. Now, Senator Cornyn is moving that law through the U.S. Congress. Parker hopes to see it become a federal law by year’s end and believes the Lone Star State can again lead the nation on AI legislation.

Texas has long been a beacon of innovation and growth in many areas, and AI creates an unprecedented opportunity to further bolster the state’s reputation as a leader in groundbreaking research and development while increasing the benefits to Texans in their everyday lives. The council aims to support cutting-edge research initiatives and breakthroughs in AI while propelling Texas to the forefront of global innovation and efficiency.

The next AI Advisory Council meeting will be held at the Texas Capitol on May 8th. For more information, including background on council members, overall objectives, and when and where you can participate in public testimony, check out the website.

Voices contributor Nicole Ward is a data journalist for the Dallas Regional Chamber.

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Texas

Execution of Texas man convicted of 1998 double murder scheduled for Wednesday

Published

12 hours ago

January 28, 2026

Press Room

Execution of Texas man convicted of 1998 double murder scheduled for Wednesday

Charles Thompson, who once briefly escaped custody after being sentenced to death, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening for the 1998 double murder of his former girlfriend and her friend.

Thompson had gotten into an altercation at his then-girlfriend Dennise Hayslip’s apartment in Houston with her and her friend, Darren Cain, before a police officer escorted Thompson off the property, according to court records. Early the next morning, Thompson returned to the apartment, killing Cain and shooting Hayslip in the mouth. Hayslip was life-flighted to a nearby hospital, where she died a week later.

Thompson was charged with capital murder for killing Cain and Hayslip and sentenced to death in 1999. In 2001, his death sentence was vacated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after judges ruled the Harris County District Attorney’s Office had unconstitutionally used an undercover investigator to obtain evidence for the trial. Thompson was given a new sentencing hearing, where a jury again sentenced him to death in 2005.

While Thompson does not dispute shooting Cain, he has said the man attacked him first and he acted defensively. Thompson has also asserted that Hayslip would have survived her wounds, which partially severed her tongue, had it not been for her receiving an improper intubation while at the hospital.

Days after his resentencing, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail by switching into the civilian clothes he had worn to resentencing hearings and posed as an employee with the state Attorney General’s Office. The escape led to a three-day manhunt that ended with Thompson being caught drunk in Louisiana.

Thompson filed a new appeal and a request for a stay of execution with the CCA on Jan. 21 that called into question the efficacy of his legal counsel during trial. It also asserted Thompson’s previous claim that the hospital’s alleged improper intubation of Hayslip ultimately killed her. Included in the new filing was an affidavit from a doctor who testified during Thompson’s trial about Hayslip’s cause of death, stating she would withdraw her trial testimony and instead assert medical complications were the cause of death.

The CCA has yet to rule on the stay request or the appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a previous federal habeas corpus appeal from Thompson in 2021.

If executed, Thompson will be the first person put to death in the United States this year, and is one of four men in Texas with currently scheduled executions. Thompson will also be the 136th person Harris County has executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The county has executed more people than any other state, and in 2025 sentenced its 300th person to death.

Texas’ use of the death penalty has dwindled for years as new death sentences and executions per year have remained in the single digits for more than a decade.

Cedric Ricks is the next person scheduled for execution in Texas on March 11. Ricks was convicted of capital murder in 2014 for stabbing his common-law wife and her 8-year-old son to death in their Fort Worth apartment.

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Major Fort Worth roads clear, but icy neighborhood streets persist

Published

24 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Major Fort Worth roads clear, but icy neighborhood streets persist

Bo Evans

January 27, 2026 / 5:43 PM CST
/ CBS Texas

Roads across North Texas have been in poor condition since temperatures dropped Friday night, and while TXDOT and local crews have been working around the clock, many neighborhoods are still dealing with sheets of ice.

In Fort Worth, the difference between major highways and city streets is easy to see. I‑30 looked nearly clear after TXDOT began pretreating it last Wednesday, well before any ice or snow arrived. But nearby city‑maintained roads remained slick. Each city and county is responsible for its own streets, which means some neighborhoods are still waiting for crews to reach them.

Warmer temperatures Tuesday helped speed up the process.

Fort Worth and Tarrant County crews spent the day spreading salt and sand to give drivers traction. The city said it doesn’t have traditional snowplows like those used in northern states, but workers have been using skid steers to scrape away the thick layer of ice that’s been stuck to the pavement.

Road conditions improved significantly throughout the day, but officials urged drivers to stay cautious.

City urges drivers to slow down

“If you are needing to leave your home and get out on the neighborhood streets and on to roads to travel, please go very slowly,” said Lara Ingram, a spokesperson for Fort Worth’s Transportation & Public Works Department. “Some neighborhood roads may be 35 mph. Fifteen to 20 mph is fast enough.”

Crews focused Tuesday on hospitals, major thoroughfares and the area around Dickies Arena to keep the Stock Show & Rodeo accessible.

The city is asking residents to remain patient as workers continue moving through neighborhoods.

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Texas

Texas agriculture commissioner primary: Who is running and what you need to know

Published

1 day ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Texas agriculture commissioner primary: Who is running and what you need to know

Editor’s note: To help readers learn more about primary candidates, The Texas Tribune is sharing background information on top candidates. In particularly crowded races, we focused on candidates who have political experience or prominence. For a full list of the candidates running in this race view our primary ballot page. For more information on the primaries and the voting process, check out our voter guide here.

About this seat: The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is the chief advocate for Texas’s agriculture industry. Under the commissioner’s purview, the Texas Department of Agriculture regulates the state’s agriculture industry, including cattle, grain, plants, pesticides, hemp and organic operations. The department provides agribusiness support, promotes Texas products and advocates for policies at the state and federal level that help farmers and ranchers. It also administers the National School Lunch Program to public schools. The department works on economic development in rural areas and provides disaster relief to farmers. The department also ensures that price scanners and scales are all accurate to ensure consumers are paying an accurate price for these items when they purchase them.

What’s at stake: Agriculture is the second largest industry in the state and Texas is home to more than 230,000 farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2024, it was the 6th largest state exporter of agricultural products. Farmers and ranchers are on the frontlines of economic pressures, the effects of climate change, and labor and supply chain disruptions and it’s the responsibility of the state agriculture commissioner to regulate farmers from a consumer protection standpoint, while providing support and funding to farms that are economic engines in rural areas of the state.

Candidates at a Glance:

Commissioner of Agriculture of Texas

💰 Campaign finance:

💰 Major donors this cycle:

Philip Oshotse, owner of Houston African grocery store – $60,000
Joe Cavender, owner of Cavender’s boots – $5,000
Stan Graff, owner at El Dorado Motors – $10,000
Kent Hance, former U.S. Rep. and chancellor of Texas Tech University System – $10,000

Experience:

First elected agriculture commissioner in 2014, and reelected twice in 2018 and 2022
12 years in the Texas House of Representatives
Graduate of Tarleton State University in Stephenville, where he lives and owns a tree nursery
Breeds horses and is a rodeo cowboy

Political ideology: Miller is known as a staunch MAGA conservative with a fiery personality and a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump. He is a Christian who often rails against Islam and leftist politics on social media. He’s against diversity, equity and inclusion policies and in 2023, he ordered employees to dress “in a manner consistent with their biological gender,” a move that was viewed as anti-transgender.

Policy stances:

Increasing water security in Texas
Defending agriculture from invasive pests and disease
Enhancing local food pride through the agency’s Go Texan brand program
Ensure farm and ranchland is not affected by the expansion of data centers in Texas
Supports legalization of marijuana for medical purposes

In the news:

Endorsements:

Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian
Ted Nugent, a guitarist and singer

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@sidmiller.com
6407 S US Hwy 377
Stephenville, TX 76401

💰 Campaign finance:

💰 Major donors this cycle:

Houston furniture store owner Mattress Mack – $10,000
Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Republican from Midland and family – $13,000
The Saulsbury Family, owners of Saulsbury Industries oil and gas company in Odessa and former donors of Sid Miller’s campaign – $25,000

Experience:

Texan business and ranch owner
Served for six years in the U.S. Naval Reserve before he graduated from Texas State University
He and his wife founded a honey company called Nature Nate’s, which became famous for its raw and unfiltered honey. He sold the company in 2021 and resigned as CEO in 2024 to run for agriculture commissioner.
Previously worked as communications director for E3 Partners, an evangelist ministry organization that establishes new Christian congregations around the world

Political ideology: Sheets is a conservative Christian and self-declared member of the MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) movement, which was inspired by Trump administration Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Nature Nate’s Honey emphasized testing to ensure the honey didn’t contain pesticides or herbicides, and Sheets has said his experience leading the company shaped his views on healthy eating.

Policy stances:

Helping Texas farmers grow and produce clean and healthy food at home and in the state’s public schools
Boost job opportunities in the agriculture industry in rural areas of the state
Work with the Legislature to ensure Texas has the power to investigate agro terrorists who might spread pathogens that could damage state agriculture production

In the news:

Endorsements:

Texas Farm Bureau, Texas Cattlefeeders Association
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican from Pennsylvania

How to contact or learn more:
campaign@natesheets.com

💰 Campaign finance:

💰 Major donors this cycle:

Jim Hightower, former Texas Agriculture Commissioner from 1983 to 1991 – $1,000

Experience:

Grew up working on his family’s ranch in Lampasas
Fair trade organizer for the Trade Justice Education Fund, a left-leaning non-profit that promotes awareness of the impact of trade on public health and the environment.

Political ideology: Tucker spent his early career working as a Democratic political campaign organizer. He is an active member of the Texas Democrats and a member of the Texas Progressive Caucus.

Policy stances:

Preserving family farms
Lowering the cost of food and removing chemicals from food
Stop the spread of microplastics and regulate dangerous chemicals like PFAS
Protect Texas from the growth of data centers across the state and “bust monopolies”

Endorsements:

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland
Many Democratic state representatives

How to contact or learn more:
info@claytontuckertx.com
PO Box 1059
Lampasas, TX 76550

Disclosure: Texas Cattle Feeders Association and Texas Tech University System have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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