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🟪 Travis County announces $17M child care expansion, museum district, 1,300-acre park at county address (Community Impact)

🟪 Memo outlines next steps for Austin's One ATS centralization plan for city's tech department (KVUE)

🟪 UT Austin top lawyer accuses KUT leader of making 'false' statements tied to festival (KUT)

🟪 Austin adopts stricter oversight of city surveillance technology use (Community Impact)

🟪 Dan Patrick eyes closing “gambling loophole” for prediction markets. The feds stand in Texas’ way. (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Hispanic population experiences worst health care outcomes, access in Texas, report finds (KERA)

🟪 Austin and Dallas' revised ICE rules are better than Houston's, legal experts say (Houston Chronicle)

🟪 Jerome Powell says he will continue to serve as a Fed governor, calls Trump criticism 'unprecedented' (CNBC)

✅ Travis County announces $17M child care expansion, museum district, 1,300-acre park at county address (Community Impact)

More than $17 million in new child care funding, a 1,300-acre park and a museum district are headed to Travis County.

Travis County Judge Andy Brown shared updates on several major county initiatives at the State of the County Address at Austin PBS April 30. The county has seen a 60% decrease in fentanyl-related deaths along with investments in supportive housing, mental health intervention and legal representation at first court appearance, Brown said.

"These investments in our downtown, in our parks and in our people are how we build real economic resilience," Brown said. "They help small businesses grow. They create jobs that cannot be outsourced, and they make Travis County a place where families can afford not just to live, but to truly thrive."… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Memo outlines next steps for Austin's One ATS centralization plan for city's tech department (KVUE)

New concerns about potential layoffs have arisen as the City of Austin released a memo on Wednesday outlining consolidation plans for the city's technology department. 

The move comes as the city looks for ways to save millions of dollars after failing to pass a property tax ballot measure, Proposition Q, in November. 

David Cruz with the AFSCME Local 1642, a union that represents city employees, feels the plan to centralize technology roles and applications, known as One ATS, will pose a safety risk. 

"When you talk to our workers, they are not concerned about layoffs at this time. They're being told that there are no layoffs coming. But the city management is saying that costs will come as people leave," said Cruz. "Our employees know what it means to be able to switch gears at a moment's notice. What they can't stand is management that is rushing to consolidate workers while threatening public services, no matter what the cost"

According to the memo, the city spent $4 million on consultants to find ways to cut costs. The city then used the findings to shape the One ATS centralization plan that the city said will bring $142 million annually… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ UT Austin top lawyer accuses KUT leader of making 'false' statements tied to festival (KUT)

In a harshly worded letter sent Wednesday evening, the University of Texas at Austin’s top lawyer accused KUT Public Media General Manager Debbie Hiott of making “false" statements about the last-minute changes the station was forced to make to its first KUT Festival, which starts Friday.

"The University is disappointed that the inaugural KUT festival had to relocate and resize some of its events due to poor planning," UT's vice president for legal affairs and general counsel, Amanda Cochran-McCall, wrote in the letter.

"Contrary to your public statements, it was false to assert that you and your staff agreed to every health, security, and safety request made of KUT," she said.

In an interview on Wednesday night, Hiott said she didn't know what to make of the letter. University spokesperson Mike Rosen sent KUT a copy of the letter about 45 minutes after Hiott said she received it.

"It just says that I said false things, which I did not. I feel it’s unfortunate that they believe something that had not been the case for us," Hiott said, referring to university officials.

Hiott responded directly to the letter by emailing Cochran-McCall, UT Austin President Jim Davis and UT Provost William Inboden late Wednesday. In her response, which she shared with KUT News, she strongly disputed the university's account… 🟪 (READ MORE)  

Also: How is KUT News affiliated with UT Austin? (KUT)

✅ Austin adopts stricter oversight of city surveillance technology use (Community Impact)

Austin has adopted a new process with increased public scrutiny for the city's procurement of surveillance-related technology, following pushback against previous public camera programs.

"This is a way that at the local level, at least we can make sure we’re not complicit in this massive expansion of the surveillance state," council member Mike Siegel said in an interview.

The focus on Austin's potential procurement of technology that collects personal information comes after the recent consideration of millions of dollars in contracts for surveillance technology across the city.

Earlier this year, City Council passed Mayor Pro Tem Chito Vela's Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology, or TRUST, Act to increase public scrutiny of any contracts Austin might enter into with implications on residents' privacy and mass data collection. Directives in Vela's original resolution were formally enacted into city policy April 23... 🟪 (READ MORE)  

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✅ Dan Patrick eyes closing “gambling loophole” for prediction markets. The feds stand in Texas’ way. (Texas Tribune)

In March, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick directed state senators to explore ways to close “gambling loopholes” that allow online prediction markets to operate in Texas, raising concerns that state elections and sporting events could be manipulated for profit.

Patrick’s directive was the first time a state leader officially acknowledged the existence of rapidly growing prediction markets, which let users wager on outcomes tied to anything from the weather to election winners and sports scores.

Most prediction markets didn’t operate in the U.S. before 2025.

Any attempts by the Texas Legislature to restrict prediction operators, however, would run into federal roadblocks as the Trump administration insists that oversight belongs to a U.S. agency, not the states.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has taken vigorous steps to retain exclusive regulatory oversight, suing to block five states from taking legal action against predictive markets, including a lawsuit filed Tuesday against Wisconsin.

Prediction market operators argue that state gambling laws don’t apply to them because users aren’t placing bets, they’re risking money on predictions — no different than other exchange-traded financial contracts that speculate on the future performance of commodities. Congress created the CFTC in 1974 to regulate futures trading… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Hispanic population experiences worst health care outcomes, access in Texas, report finds (KERA)

A new report found that Texas has more severe racial and ethnic health disparities than other states in the Southwest. Hispanic people experienced the worst health outcomes, access and quality in Texas, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund – a private foundation focused on health equity in the U.S.

The report notes that racial and ethnic health disparities “persist across every state” and may worsen as recent policy changes take hold. “In most states, American Indian and Alaska Native people and Black and Hispanic people and communities really continue to bear the highest burden and have the worst health access and affordability,” said Dr. Laurie Zephyrin, senior vice president for Achieving Equitable Outcomes at the Commonwealth Fund.

The report also finds that these populations are more likely to die from “premature and avoidable deaths” – while being less likely to have health coverage. Researchers analyzed the most recent state data available on 24 measures related to health care access, quality and use of services and health outcomes to produce the state-by-state report. Based on that performance data, the report evaluates differences across racial and ethnic groups both within and between states.

“The Hispanic population had some of the lowest scores achieved in the report, particularly in a handful of southern and southeastern states, including Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas,” said Kristen Kolb, a research associate for the Commonwealth Fund. She said the Hispanic population tended to be among the lowest performance on measures of affordable access to care. “When health services are not affordable, people are more likely to forgo needed care,” Kolb said… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Camp Mystic abandons bid to reopen this summer (Texas Tribune)

Camp Mystic on Thursday said it has withdrawn its application for an operating license, a decision that means it will not reopen to campers this summer.

The decision follows a grueling hearing earlier this week when Texas lawmakers pushed the family that runs the camp to consider if they were truly ready to reopen after 25 campers and two counselors died there during last year’s July 4 flood, along with the camp’s executive director Dick Eastland. Family members of the girls who died also spoke passionately to the camp directors in that hearing about their loss.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” the camp said in its statement… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin and Dallas' revised ICE rules are better than Houston's, legal experts say (Houston Chronicle)

Houston, Dallas and Austin all changed their policies governing how police interact with federal immigration agents after Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to pull millions in grant funds from each city, but only Houston completely abandoned its prior policy, legal advocates say.

The controversy began after Houston City Council voted to limit officers' cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this month. In response, Abbott threatened to pull $114 million in public safety grants unless the city reversed course. He then sent similar letters to Dallas and Austin, which had restricted their officers' work with ICE more than Houston and had done so weeks or months earlier.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire then got the council to amend its policy -- using language negotiated with Abbott's office -- and Houston Police Department reverted to its rules from last year, requiring officers to call ICE and wait “a reasonable amount of time” for agents to pick up someone on a civil immigration warrant.

Houston's prior policy had said these warrants are not a basis to arrest or detain someone, and that officers could no longer wait for ICE to arrive after the purpose of a traffic stop is addressed.

Last week, Austin and Dallas also revised their ICE policies. But Dallas' policy only says officers are no longer prohibited from calling ICE agents when they encounter someone with a civil immigrant warrant. And Austin kept language making clear these warrants alone are not grounds to detain someone… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Jerome Powell says he will continue to serve as a Fed governor, calls Trump criticism 'unprecedented' (CNBC)

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday said he will stay on the Board of Governors for an indefinite period while a probe into the renovation of the central bank’s headquarters continues. “I’ve said that I will not leave the board until this investigation is well and truly over with transparency and finality, and I stand by that. I’m encouraged by recent developments, and I’m watching the remaining steps in this process carefully,” Powell said near the beginning of his post-meeting news conference.

“My decisions on these matters will continue to be guided entirely by what I believe is in the best interest of the institution and the people we serve after my term as chair ends on May 15, and will continue to serve as a governor for a period of time to be determined,” he added.

By staying on, Powell for the moment is denying President Donald Trump a majority on the Board of Governors. Trump’s other appointees on the seven-member board include Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman. Trump appointee Stephen Miran, whose term has expired but has continued to serve, will leave after Warsh is confirmed. Powell’s decision to stay resolves for the moment a key question that hovered over the Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

Markets already had largely expected to keep its key interest rate steady, with the bigger question over Powell’s future. Powell’s tenure as chair ends next month, but he has two years remaining on his seat as governor. The chair, who has served eight years, congratulated his appointed successor Kevin Warsh, whose nominee cleared a pivotal hurdle earlier Wednesday when the Senate Banking Committee voted to move Warsh forward to the full floor for a vote… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Supreme Court ruling is set to reshape American politics (Associated Press)

The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday handed Republicans their biggest victory yet in the perpetual battle to control the House of Representatives and statehouses across the country — but it may have come too late to have much of an effect on this year’s midterm elections. The 6-3 ruling effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that districts be drawn to give minority voters a chance to elect representatives of their choosing.

One practical effect of that requirement was the protection of reliably Democratic-voting majority-minority districts, even in solidly red states where lawmakers could otherwise favor the GOP. With that mandate now largely gone, Republican lawmakers across the country — and especially in the South — have a freer hand to eliminate Democratic-leaning districts and pad the total number of seats they can win to hold the U.S. House. There are more than a dozen such seats in Republican-controlled states.

Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere. Their immediate challenge is that the ruling came down well after filing deadlines for this year’s primary elections — and in some cases, after those primary elections have been held.

That means ballots are set and in some states early and absentee voting has already begun. The timing makes it difficult to tear up maps and draw new ones. In Louisiana, where the mandate to draw a second, Democratic-leaning majority-Black House district led to Tuesday’s decision, the primary election for federal offices is set for May 16 — and early voting is scheduled to begin Saturday.

Nevertheless, the state’s governor, attorney general and legislative leaders were meeting to discuss how the state would respond. Republicans have been scrambling to comply with President Donald Trump’s directive to redraw maps to add more winnable House seats to stave off losses in the midterms.

In a sign of the pressure for Republicans to take advantage of the opportunity, multiple hopefuls running for governor in GOP primaries called for immediate redraws. “There is no time to waste,” Rick Jackson, a businessman and GOP governor candidate in Georgia, said in urging a redraw there even as voting is underway for the May 19 primary. “Georgia must act now to ensure secure elections in Georgia and counter the Democrats’ national assault on our elections.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)