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The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is seeking a $300 million transfusion of funds to bolster the state’s Medicaid application process, The Texas Tribune reported.
The public health insurance program provides coverage for people or families with limited income, as well as pregnant women and people with disabilities. Wait time for applicants in Texas has been as long as 71 days, with nearly 132,000 pending applications last month.
The proposed funding would allow hiring more than 1,000 additional workers and upgrading a decades-old computer system to speed up the Medicaid application process in Texas.
The agency’s request notes the COVID-19 pandemic put considerable stress on the eligibility system.
If lawmakers approve the $300 million request, the state could receive an additional $100 million in funding, largely from the federal government.
FOUR TEXAS CITIES IN TOP 10 FOR POPULATION GROWTH
A study by financial technology company SmartAsset indicates a number of Texas cities continue to see major population growth, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
Four Texas cities were in the top 10 in the United States for population growth by percentage:
• New Braunfels was second in the country with a 12.49% population increase from 2022 to 2023 and 29.68% in the past five years.
• Georgetown’s population increased 11.34% from 2022 to 2023 and 29.85% in that same five-year period.
• Atascocita, in Harris County northeast of Houston, increased its population by 11.03% from 2022 to 2023 and grew by 38.56% from 2018 to 2023.
• Conroe’s population rose 6.73% from 2022 to 2023 and 23.49% in that same five-year period.
SmartAsset used recent population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau to rank more than 600 U.S. cities.
AT LEAST 17 NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS HAVE DIED PATROLLING BORDER
The mobilization of National Guard troops along the southern border with Mexico over the past three years has taken its toll, with at least 17 dying from various causes, the Texas Standard reported.
The deaths include at least seven suicides, two accidental shootings and two traffic fatalities, as well as an accidental drowning while attempting to save migrants crossing the Rio Grande.
The death toll was disclosed during a hearing of the Texas House Committee on Defense and Veterans Affairs.
“The loss of life for any National Guard member is one too many, and our hearts are with the families and loved ones of these heroes,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. His office said last month that Operation Lone Star has resulted in more than 526,000 immigrant apprehensions and nearly 50,000 criminal arrests.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has opposed Operation Lone Star since its inception.
“There’s just a lot of concerns about how these troops have been treated in Operation Lone Star, in addition to serious questions about the effectiveness of the whole operation,” Castro said.
PAXTON FILES SUIT AGAINST TWO CHEMICAL GIANTS
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week filed a lawsuit against chemical behemoths 3M and Du-Pont, accusing them of misrepresenting the safety of so-called “forever chemicals,” called PFAS, The Tribune reported.
PFAS are a family of chemicals that resist oil, stains, heat, grease, and water. They are called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down and remain in water and soil indefinitely.
The products are sold under brand names such as Teflon, Stainmaster, and Scotchgard. There is mounting evidence they contain chemicals considered harmful to human health.
“These companies knew for decades that PFAS chemicals could cause serious harm to human health yet continued to advertise them as safe for household use around families and children,” Paxton said in a news release. “Texas is taking action to penalize these companies and hold them accountable for deceiving Texans into buying consumer products without vital information.”
A spokesperson for Du-Pont called the lawsuit “without merit… We look forward to vigorously defending our record of safety, health, and environmental stewardship.”
PUC PUSHING VOLUNTARY USE OF SMART THERMOSTATS
The Public Utility Commission is providing residential consumers of electricity a way to save on their electricity bills by installing smart thermostats that allow retail electric providers to reduce energy use when demand is high, though only in areas with retail competition.
“Ensuring grid reliability as Texas continues to grow requires both expanding our state’s power supply and finding ways to reduce demand and use electricity more efficiently,” PUCT Commissioner Kathleen Jackson said. “By offering residential consumers opportunities to help them reduce their energy use, we help them save money, reduce demand on the ERCOT system, and improve grid reliability.”
Participation is voluntary. The PUC hopes the new rule will strengthen grid reliability by reducing the total power consumption of participating customers by 20%.
NOVEMBER WAS WARMER, WETTER THAN USUAL
After a hot and dry October, the state for the most part received much-needed rain in November, though temperatures remained above average for this time of year, according to Mark Wentzel, hydrologist with the Texas Water Development Board.
As a result, the percentage of the state in drought dropped 24 percentage points by the end of November. However, half of Texas is still in drought, mainly in Far West Texas and a piece of Central Texas around San Antonio.
“November was a welcome relief from October’s statewide record-setting heat and near-record-setting dryness,” Wentzel wrote. Drought conditions are expected to remain relatively stable through the winter months, he added.
GESUNDHEIT! CEDAR SEASON UNDERWAY
It is cedar season in Texas, meaning runny noses and watery eyes especially affecting folks living in Central Texas where juniper trees are prominent.
“Cedar fever is irritating to many due to the quantity and density of Ashe junipers in Central Texas that all produce pollen at the same time, which leads to a high concentration of pollen in the air,” said Robert Edmonson of the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Don’t feel safe or smug if you live in East Texas. The eastern red cedar also releases pollen around the same time and can provoke similar irritating reactions.
Both types of trees begin producing pollen in mid-December, with production reaching its peak in mid-January, and relief setting in by the beginning of March.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com
