"You have managed to be humorous and incisive on Twitter without crossing any of the lines - a perilous endeavor for any judge - but with a love of life and a personality that is irrepressible."

-Sen. Ted Cruz

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), right, made the remark during the Senate hearing to confirm Judge Don Willett, right, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.  Willett, formerly a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, was on President Donald Trump's shortlist to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court until Trump nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the position earlier this month. Willett, well known for his Twitter posts, has not been active on social media since his appointment to the Fifth Circuit in January. 

Funding questions continue to arise as a bipartisan group of Texas senators met for the third time Wednesday to discuss school safety measures, including building safer schools and providing more mental health services.

Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced last week in a letter to the Legislature and statewide officials that his office expects the state to finish the 2018-19 fiscal year with a $2.67 billion balance, largely thanks to an influx of state sales tax revenue. 

Hegar's office expects the state to have just over $110 billion to spend in the upcoming two-year budget, which is a 2.6 percent boost from the $107 billion projection made in October.   Hegar said economic growth has continued to accelerate in Texas since the fall estimate.  

Glenn Hegar

"Texas in particular benefited from rising oil prices and production and the consequent increase in economic activity," Hegar's letter stated.  "The best ongoing indicator of the robust Texas economy is the state's rate of job growth.  Texas added more than 350,000 new jobs in the 12 months ending in May 2018, and the state's unemployment rate has been at or near historic lows in recent months."

The announcement is good news for lawmakers who have feared an impending budget hole since Hegar warned in march that  the state could face a  credit-rating downgrade  if lawmakers didn't come up with funds to address significant future liabilities, such as state government pensions and a health care program for retired teachers.

Hegar's revenue estimate could still fluxuate between now and January when the next legislative session begins in Austin. Then, the comptroller will issue a new estimate that detailing how much lawmakers can spend on the two-year budget they vote on in 2019.

"Though nearly all current economic indicators remain positive and revenue collections have exceeded our previous expectations, there are significant risks to the forecast," Hegar's letter said. "A trade war, a withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement or a significant downturn in the price of oil would reduce our potential economic growth. The current outlook, however, is for continued growth through fiscal 2019 for both the economy and state revenue."

Sen.  Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound), chair of the budget committee in the Senate, is feeling optimistic. 

	Sen. Jane Nelson

"This is welcome news - and another sign that our efforts to spur economic growth are working," Nelson said in a written statement. "Between Harvey and other supplemental needs, the upcoming budget will be a challenge. But this additional revenue will make a big difference."

A panel of federal judges in San Antonio has ordered that the state's voting maps should remain unchanged this election cycle, despite lingering issues with one Texas House district. 

The three-judge panel made the ruling earlier this month, following a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court declaring the Texas state maps legal save for one district in the Fort Worth area - House District 90 - which the high court decided was subject to  racial gerrymandering where lawmakers had illegally used race as the major factor in making its boundaries.

The San Antonio panel of judges gave state lawmakers and the map's challengers until Aug. 6 to indicate to the court what alterations, if any, should be made to the district map. The court also ordered the two sides to address any other issues remaining by Aug. 29. 

Gov. Greg Abbott has announced special election dates to replace several outgoing state lawmakers, including Sen. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and Rep. Larry Gonzales (R-Round Rock).

Rep. Larry Gonzales

The election to replace Gonzales will take place Nov. 6, which is the same day voters were already scheduled to vote for his replacement.  Gonzales, a legislator since 2011 and a staffer before then, announce his retirement in June.   

Two candidates, Republican Cynthia Flores and Democrat James Talarico, have announced their intentions to run, with Flores gaining an endorsement from Gonzales.  Other c andidates have until Aug. 23 to file for the race. 

Earlier this month, Abbott also set a special election date of July 31 to replace Uresti, who resigned in June after being found guilty earlier this year of 11 felonies related to fraud and money laundering.  Uresti was sentenced to 12 years in prison. 

	Carlos Uresti

Eight candidates have filed for the special election to replace  Uresti, including his brother, outgoing state Rep.  Tomas Uresti, according to the Secretary of State's office.  A mong the eight candidates who filed, there are four Democrats, three Republicans and one Libertarian. 

Abbott has also previously set a Nov. 6 special election to complete the term of former state Rep. Larry Phillips (R-Sherman).