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A proposed state bill calls for the creation of a Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would use surplus money to expand public parks and preserve water resources.

Driving the news: Republican state Rep. Justin Holland of Rockwall filed House Bill 3165 this month to take $2 billion from Texas' rainy-day fund, which is expected to reach $27.1 billion in the next two-year budget, to create the fund.

Why it matters: Texas ranks 35th in the nation for state park acreage per capita and is predicted to be unable to keep up with water demands for a growing population in the coming decades.

By the numbers: Less than 3% of Texas land is protected as parks and forests, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The state's water supply is projected to drop 18% by 2070, while population growth is expected to increase demand 9% in the same time period, per a report from Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and Texas 2036, a nonpartisan think tank.

Details: Administrators of the new fund would be able to award grants for the creation of new parks, projects that would restore wildlife habitats, and efforts to improve water quality or enhance river flow.

If the bill passes, a constitutional amendment creating the fund would be on the November ballot.

What they're saying: Holland says state leaders must preserve the "wide-open spaces definitive of the Texas character."

"We must take bold steps to preserve the landscape and culture that makes Texas a great place to live," he wrote in a DMN opinion piece.

Zoom in: A Dallas developer plans to turn Fairfield Lake State Park between Houston and Dallas into an exclusive gated community and to sell water from the lake there to North Texas cities.

The park temporarily reopened last week while the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tries to work with developers to preserve the space for public use.

What we're watching: What happens in the state House committee on natural resources. The bill was referred there last week.

Texas' surplus money could preserve parks

A proposed state bill calls for the creation of the Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Martin Dies Jr. State Park outside Jasper. Photo: Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

Local news

A proposed state bill calls for the creation of a Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund, which would use surplus money to expand public parks and preserve water resources.Driving the news: Republican state Rep. Justin Holland of Rockwall <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="filed House Bill 3165" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/30867558.33369/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWdpc2Nhbi5jb20vVFgvYmlsbC9IQjMxNjUvMjAyMz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX2RhbGxhcyZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62c486c9e6989edd2a013127B7820abaf" data-vars-content-id="3273e28e-4843-4015-a1e5-183a1a9d91d8" data-vars-headline="Texas&#x27; surplus money could preserve parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/30867558.33369/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWdpc2Nhbi5jb20vVFgvYmlsbC9IQjMxNjUvMjAyMz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX2RhbGxhcyZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62c486c9e6989edd2a013127B7820abaf" target="_blank">filed House Bill 3165</a> this month to take $2 billion from Texas&#x27; rainy-day fund, which is expected to reach <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="$27.1 billion in the next two-year budget," data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/30867558.33369/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGV4YXN0cmlidW5lLm9yZy8yMDIzLzAxLzA5L3RleGFzLWJ1ZGdldC1yZXZlbnVlLWVzdGltYXRlLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX2RhbGxhcyZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62c486c9e6989edd2a013127Bea52f369" data-vars-content-id="3273e28e-4843-4015-a1e5-183a1a9d91d8" data-vars-headline="Texas&#x27; surplus money could preserve parks" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/30867558.33369/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGV4YXN0cmlidW5lLm9yZy8yMDIzLzAxLzA5L3RleGFzLWJ1ZGdldC1yZXZlbnVlLWVzdGltYXRlLz91dG1fc291cmNlPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImdXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fY2FtcGFpZ249bmV3c2xldHRlcl9heGlvc2xvY2FsX2RhbGxhcyZzdHJlYW09dG9w/62c486c9e6989edd2a013127Bea52f369" target="_blank">$27.1 billion in the next two-year budget,</a> to create the fund.

News

Data: Oxfam America; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Texas is practically the worst state for workers, according to a new study by Oxfam America.

Driving the news: States were ranked on wages, worker protections and employees' ability to unionize.

Oregon is the best state for workers, and North Carolina is the worst.

Details: The report points to wages lagging inflation, COVID-19 and several states' abortion restrictions as causes for more perilous work conditions.

Texas earned a zero for its right-to-organize score because it's a right-to-work state and doesn't require collective bargaining for public workers, among other factors.

The big picture: The study comes on the heels of a new Gallup poll that says 71% of Americans support labor unions, the highest percentage since 1965.

Yes, but: Houston workers continue to organize, with two new unions formed in the last few weeks. 

Workers at the Starbucks in Montrose successfully unionized after a months-long campaign, the first shop in Houston to do so. 

Employees at Republic National Distributing Co. in Houston also won a certification election this month, according to the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation.

Texas is good for business but bad for workers

Texas is practically the worst state for workers, according to a new study by OxFam.

Texas is practically the worst state for workers, according to a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new study by Oxfam America" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/28928600.70/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub3hmYW1hbWVyaWNhLm9yZy9leHBsb3JlL2NvdW50cmllcy91bml0ZWQtc3RhdGVzL3BvdmVydHktaW4tdGhlLXVzL2Jlc3Qtc3RhdGVzLXRvLXdvcmstMjAyMi8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/61571d580bb18027b8e26002B46212f7d" data-vars-content-id="337420e3-2f2a-4771-acf9-569ef8c1ac54" data-vars-headline="Texas is good for business but bad for workers" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/28928600.70/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub3hmYW1hbWVyaWNhLm9yZy9leHBsb3JlL2NvdW50cmllcy91bml0ZWQtc3RhdGVzL3BvdmVydHktaW4tdGhlLXVzL2Jlc3Qtc3RhdGVzLXRvLXdvcmstMjAyMi8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/61571d580bb18027b8e26002B46212f7d" target="_blank">new study by Oxfam America</a>.Driving the news: States were ranked on wages, worker protections and employees&#x27; ability to unionize.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Austin

Axios Austin

Data: Trans Legislation Tracker; Note: Legislation includes introduced bills and resolutions; Texas Legislature meets every other year; Cartogram: Simran Parwani/Axios

Texas has more anti-transgender legislation filed this session than any other state, with 57 bills, and more than half of those are sponsored by Houston-area representatives.

Driving the news: The flood of state-level efforts to restrict transgender rights is being fueled by many of the Christian and conservative groups that led the charge against Roe v. Wade.

Groups including the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Family Research Council, the Liberty Counsel and the American Principles Project are behind a multimillion-dollar effort targeting LGBTQ rights through "parents' rights" bills, per Axios' Russell Contreras.

How it works: The groups, which have raised millions of dollars in recent years, have provided templates and support for similarly worded bills in statehouses across the country that seek to ban minors from attending drag shows, prevent trans minors from receiving gender-affirming care, and restrict their participation in high school sports.

Data: Trans Legislation Tracker; Note: Legislation includes proposed bills and resolutions; Texas Legislature meets every other year; Cartogram: Simran Parwani/Axios

What they're saying: In a statement, Alliance Defending Freedom's legal counsel Matt Sharp tells Axios that the group "strongly advocates" for policies like Texas' Senate Bill 14, which would ban gender-affirming care for Texans under 18.

"Alliance Defending Freedom will continue to advise lawmakers who prioritize adolescents’ and children's health and welfare," Sharp said.

The latest: The Texas Senate on Tuesday voted to ban gender-affirming care for Texans under 18, and last week, two anti-trans rights bills passed the Senate.

One would require college athletes to compete on a team that aligns with sex assigned at birth, regardless of gender identity.

The other bill — sponsored by Sens. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe), Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) and Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) — would require a person's sex at birth to be included on birth certificates and would limit the option for minors to update their documents to match their gender identity.

Zoom in: More than two dozen other anti-trans bills were filed by Houston-area representatives, including several by Rep. Steve Toth (R-The Woodlands), Rep. Valoree Swanson (R-Spring), Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park) and Rep. Teresa Leo Wilson (R-Galveston).

Some of the bills would change the statute of limitations on health care liability claims involving certain gender modification drugs. Others seek to expand the definition of a sexually oriented business to include establishments that present drag shows and prohibit such performances if they're on public property or in a location where a minor could be present.

Flashback: Two years ago, the Legislature restricted transgender high school students from playing school sports that align with their gender identity. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law.

State of play: The legislative proposals come at a time when roughly 8 in 10 Americans believe there's some discrimination against transgender people, a 2022 Pew Research Center survey found.

The survey also found that most Americans favor laws to protect trans people from discrimination.

But, about six in 10 Americans favor requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams that match their sex at birth.

By the numbers: The ACLU is tracking more than 430 bills targeting LGBTQ rights concerning schools, health care and free speech.

Trans Legislation Tracker, a data collection website that uses information from civil rights groups, says it has followed 492 anti-transgender bills in 47 states, as of Wednesday. That's a 2,489% increase since 2015.

Texas leads in anti-trans bills

More than half of the bills are sponsored by Houston-area representatives.

Transgender

Chart showing that Texas has 57 bills filed in 2023 vs. 16 in 2021. 

Texas has more <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="anti-transgender legislation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/18/gender-affirming-health-care-bans-transgender-lgbt" data-vars-content-id="69f78016-0e16-4418-955a-d106b4734e65" data-vars-headline="Texas leads in anti-trans bills" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/18/gender-affirming-health-care-bans-transgender-lgbt" target="_self">anti-transgender legislation</a> filed this session than any other state, with 57 bills, and more than half of those are sponsored by Houston-area representatives.Driving the news: The flood of state-level efforts to restrict transgender rights is being fueled by many of the Christian and conservative groups that led the charge against Roe v. Wade.

Politics

Street to Kitchen's chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter won the Best Chef: Texas category at last night's James Beard Awards in Chicago.

What's happening: Painter was up against four other chefs in the regional category.

Details: Painter and her husband Graham Painter opened the Thai restaurant in the summer of 2020 in an East End former gas station strip.

Since the James Beard nomination earlier this year, Painter's 10-table eatery has been a lot busier, she tells Axios.

The restaurant's signature dish is black truffle durian crab curry.

What they're saying: Painter says the Thai food in Houston didn't quite have the spice and flavor she loved from her native Thailand. So she talked to her husband and said, "Maybe one day, we can open a restaurant that has the flavor like my grandmother and my mom cook for me," she tells Axios.

Of note: Two other Houston locations were finalists on Monday: Mexican restaurant Tatemó for Best New Restaurant and Nancy’s Hustle for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.

Flashback: In 2022, Alba Huerta’s Julep on Washington Avenue took home the award for Outstanding Bar Program, earning the first national win for Houston.

Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard

Street to Kitchen's chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter won the "Best Chef: Texas" category at last night's James Beard awards in Chicago.

Benchawan Jabthong Painter from Houston told Axios her dress was designed by a Thai designer who does dresses for Ms. Thailand contestants. Painter won the award for Best Chef: Texas. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios

Food

Street to Kitchen&#x27;s chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter won the Best Chef: Texas category at last night&#x27;s James Beard Awards in Chicago.What&#x27;s happening: Painter was up against four other chefs in the regional category.Details: Painter <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="and her husband Graham Painter" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/06/06/james-beard-awards-red-carpet" data-vars-content-id="766b563b-8183-4c4a-a884-a3bfbb14445b" data-vars-headline="Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2023/06/06/james-beard-awards-red-carpet" target="_self">and her husband Graham Painter</a> opened the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Thai restaurant" data-vars-click-url="https://www.streettokitchen.com/" data-vars-content-id="766b563b-8183-4c4a-a884-a3bfbb14445b" data-vars-headline="Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.streettokitchen.com/" target="_blank">Thai restaurant</a> in the summer of 2020 in an East End former gas station strip.<ul><li>Since the James Beard nomination earlier this year, Painter&#x27;s 10-table eatery has been a lot busier, she tells Axios.</li><li>The restaurant&#x27;s signature dish is black truffle durian crab curry.</li></ul>What they&#x27;re saying: Painter says the Thai food in Houston didn&#x27;t quite have the spice and flavor she loved from her native Thailand. So she talked to her husband and said, &quot;Maybe one day, we can open a restaurant that has the flavor like my grandmother and my mom cook for me,&quot; she tells Axios.Of note: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Two other Houston locations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2023/01/26/houston-james-beard-semifinalists-2023" data-vars-content-id="766b563b-8183-4c4a-a884-a3bfbb14445b" data-vars-headline="Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/houston/2023/01/26/houston-james-beard-semifinalists-2023" target="_self">Two other Houston locations</a> were finalists on Monday: Mexican restaurant Tatemó for Best New Restaurant and Nancy’s Hustle for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program.Flashback: In 2022, Alba Huerta’s Julep on Washington Avenue took home the award for Outstanding Bar Program, earning the first national win for Houston.

Things to Do

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Note: Estimates include people reporting one race alone; Hispanic individuals are also included in other categories, as they may be of any race; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

Asian and mixed-race populations, followed by Hispanic populations, grew the most in the Houston metro area between 2000 and last year, per a new Axios analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.

Why it matters: Demographic data shows how much Houston and the state as a whole have changed in the past two decades.

Hispanic Texans now make up the largest share of the state's population. And non-Hispanic white residents now make up less than 40% of the population.

The big picture: Though the U.S. population is still largely white, other populations grew dramatically between 2000 and 2022, report Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Kavya Beheraj.

The nationwide Asian population grew about 105%, to 21 million.

The Hispanic population grew about 80%, to nearly 64 million.

The Black population grew 31%, to 45.4 million.

Of note: Demographic trends are driven by a combination of factors, including varied birth, mortality and immigration rates among different socioeconomic groups.

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Chart: Axios Visuals

By the numbers: Texas metro populations have boomed since 2000, with most increasing by more than 50%.

The Houston metro area grew about 56%, from a population of 4.7 million to more than 7.3 million people.

Zoom in: The Houston area population is still majority white, but other races have seen the most growth in the last 20 years.

The intrigue: Political observers have long speculated that a growing Hispanic population in Texas could move the state toward purple or even blue.

But Latino voters are favoring the Democratic Party less.

Houston's fastest-growing demographic groups

Demographic data shows how much Houston has changed.

Demographics

Chart showing Houston's growing populations, with White and Hispanic groups being the most populous. 

Asian and mixed-race populations, followed by Hispanic populations, grew the most in the Houston metro area between 2000 and last year, per a new Axios analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.Why it matters: Demographic data shows how much Houston and the state as a whole have changed in the past two decades.

Tasha Tsiaperas

Featured stories

Houston's fastest-growing demographic groups

Street to Kitchen chef wins Best Chef: Texas at James Beard

Texas leads in anti-trans bills

Texas' surplus money could preserve parks

Texas is good for business but bad for workers