Texas lawmakers didn't overhaul the state’s incentives for filming this legislative session, but they did significantly expand the program’s funding in the 2024-2025 budget.

Driving the news: The spending plan, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's approval, includes $200 million in funding for the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program (TMIIIP) — a big upgrade from the current budget's $45 million.

The big picture: Some iconic shows and movies, like "Friday Night Lights" and "Dazed and Confused," have been filmed in Texas, but many that are set in Texas are actually filmed elsewhere.

State of film: In Texas, production companies can apply for rebate-like incentives that come out of the state budget and usually run out long before bienniums end.

• Almost 20 bills tied to film production were proposed this legislative session, including an overhaul of TMIIIP, a new virtual production institute at Texas A&M, and updated requirements for the percentage of Texans required on each production crew.
• The bill to overhaul TMIIIP didn't advance, but lawmakers approved the budget increase, the production institute and updated crew requirements.
• "What we received was a big win for the industry," Mindy Raymond of the Texas Media Production Alliance tells Axios.

By the numbers: Texas has made almost $2 billion and created 183,000 jobs from film production since TMIIIP was established in 2009, per the alliance.

• Georgia gave $1 billion in tax credits in fiscal year 2022 and got back more than $4.4 billion from TV and film companies that year alone, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Zoom in: Fort Worth leaders have been especially vocal about the benefits of more filming in their city.

• "There is immense film potential here, and I look forward to our residents seeing Fort Worth appear in television, movies, and music videos more and more," Mayor Mattie Parker said in a statement.

Go deeper

Texas organ procurement organizations are looking ahead to a more efficient transplant network following the Biden administration's plan to revamp the nation's organ allocation system.

Why it matters: Audits and a congressional probe chronicled problems including long wait times, inequities in allocations, failing IT infrastructure, and even organs lost in transit.

• Until now, the nonprofit United Network for Organ Sharing has had the only contract for managing the system, according to Axios Vitals.

State of play: The federal Health Resources and Services Administration announced in March that it would solicit multiple bids to "foster competition" in managing the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.

Zoom in: Three federally designated organ procurement organizations serve Texas because of the state's size: the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance, the Southwest Transplant Alliance and LifeGift.

• They are the only organizations that can recover organs.

By the numbers: More than 10,000 Texans await transplants, with Black and Latino people representing the largest need. Most are in need of kidney transplants, Dallas-based Southwest Transplant Alliance president Brad Adams tells Axios.

• More than 25% of kidneys went unused last year in the U.S., Adams says.
• Last year, 829 organs were transplanted in Texas, and the state's donor registry reached 14 million, according to the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance.

Register for organ donation

For decades, Dallas had the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Now, all of its skyscrapers combined don't even make it the tallest city in Texas.

Driving the news: Combined, Dallas' skyscrapers measure 22,000 feet — falling behind the combined heights of skyscrapers in Houston and Austin, a Texas Real Estate Source study found.

• Austin is expected to be the tallest Texas city by 2026, per the study.

Why it matters: Dallas boasted the tallest building in Texas — and west of the Mississippi — first in 1909 with the Praetorian Building. Then several other Dallas buildings held the distinction.

• But the city stopped growing upward in 1985, when the Bank of America Plaza was built.

By the numbers: Fort Worth and Dallas skyscrapers combined measure 29,725, still short of Houston's combined skyscraper height of 30,498 feet.

• Austin falls behind Houston's height with 23,582 feet.
• San Antonio lags with just over 10,000 feet in combined high-rise height.

The bottom line: In a literal tower-measuring contest, Dallas loses.

• Well, except when compared to San Antonio.

Looking back ...

⚾ TCU's baseball team is headed to Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series. (Star-Telegram)

🏀 WNBA star Brittney Griner and her teammates were confronted by a Blaze Media YouTube personality at DFW Airport on Saturday after playing twice in Arlington. (ESPN)

🚌 A former Richardson ISD bus monitor faces criminal charges after he was seen in security footage choking a student with special needs for several seconds. (WFAA)

⚖️ A Texas appeals court dismissed billionaire Kelcy Warren's defamation lawsuit against former gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke. (NBC5)

🚔 Fort Worth police arrested 11 people during an online sex sting that involved undercover agents posing as minors. (FOX4)

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Like old Westerns? Constantly planning what you might do in a zombie apocalypse? Dream of what you might do if you owned an entire city?

• The abandoned West Texas town of Lobo, close to the Mexico border, is for sale.

The intrigue: "Lobo, Texas, has gone through more transformations than Madonna," Texas Monthly says.

• The town was once a water source for steam locomotives, then a cotton farming hub — but its population never surpassed 100. By 1991, it was a ghost town.
• A group of friends from Germany bought Lobo in 2001 and have hosted many art, short film and music showcases there.

The buyer will get …

⛽ Dibs on some charming old structures, including the town's gas station, swimming pool, grocery store and post office.

🌄 Short drives to Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Big Bend National Park.

🚰 Running water.

🪧 A fence spanning the length of Lobo, along U.S. Highway 90.

The bottom line: If you buy Lobo and shoot a movie there, invite us to be extras.

• We make excellent cowboys or zombies.