Texas’s 22nd Congressional District House Race 2026

Harris County and El Paso County, along with the city of Columbus, Ohio, and the Nashville metro government, have filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA over new conditions attached to the Homeland Security Grant Program, including the Urban Area Security Initiative. The rules require five election-procedure changes — such as moving toward hand-marked paper ballots and adding poll-worker citizenship verification — as a condition of receiving full grant funding, with FEMA authorized to withhold 20% until compliance is confirmed. For Harris County, that could mean nearly $4.7 million in withheld public safety funding.

The plaintiffs argue the conditions are unrelated to the grants' security purpose, were imposed without congressional authorization, and conflict with state election law. The Trump administration contends election infrastructure is a national security matter. Legal experts say the case, which seeks to block the rules while litigation proceeds, could ultimately reach the Supreme Court, though changes are unlikely before the November 2026 election given the timeline.

Federal prosecutors have indicted Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector Carmen Turner, a Democrat, on charges of theft of government funds and wire fraud. U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz alleged Turner hired two deputy tax clerks who instead cared for her elderly mother, and hired the father of her adult son, who was also employed by an airline, while both allegedly logged fake hours and funneled portions of their pay back to Turner. Co-defendants Shermerrylyn Regina Fields and Victor Calvin Ewing were also arrested; all three face decades in prison if convicted. Turner, whose term runs through 2028, was previously indicted on bankruptcy fraud in 2016 and pleaded guilty to contempt of court. The timing has drawn scrutiny amid a contested Texas election season.

Fort Bend County's commissioners court, divided over the legitimacy of interim County Judge Daniel Wong, voted Thursday to cut associate judge positions from eight to five and restructure elected County Attorney Bridgette Smith-Lawson's office, shifting staff to a new legal office under commissioners' control. Democratic Commissioners Dexter McCoy and Grady Prestige boycotted the meeting in protest, arguing Wong lacks legal authority to serve, leaving Wong and the two Republican commissioners present to pass both measures with little discussion.

District Judge Monica Rawlins said she learned of the budget cuts only when the agenda was posted and warned the reductions would raise caseloads and delay family court matters, including protective orders and custody cases. Smith-Lawson said she received no notice of the changes affecting her office. Both proposals drew heavy public opposition, with several staff members reportedly in tears. Sources say affected judges plan to file suit, deepening a political standoff over who legitimately holds the county judge's gavel.

A state-level technological error in Texas has created a massive backlog in voter registration processing ahead of the November election. According to the Texas Association of County Election Officials, applications and updates dating back to last October were not forwarded to county registrars until this week, leaving counties with anywhere from several hundred to tens of thousands of records to process. Montgomery County alone reported roughly 34,780 records awaiting review.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the issue involved incomplete online records that never fully reached the Secretary of State's Office, and that the technical problem has since been fixed, though the exact cause has not been detailed. Counties now face a tight deadline, with registrations needing processing before early voting begins October 19. Officials say voters who submit registrations by October 5 should still be able to vote, and those missing from rolls on election day can cast provisional ballots. Election officials and political scientists are urging voters to verify their registration status directly.

A Brazoria County, Texas man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against former sheriff's deputy Kevin Tippit, alleging Tippit fractured his ankle during a December 2025 traffic stop and later described the takedown as "protocol." Justin Parker says he complied fully with commands before Tippit allegedly kicked his feet out from under him, then knelt on his back for several minutes without medical care being called despite visible injury. The suit also names a supervising sergeant and three other deputies who allegedly witnessed the incident without intervening, as well as Brazoria County itself, alleging systemic policy and leadership failures.

The case draws added scrutiny because Tippit was later involved in the fatal shooting of John Mendoza Jr., a college student killed in June 2026 while sitting in his car. Sheriff Bo Stallman fired Tippit over that incident, and a grand jury indicted him on aggravated assault charges. Parker's attorney says body-camera footage from the traffic stop has still not been released despite public records requests. The lawsuit seeks damages and a jury trial; the sheriff's office has not responded to requests for comment.

The Oyster Creek City Council, in Brazoria County, Texas, is voting on an ordinance to restrict where sexually oriented businesses can operate within the small city. Mayor Justin Mills said the measure would confine such businesses to the outskirts of town near Highway 332, away from residential areas and the road running through the town center, across from city hall and the police department.

Oyster Creek currently has no local laws keeping these businesses out, and Mills said past attempts to open one in town were deterred informally rather than through legal restriction. He said the new ordinance would take effect immediately if approved, with licensing regulations to follow later. Residents and local business owners who spoke publicly expressed support for pushing such establishments to the edge of town, citing concerns about the character of the community and its appeal to families.

Houston police have arrested a man accused of stealing a package of silver coins by presenting a delivery driver with a fake ID matching the recipient's name. The victim, Alan Smith, had the coins shipped to his workplace in July but learned the package had been signed for by someone else after a FedEx notification confirmed delivery.

Investigators identified the suspect, 28-year-old Artur Kryvytskyi, and linked him to similar thefts in Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, including a Fort Bend case involving nearly $17,400 in stolen gold and silver coins. He was arrested at his home in The Woodlands, where authorities say they recovered additional stolen items. Kryvytskyi faces multiple charges, including fraudulent use of an ID and theft. Smith's purchase was insured and he was reimbursed, but investigators say the case has expanded nationally, with possible additional victims and unidentified associates who may be involved in reselling the stolen precious metals.

Federal prosecutors have charged Fort Bend County, Texas tax assessor-collector Carmen Turner, deputy tax clerk Shemerrylyn Fields, and Victor Ewing—father of Turner's adult son—with running a payroll fraud scheme from September 2023 to September 2025. The Department of Justice alleges Turner used the tax office payroll to pay Fields to care for her elderly mother and installed Ewing in a fabricated "department coordinator" role, despite his working full-time at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. Investigators say Ewing clocked in remotely while on duty at the airport and funneled kickback payments to Turner via bank transfers and Cash App. A fourth co-conspirator is reportedly cooperating with federal investigators.

The Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector's office began closing at noon on Wednesdays starting Oct. 7, posting notice online without initial explanation and leaving some residents locked out mid-errand. After public pressure, officials cited a new state law eliminating paper vehicle tags, saying it has sharply increased dealership-related transaction volume. The office's figures on dealership transaction counts were disputed by local dealerships contacted by reporters, who reported far fewer daily transactions than claimed. Staff reportedly continue processing dealership paperwork during the closures, which officials called temporary and tied to employee well-being. No end date was given, though normal hours are expected to resume when tax season begins. Harris County enacted similar all-day Wednesday closures last year for the same reason.

Fort Bend County, Texas, has filed charges in Justice of the Peace Court against a property at 10002 Town Brooke Lane after years of neighbor complaints about its deteriorating condition. The charges cite unsanitary conditions, overgrown vegetation and an unsafe structure. County officials said the property does not qualify for the county's abatement program, but confirmed formal enforcement action is now underway. No court date has been scheduled.

Nearby homeowner Adan Alvarado, who had previously contacted the homeowners association and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office without resolution, turned to KPRC 2's Help Desk after exhausting other options. Following the station's involvement, the county's Environmental Health Department opened an investigation, with an officer visiting the neighborhood to gather information about the property's history and previous ownership. Alvarado said the enforcement action gives him hope the long-standing eyesore will finally be addressed, ideally within the next year.