SAN ANTONIO — One month after the catastrophic July Fourth floods that ripped through Kerr County, killing more than 100 in that part of the Texas Hill Country, flooding preparedness is on the agenda for the special session of the Texas Legislature.

But it's no longer the dominant topic out of Austin this week after dozens of Texas Democrats fled the state in order to try to prevent a vote on a different priority of Gov. Greg Abbott's: approval of a new, mid-decade redistricting map being pursued by President Donald Trump to ensure a Republican majority in the U.S. House next year.

Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay Texas Rep. Chris Turner holds a map as he asks questions during a public hearing on congressional redistricting in Austin, on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025.

That means special session

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