Monday’s biggest developments
- Lawmakers say they won't tap the state savings account until January
- Texas reports 38,869 cases and 1,088 deaths as of Sunday afternoon
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More than 400 cases reported in North Texas federal prison
[5 a.m.] The number of coronavirus cases in a Tarrant County federal prison outbreak grew to 423 on Sunday, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The outbreak occurred at Federal Medical Center Fort Worth, a prison for men who have special medical needs or who are seriously ill.
Prison and jail populations may be especially vulnerable during an outbreak. The virus is fully entrenched in the Texas prison system, confirmed to have infected more than 1,600 inmates and employees at dozens of units as of last week. — Edgar Walters
Texas has billions in its rainy day fund. But legislators say they won’t use it until January.
[5 a.m.] As Texas' economy reels from a monthlong shutdown of commerce statewide, unprecedented unemployment and falling oil prices, some Texans are calling on officials to tap into the state’s Economic Stabilization Fund that has billions of tax dollars officials have been saving for years.
Many legislators agree the fund is going to be needed. But Texans shouldn’t expect it to be tapped soon unless Gov. Greg Abbott calls the Legislature back to Austin for a special legislative session before next year’s regular session, which many believe is unlikely.
And when lawmakers do meet again, they are more likely to use the fund to plug expected shortfalls in the state budget than to provide any sort of state-level version of an economic relief package like Congress passed. — Clare Proctor
Texas reports 38,869 cases and 1,088 deaths
[5 a.m.] Texas health officials are expected later Monday to release the latest numbers of people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. As of Sunday, at least 38,869 Texans have tested positive and 1,088 have died. See maps of the latest case numbers for each county and case rates per 1,000 residents.