Ken Paxton, Bump Stocks, Transgender Workplace Protections: Your Thursday Evening Roundup

Good evening. Here are some stories you may have missed today.Do you want to get this roundup via email? Sign up for our newsletters here.Ken Paxton faces new investigation under bribery statute over $100K giftTexas Attorney General Ken Paxton is being investigated under bribery and corrupt influence laws for accepting a six-figure gift from an individual who was under investigation by the state for fraud, the district attorney leading the probe confirmed Thursday.In July 2016, Austin-based medical device company Preferred Imaging, LLC agreed to pay a $3.5 million settlement after a multi-year Medicaid and Medicare fraud investigation. The year before, Preferred Imaging's CEO James Webb had given $100,000 to help Paxton fight criminal fraud charges the attorney general has been battling since July 2015.Kaufman County District Attorney Erleigh Wiley confirmed that she has been investigating whether Paxton broke state laws that put limits on gifts public servants can receive from people "subject to (their) jurisdiction" in connection to the Webb donation.Hurricane Harvey: Texas lawmakers are making a push for nearly $19 billion in additional federal aid for their storm-battered state.Laws, shmaws: Gov. Greg Abbott has suspended more than 200 state laws and regulations since Hurricane Harvey smashed into the Texas Gulf Coast in August.  Continue reading...