Gov. Rick Perry today directed the activation of state search and rescue capabilities, including Texas Military Forces personnel and resources, as heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Hermine continue to threaten Texas communities.

Gov. Rick Perry today honored peace officers, firefighters and emergency medical first responders who have been seriously injured or killed in the line of duty for the sacrifices they have made to protect Texans. The governor spoke at the annual Star of Texas Awards.

Gov. Rick Perry today sent a letter to school administrators across the state detailing his efforts to try to access the $830 million in federal funds for Texas schools that Lloyd Doggett’s anti-Texas amendment to the federal emergency education jobs bill (H.R. 1586) has jeopardized. Doggett’s amendment requires the governor to make assurances that the Texas Legislature will make specific funding commitments, which is a violation of the Texas Constitution.

Gov. Rick Perry today, at a press conference announcing a $675,000 Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) investment in Tapco International, Inc., credited Texas’ low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulatory climate, educated workforce and investments through the TEF with helping attract jobs and businesses to the state. The company is creating a new manufacturing facility in Baytown, which will create 100 jobs and generate an estimated $26 million in capital investment.

Gov. Rick Perry today met with plant managers from the Baytown area at the Southeast Texas Plant Managers Forum to discuss Texas’ economy and the role of the state’s petrochemical industry in fueling the nation.

Gov. Rick Perry today announced an incentive for school districts that pool resources and save money by cutting administrative costs that divert much-needed funds from the classroom. Participating districts would receive a grant from the state equaling 10 percent of their total savings from the first year.

The Texas Conference for Women, hosted by Gov. Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry, today announced presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Leigh Anne Tuohy, Judge Glenda Hatchett, and TLC’s Dr. Jennifer Arnold will be part of the 2010 keynote lineup. The 11th annual Conference is set for November 10 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.

Gov. Rick Perry today announced a $2 million investment through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) in ZS Pharma, Inc., for the development of its therapeutic solution for the treatment of complications associated with liver and kidney failure.