State vs. Local Governance

San Antonio has shut down the abortion‑travel component of its $100,000 Reproductive Justice Fund after Texas enacted Senate Bill 33, which bans use of public money for "logistical support" for abortions, and after Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the city and won a temporary injunction blocking disbursement. The lawsuit was later dismissed without a ruling on the merits, but Paxton is claiming victory and warning other cities it is "illegal" to fund what he calls abortion tourism, while San Antonio’s city attorney counters that the state "dropped its claims" and that the city simply adjusted to the new statute. Under SB 33, Texans can also bring civil suits if they believe a locality has violated the law, adding a private‑enforcement stick similar to earlier Texas abortion measures. San Antonio says the broader Reproductive Justice Fund will continue for non‑abortion services like home pregnancy tests, emergency contraception and STI testing, but it will not pay for out‑of‑state abortion travel; Austin has likewise shut down its $400,000 Reproductive Healthcare Logistics Fund created to cover abortion‑related travel, food and lodging. The episode shows how Republican state officials are using both legislation and litigation to choke off local government efforts to blunt state abortion bans by paying for residents to leave the state for the procedure.