Lawmakers added $1 to car insurance policies. That money paid for Flock cameras

In 2023, Texas lawmakers added a $1 fee to car insurance policies ostensibly to combat catalytic converter theft, but the Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority has instead devoted at least $30 million of those funds to deploy over 3,200 Flock surveillance cameras across the state. The agency has awarded grants to law enforcement agencies and funded the Texas Department of Public Safety to install thousands of cameras along highways and streets, though Governor Abbott recently paused state funding for local Flock camera grants following questions about the program's use.