Texas lawmakers filed more than a thousand bills Tuesday ahead of the 89th legislative session in January. While most of these bills will not reach the Governor’s desk, they show the lawmakers’ priorities.
Tuesday was the first day lawmakers could file bills they hope to pass in the next legislative session. Now that Republicans have expanded their majority in both chambers and that Gov. Greg Abbott successfully ousted moderate Republicans, it is expected that the far-right wing of the party will gain more significance the next session.
So far Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have announced their top priority will be to pass a school voucher scheme that would use state money to help families to pay for their children’s private schooling.
The next year will have a projected $20 billion surplus at the start of the 2025 session on Jan. 14, according to state Comptroller Glenn Hegar.
These are some of the notable bills lawmakers filled Tuesday, according to the Texas Tribune.
Education
Abbott’s priority is to pass school vouchers, so it’s normal that some lawmakers have already proposed bills to introduce a “school choice” measure. Rep. Briscoe Cain filed House Bill 212, which would establish a process for parents to get reimbursed their private school expenses by the state.
Vouchers failed to pass the last legislative session thanks to the help of a coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats. However, Abbott managed to oust many of these Republicans in their primaries, and has said that now he has the votes to pass a vouchers program.
In addition, Republicans filed bills to limit learning materials taught at schools. House Bill 183, filed by Rep. Jared Paterson would give the State Board of Education the power to prohibit library materials it considers “sexually explicit.” House Bill 196 from Rep. Cody Thane Vasut would require schools to teach “that human life begins at conception and has inherent dignity and immeasurable worth from the moment of conception.”
On the other hand, two bills, one from a Republican and the other from a Democrat would change Texas schools’ attendance-based funding system. The current system makes schools lose money if kids aren’t showing up to class. Supporters argue changing the system will give schools more financial stability.
Border and immigration
Next year it is expected for Republicans to go tougher on immigration, now that Donald Trump has expressed his intention to help the state to enforce immigration policies.
House Bill 354, sponsored by Rep. Briscoe Cain proposes a Texas Border Protection Unit empowered to arrest people crossing the Texas-Mexico border illegally. The unit would also oversee construction and maintenance of border barriers. This measure mirrors the U.S. Border Patrol’s duties and has significant support from groups like Texans for Strong Borders.
Senate Bill 81, Filed by Sen. Bob Hall, would grant the Department of Public Safety (DPS) authority to return individuals who enter Texas illegally back to Mexico in situations of “invasion or imminent danger.”
Hall also introduced Senate Bill 134, which would require local governments to enter into partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), known as 287(g) agreements, allowing local officials to enforce federal immigration laws. If local authorities fail to comply, the attorney general could take legal action against them.
Abortion
Democrats are trying to ease some of the state’s toughest restrictions on abortions, and give doctors more autonomy and authority when deciding whether to perform an abortion.
HB 257, filed by State Rep. Donna Howard, would allow doctors to rely on their “best medical judgment,” instead of their “reasonable medical judgment,” as stated in Texas law, to decide whether to provide an abortion. In addition, the doctor’s decision could not be overruled by an external review process. In addition, Howard filed HB 3965, which would allow abortion in cases of rape or incest.
On the other hand, Republican Rep. Steve Toth filed HB 1004, which would give the Texas Attorney General to prosecute abortion and election-related offenses.
LBTQ+ rights
Texas Republicans have continued to push measures that restrict LGBTQ+ rights, particularly related to transgender care.
House Bill 847, filed by Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), seeks to ban the use of taxpayer funds for gender-affirming care, including the funding of health benefits covering such care for adults.
In addition, Sen. Bob Hall introduced a bill requiring schools to notify parents if a child’s perceived gender identity differs from their biological sex. Hall’s bill would also allow parents to sue school districts for not disclosing curriculum related to sexual orientation or gender identity.
Elections
On the elections topic, Republicans introduced bills mandating proof of citizenship to register to vote. On the other hand, Democrats introduced bills to increase voter access, including House Bill 374, filed by Democratic Rep. John Bucy that would designate certain election days as state holidays.
Property Taxes
Property tax reductions remain a central goal for Republicans. Proposals include bills to eliminate property taxes, leverage surplus funds for tax relief, and increase the homestead exemption. However, eliminating all local property taxes would cost the state around $81.5 billion, according to numbers presented by the Legislative Budget Board.
On other issues, Republicans filed bills to expand gun rights such as permitting licensed carries on school campuses, and to allow “covenant marriage,” which only can be terminated if both parties agreed to divorce. Democrats, on the other hand, filled some bills seeking to increase the minimum wage in the state.
In addition, both parties filed bills seeking to increase efficiency and power restoration after outages. Proposed bills include requirements for portable generators and studies on the feasibility of underground power lines.
You can consult a more detailed list on the list and topics of the bills filed by lawmakers at The Texas Tribune.
