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Texas Legislature Strikes $8.5 Billion Deal on School Finance and Teacher Pay Raises
The Texas House and Senate reached a deal on an $8.5 billion school funding increase that will in part finance teacher pay raises after a night of negotiations between the leaders of the two chambers. The $8.5 billion deal is $800 million higher than what passed the House, and includes $3.7 billion specifically for teacher
‘Life of the Mother Act’ Clarifying Texas Abortion Law Exceptions Passes House
Highly-anticipated legislation clarifying the state’s abortion laws regarding life-of-the-mother exceptions was given initial passage by the Texas House. Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) took to the front mic on Wednesday afternoon where he laid out the Life of the Mother Act, Senate Bill (SB) 31 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola) — companion legislation to Geren’s
Texas Lawmakers Seek Increased Criminal Penalties for ‘Bid-Rigging’
State lawmakers are moving to increase penalties for criminal charges related to “bid-rigging” in response to multiple incidents in Texas jurisdictions, including several high-profile Harris County cases. In alleged bid-rigging cases, public officials are often indicted for Misuse of Official Information, which is a third-degree felony under Texas law. House Bill (HB) 2001 would create
Texas House Passes $140,000 Standard, $60,000 Elderly Homestead Exemption Increases
The second half of the 89th Legislative Session’s property tax deal cleared its secondary hurdle on Tuesday as the Texas House approved increases to both the standard and elderly homestead exemptions. Under the bills passed by the lower chamber, the standard homestead exemption would rise from $100,000 to $140,000, and the additional exemption for over-65
Veterans, Parents, Liquor, and Beer: The Complicated Lobby Fight Over Texas’ Proposed THC Ban
The legislative fight over a prospective tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ban has made for strange lobbying bedfellows, uniting beer distributors, grassroots conservative groups, and law enforcement on one side, and veterans, cake shop entrepreneurs, progressive activists, and Libertarians on the other — with liquor stores somewhere in between. Six years ago, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill
Trump Signs Cruz’s ‘TAKE IT DOWN’ Act Banning ‘Revenge Porn’ Into Law
Federal legislation authored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) cracking down on “revenge pornography” content was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Monday afternoon. The “Tools to Address Known Exploitation by Immobilizing Technological Deepfakes on Websites and Networks” or “TAKE IT DOWN” Act criminalizes the non-consensual dissemination of intimate imagery, also requiring websites to
Texas Senate Passes ‘Uvalde Strong Act,’ Establishing Uniform On-Site Chain of Command for Active Shooter Response
The “Uvalde Strong Act” cleared the second of three hurdles toward becoming law on Monday when the Texas Senate passed it unanimously. House Bill (HB) 33, authored by state Rep. Don McLaughlin (R-Uvalde) and sponsored by state Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton), requires the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) to establish a uniform chain of
Landowners Praise Bill Requiring Transparency of High-Speed Rail Project
Landowners are praising a bill that would require more transparency from high-speed rail projects in Texas, including the proposed project between Dallas and Houston. That legislation has passed both houses of the Texas Legislature. × This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in
Texas Lawmakers Approve Historic Bail Reform Constitutional Amendment
The Texas House voted overwhelmingly to approve a proposed state constitutional amendment that will allow denial of bail to certain violent suspects, capping off a reform effort that has been years in the making. In a Monday bipartisan vote of 133 to 8, House members approved Sen. Joan Huffman’s (R-Houston) Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 5
Texas Launches Investigation Into U.S. Masters Swimming for Allegedly Allowing Biological Male in Women’s Race
Texas has launched an investigation into the U.S. Masters Swimming (USMS) after it allegedly allowed a biological male to compete in women’s events during its 2025 Spring Nationals swim meet hosted in San Antonio. “The policy of US Masters Swimming, which allows men to compete in women’s events, is reprehensible and could violate Texas’s consumer
Attorney General Paxton Closes Superior HealthPlan Investigation, Finds No Illegal Conduct
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton closed his investigation into Superior HealthPlan Insurance on Monday after finding it did not violate Texas law in its use of private investigators (PI) to collect data on lawmakers, journalists, and private citizens. Paxton first launched the investigation in late March, shortly after a fiery hearing in the House Committee
Federal Judge in Texas Rules Against Biden Title VII Transgender Anti-Discrimination Guidelines
A federal court in Texas has issued an order to vacate portions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) 2024 Enforcement Guidance that interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to mandate accommodations for transgender employees related to pronouns, dress codes, and bathroom access. The EEOC “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” was
