State 977
Year-Round Daylight Saving Time Bill Passes Texas House
A bill by Rep. Will Metcalf (R-Conroe) that would observe Daylight Saving Time (DST) year-round in Texas under federal authorization, ending the biannual clock changes — a move heavily pushed for by President Donald Trump — has passed the Texas House of Representatives. House Bill (HB) 1393 focuses on an issue that’s been broached over […]
School Choice Program Heads to Gov. Abbott’s Desk as Texas Senate Concurs with House Version
A bill to create an education savings account (ESA) program in Texas has now passed through both chambers of the Texas Legislature and is on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk, as the Senate concurred with the House’s amendments to Senate Bill (SB) 2. ”School choice has come to Texas,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick […]
Texas House Passes Student Cell Phone Ban Bill
A bill to ban Texas students from using personal communication devices on school premises successfully passed the House floor this week, setting the stage for further debate and consideration in the Senate. Rep. Caroline Fairly (R-Amarillo) presented the committee substitute to House Bill (HB) 1481 on the floor, saying it “prohibits smart devices from being […]
Texas House Bill to Require Voter Approval for Toll Roads Meets Resistance from Anti-Toll Group
A bill that would require voter approval before a toll road can be constructed is meeting resistance from groups that may have been expected to be allies. Rep. Stan Gerdes (R-Bastrop) authored House Bill (HB) 1589 as a measure to give his constituents a voice in the extension of U.S. Hwy 290 for 13 miles […]
Texas Senate Passes $50,000 Homestead Exemption Increase for Elderly, Disabled Homeowners
Priority legislation that would raise the homestead exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners by $50,000 passed the Texas Senate on Wednesday. With other planned exemption increases, elderly homeowners would receive a total of $200,000 in homestead exemptions. Senate Bill (SB) 23 and Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 85 raise the school tax homestead exemption — a […]
Bill to Create Texas AI Council, Strengthen Regulations Passes House
The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) passed this week on the House floor, aimed at setting up a framework to balance artificial intelligence (AI) regulation and industry expansion in the state. “House Bill 149 will create a comprehensive framework around AI that will allow for clear legal pathways and protections for consumers that […]
‘Solar Geoengineering’ Ban Discussed in Texas House Committee Hearing
Unease over cloud seeding, geoengineering, and weather manipulation was presented before Texas House members in a committee meeting this week, as residents detailed their concerns with the chemicals and substances used in these processes. The committee substitute for House Bill (HB) 1382, authored by Rep. Wes Virdell (R-Brady) with 17 co-authors, would prohibit “solar geoengineering” […]
In Pictures: The Texas House’s Marathon School Choice Night
The Texas House’s passage of Senate Bill 2 marked a new chapter as the long-awaited, Republican-backed education savings accounts (ESA) bill finally passed in the lower chamber. After hours-long debate that extended early into the next morning, the House approved the governor’s heralded school choice bill by a 86 to 63 mostly-partisan vote. × This page […]
Texas House Gives Initial Approval to Priority Nuclear Power Legislation
A proposal intended to jumpstart the development of nuclear power in Texas cleared the initial hurdle in the Texas House on Tuesday, opening the way for dealings with the Senate over the bill’s final outlook. House Bill (HB) 14 by state Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) would create the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office within the […]
Bill Criminalizing Abortion As Murder ‘Yanked’ From Texas House Committee Hearing
A bill that would provide equal protection under the law for preborn children by treating elective abortion as murder was “yanked” from its scheduled committee hearing the night before, for still unconfirmed reasons. House Bill (HB) 2197, also dubbed “abolition of abortion” legislation, closes a sole exception in Texas’ penal code that protects women who […]
Abbott’s School Choice Victory Starts Next Chapter in Texas House
Sixteen months separated Gov. Greg Abbott calling education savings accounts (ESA)-skeptical House Republicans into his office to show just how serious he was about passing a bill in the fourth special session of 2023, and his political long game finally paid off last week. Between the bookends was $12 million, a bloody campaign, and a […]
Senate Bill Would Prohibit Student Visa Holders from Supporting ‘Terrorist Activity’ at Texas Universities
Growing concerns about student protests and potentially illegal activity on Texas university campuses have prompted one state lawmaker to propose prohibiting university students and employees who hold non-immigrant visas from publicly supporting “terrorist activities” or persuading others to do so. Senate Bill (SB) 2233, authored by Rep. Adam Hinojosa (R-Corpus Christi), seeks to “enhance the […]
