School officials say that in the wake of Texas’ new cellphone ban in public K-12 schools, students have become more engaged in and outside of classrooms.  The ban on cellphones, laptops and tablets has prompted Texas’ more than 1,200 school districts to adopt policies ranging from secure device pouches to increased monitoring as the academic year has begun. While some officials were concerned that schools would face pushback from students and parents, administrators from across the state said that hasn’t happened.  Instead, school officials say they’re seeing signs of positive change after years of concerns that cellphones and addictive social media apps distracted students during instructional time.  “At one of our campuses, for example, they had to get some Uno cards and other things for students to do during lunch because they wanted that engagement, so there’s a lot more face-to-face conversation going on,” said John Khun, the superintendent at Abilene ISD.  view article

The Republican Party of Texas is challenging Texas’ open primary system.  With the Republican Party of Texas challenging the state’s open primary system in court, the debate over who should decide each party’s nominees has reached a historic crossroads.  Texas’ open primaries trace back to the early 20th century and the passage of the Terrell Election Law of 1903. This landmark law introduced primary elections for nominating candidates and replaced the convention system with state-run primaries for major political parties.  view article

The executive order comes after the Legislature ended a special session without the House, Senate and governor agreeing on restrictions. view article

Texas will give participating families about $10,000 to pay for their kids’ private schooling. Other details about the program, set to launch in 2026, are unclear.  Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday signed legislation authorizing a private school voucher program into law, marking the grand finale of an oftentimes ugly conflict that has largely defined Texas politics this decade.  Senate Bill 2 will allow families to use public taxpayer dollars to fund their children’s education at an accredited private school or to pay for a wide range of school-related expenses, like textbooks, transportation or therapy. The program will be one of the largest school voucher initiatives in the nation. view article

Requested records include a professor’s emails related to core curriculum.  UT-Austin is attempting to conceal faculty communications related to governance reforms.  At issue are changes to “core curricula” that are expected to result from the passage of Senate Bill 37 during the regular legislative session. This measure changes several aspects of university administration, including granting additional oversight authority over mandatory courses to boards of regents.   In universities, the phrase “core curricula” describes a set of requirements students must complete regardless of major. Typically, these classes comprise about a third of a student’s undergraduate coursework. view article

When news broke Wednesday afternoon of a last-minute push to pass new, stricter regulations for consumable hemp products, the employees at Austin Vape & Smoke sprung into action.  Zaquiri Hensen, a manager at the South Austin store, said he alerted his staff and other stores around the city before beginning to contact his legislators, urging them to reject any strict regulation or ban. Every customer that came into the store for the rest of the day was told to do the same, Hensen said.  “I still watched the House stream just in case because you never know what’s going to happen on the House floor,” Hensen said.   Hensen was finally able to relax around 9 p.m. when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced in a post on X that the Senate would wrap up the second special session hours later, effectively closing out the Legislature without any new THC restrictions or a ban. view article

Multiple organizations are suing the University of Texas System as a means of undoing a new state law meant to counter disruptive activities on college campuses. The law in question is Senate Bill 2972, which took effect September 1. It was designed to protect freedom of expression for students while establishing guardrails to prevent the type of disruptive chaos that occurred at UT-Austin in 2024. view article

The new punishments, however, are not binding on future legislative sessions.  After Democrats staged a walkout earlier this summer to block congressional redistricting, the Texas House has moved to ensure such quorum-busting tactics carry heavy consequences in the future.  In one of its final actions before adjourning sine die, the chamber adopted House Resolution 128 by State Rep. Cody Vasut (R–Angleton). The measure rewrites House rules to increase fines and add new punishments for members who absent themselves without leave to deliberately break quorum. view article

The new accountability system increases overall testing in public schools throughout the year.  The Texas House voted to concur with Senate amendments to House Bill 8, sending the STAAR-testing overhaul to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.  The bill replaces the current State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) year-to-year growth model, which relies on predictions from one end-of-year test to the next, with a new “three-year growth measure” that uses beginning-, middle-, and end-of-year assessments to track student progress more directly. view article

The special sessions were marked by a two-week quorum break by Democrats, as well as a slew of new laws.  The Texas House and Senate have adjourned sine die, bringing to a close the second special session of the summer called by Gov. Greg Abbott.   The session followed a tumultuous first special session in which Democrat members of the House broke quorum for two weeks to delay passage of a new congressional map. When lawmakers eventually returned for the second 30-day session, that map was quickly approved and sent to Abbott’s desk for his signature.  view article

The Texas Legislature ended another legislative overtime round without banning or further regulating most THC products after a monthslong fight between lawmakers to rein in the exploding hemp industry.   The Texas House gaveled out of the second special session late Wednesday, leaving behind Senate Bill 6, which would have broadly banned consumable hemp products with any "detectable amount of any cannabinoid." Only those with cannabidiol or cannabigerol, which are both non-psychoactive, would have stayed legal.  That means most forms of consumable hemp-derived products stay legal in Texas. There also remains no age limit on who can purchase these goods, which come in the form of gummies, smokeable flowers and drinks. Yet it is now illegal to sell — but not possess — THC vape pens under a separate law, passed earlier this year, that went into effect Monday. view article

A lawmaker will now be tasked with implementing the law he wrote.   State Sen. Brandon Creighton is expected to be named the sole finalist for the Texas Tech University System’s Chancellorship.  Cody Campbell, chairman of the Texas Tech Board of Regents, announced August 31 that “after a lengthy, thorough, and comprehensive search, I expect that the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents will unanimously name Senator Brandon Creighton as the Sole Finalist for our Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System.”  Campbell further called Creighton “a strong voice in the fight to get our colleges and universities back on track and clearly shares the values and the vision of the Texas Tech community.” view article

Allen, known for her focus on public education issues, announced her retirement after 20 years in the House. She endorsed her son, Lawrence Allen Jr., to succeed her. view article

On September 1, hundreds of new laws took effect in Texas. view article

Paxton suggested students start with the Lord's Prayer, a prayer that is core to Christianity. view article

Despite strong support within the chamber, State Affairs Chairman Ken King is reportedly blocking it. view article

After months of controversy, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation must tackle poor sales and legislative scrutiny as it takes over the games on Sept. 1. view article

The company is looking to increase production of diesel and base stocks. ExxonMobil is bringing hundreds of new jobs to Texas as the company announced plans for a major reconfiguration to its Baytown campus, the oil giant said earlier this week view article

Despite explosive growth turning Tarrant into a racially diverse swing county, two new political maps will leave it with whiter, more Republican representation.Despite explosive growth turning Tarrant into a racially diverse swing county, two new political maps will leave it with whiter, more Republican representation. view article

Conroe Independent School District is moving ahead with implementing a new state law requiring Ten Commandments displays in K-12 public classrooms, despite opposition from some parents and the absence of penalties for non-compliance. The law, known as SB10, mandates that all K-12 public classrooms display a 16-by-20 copy of the King James Bible version of the Ten Commandments. view article

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday promised to quickly sign off on a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map gerrymandered to help the GOP maintain its slim majority in Congress.  “One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate and is on its way to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law,” Abbott said in a statement.  Texas lawmakers approved the final plans just hours before, inflaming an already tense battle unfolding among states as governors from both parties pledge to redraw maps with the goal of giving their political candidates a leg up in the 2026 midterm elections. view article

Senate Bill 8 will restrict restrooms in government buildings, public schools and universities based on sex assigned at birth and apply $25,000 fines for violations.  Texas House members clashed over a bill that would restrict which restrooms transgender people can use in government buildings and schools, but ultimately approved it late Thursday.  Representatives approved Senate Bill 8 on a 86-45 vote after several hours of tense debate that was at times interrupted by people in the gallery shouting insults at lawmakers who supported the bill. The House gallery, where visitors can watch proceedings, was emptied out by staff and Department of Public Safety officers after the disruptions continued.  SB 8 would restrict bathroom use in government-owned buildings, public schools and universities based of sex assigned at birth and would not allow exceptions for transgender inmates’ housing in prisons and jails. It would also bar those assigned male at birth from accessing women’s domestic violence shelters, unless they are under 17 and the child of a woman also receiving services. view article

In response to the Democrat quorum break earlier this month, the Texas Senate advanced legislation to prohibit lawmakers and statewide officials from raising campaign funds during special sessions.  Senate Bill 19 by State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R–Houston) expands existing state law, which already bans campaign contributions during regular legislative sessions, to include special sessions convened before September 1 of an odd-numbered year.  view article

New laws range from school vouchers and water infrastructure funding to a ban on city and county-funded abortion travel funds. view article

The numbers may grow as the state collects more data. Some districts adopted the plan not for its religious emphasis but for more funding and to better align with teaching requirements. view article

One lawsuit, filed by LULAC on behalf of 13 Texas residents, states that the redrawn districts in the new map are racially discriminatory and violate voter protection laws.  Hours after the Texas Senate approved a new congressional map early Saturday morning that more heavily favors Republicans — legislation Gov. Greg Abbott plans to “swiftly” sign into law — a lawsuit against the governor was filed, alleging that the redrawn districts are racially discriminatory.  The 67-page complaint against Abbott and Secretary of State Jane Nelson supplements legal action filed by LULAC in 2021 challenging the state’s original maps and argues that redrawing districts mid-decade is unconstitutional. view article

Senate Bill 15’s supporters say police shouldn’t be publicly maligned for unproven allegations. Critics say the bill disincentivizes agencies from properly investigating complaints. view article

This renewed effort comes after a breakdown earlier this year, when similar legislation advanced during the regular session but died in conference committee. view article

A two-year delay on new mercury rules benefits coal-fired power plants, while chemical plants got an exemption from stricter air pollution standards. view article

Despite a federal judge’s court order halting display of the Ten Commandments in 11 districts, the rest of the state is still required to follow the new law. view article

Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the proposed ban on hemp-derived THC late on Sunday, but told lawmakers he would be calling them back to Austin next month to impose some regulation on an industry that has grown dramatically in recent years with little state oversight. Abbott said that the ban, known as Senate Bill 3, was "well-intentioned" but would not have survived legal challenges. view article

The legislation would further limit how much more in property tax revenue cities and counties can collect each year without voter approval.  Texas cities and counties have already had their budgets compressed by a variety of factors, including the state’s current property tax limits. view article

Paxton posted a memo from his office earlier on Monday, writing that he would "not back down from defending the virtues and values that built this country.  Cornyn's sharp reply didn’t go unnoticed — and neither did the public's. Dozens of X users weighed in, many echoing the senator's sentiment and pointing to Paxton's personal life.    "Should you stick it up in your office so you can be reminded not to cheat on your wife?"  Another reminded the attorney general that "Thou shalt not commit adultery" is one of the Ten Commandments. view article

Some Democrats lamented that the House’s latest proposal to scrap the test largely resembles a Senate bill the lower chamber declined to sign on earlier this year. view article

James Talarico’s largest donation in 2024 came from Texas Sands, run by billionaire Miriam Adelson. view article