The bill drew fierce opposition from conservatives when it reached the House floor, especially in light of social transitioning in public schools.The bill drew fierce opposition from conservatives when it reached the House floor, especially in light of social transitioning in public schools. view article

For the second legislative session, lawmakers have withdrawn funding for a company selling kits that promise to help find missing kids after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported there’s no evidence to support that claim.  Texas state legislators dropped efforts to spend millions of dollars to buy what experts call ineffective child identification kits weeks after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported that lawmakers were again trying to fund the program.  This is the second consecutive budget cycle in which the Legislature considered purchasing the products, which promise to help find missing children, only to reverse course after the news organizations documented the lack of evidence that the kits work.  ProPublica and the Tribune originally published their findings in a 2023 investigation that revealed the state had spent millions of dollars on child identification kits made by a Waco-based company called the National Child Identification Program, run by former NFL player Kenny Hansmire. He had a history of legal and business troubles, according to public records, and although less expensive alternatives were available to lawmakers, Hansmire used outdated and exaggerated statistics about missing children to help boost sales. view article

At the same time, some Democrats acknowledged the Lubbock Republican let them leave their mark on some of the GOP bills they disagreed with. view article

The final legislation reflects a combination of different versions that the House and Senate passed.  Legislation that will change the internal governance of public universities and grant new oversight authority to boards of regents is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott.  Proposed measure Senate Bill 37, by State Sen. Brandon Creighton (R–Conroe), abolishes the practice of shared governance at Texas’ public universities. It also grants boards of regents more authority over hiring decisions and curricula.  In state universities, “shared governance” describes a system in which universities’ boards of regents share power with the faculty, which is represented by a faculty senate—or, in the case of the University of Texas-Austin, a faculty council.  Boards of regents are accountable to Texans through the governor, who appoints them, and state senators confirm their appointments. Faculty senates have no such accountability. view article

While lawmakers voted to abolish the commission, the proposal has still not yet been signed into law by the governor.  Texas Lottery commissioners are already in the process of transferring oversight of the lottery to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, less than a week after lawmakers voted to abolish the embattled commission.  The early movement is notable, given that Gov. Greg Abbott has not yet signed the Legislature’s proposal—Senate Bill 3070—into law.  A TLC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard, “With the passage of Senate Bill 3070, the Texas Lottery Commission is evaluating next steps in alignment with the bill’s intent to transfer regulatory authority to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. While the Commissioners under active terms remain appointed at this time, the agency is actively working on the transition.” view article

Trump DOJ Forces Texas to End In-State Tuition for Illegal Aliens…ICE Houston Deports 142 Criminal Aliens to Mexico…Lottery Commission Begins Transfer Process to Department of Licensing & Regulation…Tarrant County Approves Republican Redistricting Plan… view article

Borrowers who have defaulted on their federal student loans will no longer be at risk of having their Social Security benefits garnished, an Education Department spokesperson said Tuesday.  The government last month restarted collections for the millions of people in default on their loans. An estimated 452,000 people aged 62 and older had student loans in default, according to a January report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The department has not garnished any Social Security benefits since the post-pandemic resumption of collections and has paused “any future Social Security offsets,” department spokesperson Ellen Keast said. view article

The state hopes to turn a controversial plant into a breakthrough mental health therapy.  Texas lawmakers have approved a bold new initiative to turn the state into a center for research and development of ibogaine, a plant-based psychoactive drug gaining traction as a potential treatment for addiction, PTSD and other mental health disorders.  view article

The Texas Legislature approved a bill that would ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs in public K-12 schools.  Senate Bill 12, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, will prohibit school districts from considering race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation in hiring decisions. The ban will also include training and programs on those topics unless they are required by federal law.  Parents will have to give written consent to allow their children to join school clubs. They will also be able to file complaints if they believe schools do not follow the DEI ban. view article

Governor Greg Abbott will travel to Central Texas to sign a new public education funding bill on June 4, the Governor's Office has announced. According to the Governor's Office, Abbott will host a bill signing in Salado for legislation passed during the 89th legislative session, which he says will provide $8.5 billion in new funding for public education and $4 billion for teacher and staff pay raises. view article

Austin Independent School District is racing to finalize a turnaround plan for three failing campuses, without the extra time district leaders had hoped would come from the Texas Legislature. House Bill 4, which promised to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system and extend deadlines for improvement plans, failed to pass before the legislative session ended last week. Lawmakers in the House and Senate couldn’t agree on who should control Texas’ school rating system, effectively killing the bill in the final days of the session. view article

The Texas Legislature approved a bill that would ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs in public K-12 schools.  Senate Bill 12, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, will prohibit school districts from considering race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation in hiring decisions. The ban will also include training and programs on those topics unless they are required by federal law.  Parents will have to give written consent to allow their children to join school clubs. They will also be able to file complaints if they believe schools do not follow the DEI ban.

For years, Texas lawmakers have tried to stop food stamp recipients from purchasing snack food.  With support from the federal government, Texas’ first step to root out unhealthy foods from the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, or SNAP, will become reality after Senate Bill 379 from state Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, made it through in the last week of the legislativ  session. It comes just four months after fellow Texan and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins signaled to states that the agency would green light measures that prohibit SNAP recipients from using their subsidies to buy certain foods.  The measure is likely to be signed quickly by Gov. Greg Abbott, who has already notified Rollins’ office he wants a waiver from federal rules to keep junk food from SNAP purchases. Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska have filed similar legislation and have been granted waivers. But opponents of such measures say keeping unhealthy foods from only SNAP recipients — and not all Americans — ultimately penalizes poverty.

140 days and 1,200 bills later, the Texas Legislature officially adjourned sine die on Monday, marking the end of the 89th Regular Legislative Session.  The Latin term “sine die” means “without a day,” signaling that lawmakers are not scheduled to reconvene—at least not yet.  While the regular session has concluded, the possibility always remains that lawmakers could be called back to the Capitol for a special session anytime during the next 18 months. That authority rests solely with Gov. Greg Abbott, who can summon the Legislature to address specific issues of his choosing.  At the moment, it is not clear that Abbott will call a special session. If he does, however, one issue appears most likely to be the focus: efforts to strengthen bail reform measures aimed at keeping violent repeat offenders and illegal aliens accused of violent crimes behind bars. view article

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath applauded the district for its improvements while citing the need for more time to “achieve lasting success for students.”  The state takeover of the Houston Independent School District will continue for two more years, the Texas Education Agency announced Monday.  Education Commissioner Mike Morath had until June 1 to decide next steps for the state’s largest school district, whose former superintendent and elected school board members were ousted and replaced in 2023 due to years of poor academic outcomes at a single campus and allegations of leadership misconduct. view article

The Legislature wrapped up without the same drama that defined the end of the last two sessions, with state GOP leaders checking off nearly everything on their to-do lists. view article

The Texas House and Senate have approved a bill that mandates sheriffs in counties with jails to partner with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) for immigration enforcement. The bill, Senate Bill 8, requires these sheriffs to enter into agreements with ICE, allowing local deputies to carry out certain federal immigration duties. It now heads to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.  view article

LUBBOCK — Texas lawmakers approved a series of bills this year that aim to better prepare Texas for wildfires and to mitigate their damage.  The legislation includes a study on wildfire risk zones, increasing funding for rural volunteer fire departments, and creating a statewide inventory of firefighting equipment that is accessible to all fire departments in Texas.  The legislative package was inspired by the state’s largest wildfire in history. The Smokehouse Creek fire scorched more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle and killed three people. A special House committee was formed following the fires to investigate the cause and make legislative recommendations. view article

State Rep. Tony Tinderholt, a six-term member of the Texas House, announced Monday he will not seek re-election.  “The 89th Legislative Session marks my 6th Legislative Session in this chamber representing House District 94,” Tinderholt told members in an emotional floor speech. “There have been ups and downs, amendments and points of order, disagreements and achievements. It’s been one of the highlights of my life.”  A veteran lawmaker and former military officer, Tinderholt has been a prominent figure in the Texas House’s conservative wing. In 2023, he mounted a challenge to then-Speaker Dade Phelan—a move that underscored growing dissatisfaction among grassroots Republicans with House leadership. He has also served as a mentor to many of the chamber’s newly elected conservatives. view article

Texas lawmakers voted to ban consumable THC products. Will Gov. Greg Abbott sign — or veto — the bill?  Gov. Greg Abbott is facing intense political pressure over a bill that would ban products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, as hemp industry leaders mount a full-court press urging the governor to veto the measure while Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and his allies urge Abbott to sign it into law.  The issue has sparked backlash from both sides of the aisle, including from conservatives ordinarily supportive of Patrick’s hardline agenda. An April statewide survey by the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin found that 55% of Republicans believe Texas’ marijuana and cannabis laws should be less strict or left as they are now, compared to 40% who said they should be stricter. view article

An agenda driven by conservative priorities, schools’ financial duress and teacher needs led to an $8.5 billion boost, new discipline rules, more Christianity in classrooms and a DEI ban.  Texas’ 2025 legislative session will likely be remembered for its education agenda. From private school vouchers to a public school funding boost, through a heavier emphasis on Christianity and student discipline, to bans on cellphones and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, lawmakers advanced bills that will have a lasting impact on students, teachers and parents for years to come.  One proposal that would have scrapped the state standardized test fell through in the final days of session, while the much-awaited school funding package changed drastically from an earlier version school officials favored more.  When signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, much of the legislation approved by lawmakers will take effect in September, right around the time schools get going for the 2025-26 academic year. Here is a recap of the most significant legislative developments this session. view article

Texas lawmakers signed off Saturday on a $338 billion two-year spending plan that directs billions toward hiking teacher pay, cutting property taxes and shoring up the state’s water infrastructure, after House and Senate budget writers ironed out their differences and won approval from both chambers on their final draft.  The budget now heads to Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who is expected to verify there is enough revenue to cover the Legislature’s planned spending — the last step before the 1,056-page bill reaches Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk  The spending plan doles out the money to run the state’s business for the next two years, from September through the end of August 2027. It includes the underlying funding for some of the biggest bills passed this session, much of it paid for with general revenue, Texas’ main source of taxpayer funds used to cover core services.  A large chunk of the budget — more than one out of every seven dollars — is devoted to maintaining and providing new property tax cuts, a tab that has grown to $51 billion. For the last several years, lawmakers have tried to rein in Texans’ property tax bills by sending billions of dollars to school districts to reduce how much in property taxes they collect from homeowners and businesses. view article

The Texas House on Thursday gave the final stamp of approval to legislation authorizing roughly $8.5 billion in funding for public schools, sending the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk where it is soon expected to become law.  Final passage of House Bill 2, which will give schools additional money for teacher and staff salaries, educator preparation, special education, safety requirements and early childhood learning, comes on the heels of extensive negotiations between the House and Senate over how the final version of the bill would look.  Abbott has already said he intends to sign the bill, a notable difference from two years ago when he and the Legislature withheld billions from public schools following a failed attempt to create a private school voucher program. This year, lawmakers vowed to approve vouchers and new public school funding in tandem. The Legislature finalized the education finance package on a 122-13 vote nearly a month after vouchers officially became law. view article

So touching to see Faizan's dad go and pat/hug the first runner up before moving towards his son. What a fine show of character! Hats off to him for setting a fine example for his son and for every other child and parent watching.  New property tax relief for homeowners and businesses is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk and onto the November ballot. The proposal raises the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 for most homeowners, effectively reducing the taxable value of a home. The Texas Senate gave final sign-off on the tax cuts Thursday, days after the House view article

House Bill 6, which now heads to the governor, targets the increase in violence that has plagued schools since the pandemic Texas schools will be able to use harsher punishments to discipline students after the Texas Legislature passed a sweeping package on Wednesday — part of their efforts to stem student violence after the pandemic .“Disruptions are impeding both the ability of teachers to teach and the ability of students to learn,” said state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock.  House Bill 6 would extend how long schools can place students in in-school suspensions from three days to as long as they see appropriate. Principals would need to review the placement every 10 days. Students facing in-school suspension still complete schoolwork in a different classroom on school grounds. view article

House Bill 186, approved by the lower chamber in May, never received a vote in the Senate.  A bill that would have banned minors from having a social media account has missed a deadline to pass in the Texas Senate.  House Bill 186, filed by Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, sailed through the House 116-25 in May, but never received a vote in the Senate several days after a slew of teenagers spoke against it during a Senate committee hearing. The contents of the bill could still be attached to another as an amendment or as part of a budget stipulation, but it is unlikely this late into the legislative session, which ends Monday. view article

The Texas Legislature has passed a bill that strictly defines man and woman based on reproductive organs. The bill has no civil or criminal penalties attached, but instead will take these new definitions and apply them across state records.  When Gov. Greg Abbott signs House Bill 229, Texas will become the 14th state to implement one of these so-called “sex definition” laws in recent years. Supporters of the legislation say it’s necessary to protect women’s rights and spaces, and the immutable differences between the sexes. view article

The Texas House approved a bill Wednesday that would give Texas parents and school boards a bigger role over what books students can access in public school libraries. view article

East Texas will benefit from $8.5 billion in new state money once House Bill 2 is signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. “The new legislation is a huge win for East Texas,” Tyler ISD’s Superintendent of Schools, Marty Crawford said after HB2 passed the Texas Senate on Friday. The district will be able to get more money for teacher incentive payments to make sure that their students are getting the very best educators once HB2 becomes law. view article

The legislation includes new pots of money for teacher raises and other school costs like insurance and transportation. It now heads to the House, where leaders say it will pass. view article

Currently there are over 59,000 illegal aliens enrolled in colleges and universities across the state. view article

The Texas House late Wednesday gave initial approval to a bill that would ban all products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, likely spelling the end for the state’s short-lived hemp industry.  Under the legislation, which is nearing the governor’s desk for approval, adults would face up to a year in jail for possessing hemp products with any amount of THC — a stricter penalty than what is on the books for possessing up to 2 ounces of marijuana. view article

Providing bigger tax breaks to homeowners is a key component of a deal brokered by Republicans in the Texas Legislature to lower tax bills for Texans.  Texas homeowners are one step closer to a bigger tax break after the Texas House gave unanimous final approval to a set of legislative proposals Wednesday.  House members approved bills aimed at giving homeowners relief on the property taxes they pay toward school districts, the biggest chunk of a property owner’s tax bill. Senate Bill 4 by state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican, would change the state’s homestead exemption, which reduces how much of a home’s value can be taxed to pay for public schools, from $100,000 to $140,000.  Senate Bill 23, another Bettencourt proposal, would raise a separate homestead exemption for homeowners who are older or have disabilities from $10,000 to $60,000. view article

Texas House Committee Advances Bill To Abolish Lottery Commission and Overhaul State Lottery view article

A bill filed by former Uvalde mayor, State Rep. Don McLaughlin (R-Uvalde) aimed at improving law enforcement responses to active school shootings is heading to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The Uvalde Strong Act would require municipal, county, school, and campus police to implement standardized active shooter response policies. If departments do not participate in multi-agency drills at least once a year, they could jeopardize their accreditation. The law would also create a grant program for first responders and telecommunicators to train. In addition, the bill would mandate every school district to have at least one breaching tool, such as a sledgehammer, and a ballistic shield. view article