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Editor’s note: An earlier version of the bill tracker included SB 9, which would have given one-time bonuses to teachers according to their school district’s enrollment size. However, we removed it from the tracker after a House committee removed teacher bonuses from the bill.
The 2023 Texas legislative session came to a stunning end when tense negotiations on property taxes and border issues between lawmakers broke down at the last minute, leading Gov. Greg Abbott to call for an immediate special session.
Latest from the series
2023 Session Recap
Beginning Jan. 1, cars registered in Texas won’t need to pass a safety inspection, but owners will still pay the fee
Noncommercial cars in 17 counties will still have to pass an emissions test to obtain a state registration.
Texas begins withdrawal from multistate partnership to clean voter rolls
A new GOP-backed state law requires Texas to create its own version of a cross-check program or find a vendor that doesn’t cost more than $100,000.
Texas Republican leaders want to improve elections in the state’s largest county. Their solution could backfire.
Unless a judge intervenes, Harris County is expected to dissolve its elections administration office later this year. The duties of running elections will once again be split between the county’s tax assessor and clerk.
The governor also announced that “many critical items remain” to be passed by the Legislature and would require multiple special sessions. A school voucher plan, one of Abbott’s main priorities this session, also fizzled out before the session’s end.
In an effort to get the Legislature to agree on a property tax bill, Abbott vetoed more than 70 bills, the second highest in state history, during the final week before the deadline to sign bills.
The last days of the sessions were also overshadowed by the Texas House’s historic vote to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Lawmakers did pass bills banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender children, allowing prosecutors to pursue murder charges against people who sell fentanyl and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion offices on public university campuses. In addition, the legislators passed a $321.3 billion state budget, allocating money toward tax cuts, mental health access and infrastructure for broadband and water. To help pay for the budget, they allocated half of the record $32.7 billion surplus they had at their disposal.
Most new laws take effect Sept. 1. Here are the steps of the legislative process we tracked:
Here’s a look at the status of this session’s most noteworthy bills
Major bills at a glance
Bills that are still in the works
Bills that have been sent to Gov. Abbott
Bills that have been signed into law
Bills that failed or were vetoed by the governor
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