Texas’ THC ban paused after Gov. Greg Abbott veto. Here’s what to know.
Gov. Greg Abbott called a special legislative session asking lawmakers to instead strictly regulate the substance. Full Story
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![Various Delta 8 THC products at a Valero station on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 in Spring Branch TX. Delta 8 products are currently legal in Texas due to its low amount of THC but often the amount of THC is not tested and simply possessing THC products can be enough to be arrested and charged with possession. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
The 2025 Texas Legislature is over. See how far some of the most consequential bills made it.
Get up to date on the status of the session’s major bills, including some on their way to the governor’s desk. Full Story
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![Four squares with four icons: the top left icon is of the Texas capitol with a yellow question mark over it, the top right icon is of a bill with with a yellow question mark over it, the bottom left icon is of the Texas capitol with a red checkmark over it and the bottom right icon is of a bill with a green checkmark over it.]()
Credit: Illustration by Ben Hasson -
Texas will require public school classrooms to display Ten Commandments under bill signed by governor
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 10, even though a similar Louisiana law was deemed unconstitutional. Supporters say Christianity is core to U.S. history. Full Story
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![The Ten Commandments, written out on a monument, sit outside the Texas Capitol on March 17, 2025.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/The Texas Tribune -
Judge places temporary block on rule requiring urban DAs to hand over case data to AG Ken Paxton
Over half of the district attorneys affected by the rule filed lawsuits challenging it, saying it violates state and federal law. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during the Texas GOP Convention Thursday, May 23, 2024 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Watch a conversation with North Texas lawmakers on legislative session’s impact
State Reps. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, and Salman Bhojani, D-Euless, discussed the House’s move toward the right. Full Story
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Watch the TribCast team discuss legislative session’s impact on Texas schools and libraries
During our TribCast Live event at Austin Central Library, we explained what happened, looked ahead toward the impact on Texas schools, and heard from experts about what comes next Full Story
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Watch: Texas policy experts discuss how lawmakers addressed education, infrastructure needs this year
Policy experts discussed a new school funding bill, a $20 billion package to keep up with water demand and the state’s energy fund. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers expand medical marijuana program eligibility amid looming hemp ban
House Bill 46, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval, would include more patients with chronic pain and allow for prescribed vaporized and aerosol products, such as vapes. Full Story
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![An engineer at Texas Original Compassionate Cultivation in South Austin tests for impurities on April 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas to increase funding to state film incentive program by $300 million
SB 22, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval, injects $300 million over the next two years into projects filmed in Texas, $100 million more than current funding. Full Story
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![Charles Steen, an operator during a film production showcase hosted on the Texas Capitol grounds on Wednesday, March 12, 2025.]()
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Lawmakers approve bill limiting protests at public universities
The proposal is largely in response to massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say it would walk back free speech protections that conservatives advocated for in previous legislative sessions. Full Story
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![Protestors chant at Texas Department of Public Safety troopers as they begin to push students towards Guadalupe Street from the South Lawn during a demonstration in support of Palestine Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the University of Texas in Austin.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Democrats lash out as Legislature bans school clubs that support gay teens
Tensions flared and the debate turned personal as Republicans said their bill empowered parents and denied predictions that the ban will endanger children. Full Story
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![Pride flags, stickers and masks, pronoun buttons and other merch are handed out at the AISD "Pride Out!" Party in the Park event at Eastside Early College High School in Austin on March 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Bill giving Texas parents, school boards more control over library books heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
Senate Bill 13 would require school boards or advisory councils to approve new books and review complaints. In most cases only 50 parents’ approval would be needed to create the oversight councils. Full Story
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![The Josefa L. Sambrano Elementary School library in San Elizario on July 23, 2024.]()
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Bill to give political appointees more oversight over Texas universities wins final passage
The latest version of the proposal eliminates language that would have required university curricula not to advocate that “any race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is inherently superior to another.” Full Story
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Credit: Laura Skelding for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Legislature approves $338 billion two-year spending plan with a focus on property tax relief
A boost in public school spending, school vouchers, and money for water systems are other highlights of the state budget, which was bolstered by a $24 billion surplus. Full Story
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Legislature clears the way for Texas Lottery to continue under a different state agency
SB 3070, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, would move the lottery game to Texas’ Department of Licensing and Regulation and includes new restrictions on ticket purchases. Full Story
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![Members of the Texas Lottery Commission at a public meeting in Austin on April 29, 2025.]()
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Bill that would ban cellphones in Texas public schools heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk
Research shows cellphones interfere with students' ability to focus in class. Texas would join at least nine other states that ban students from using their phones during the school day. Full Story
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![Nimitz Middle School students line up to enter their next class Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 in Odessa.]()
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Starbase, Texas' newest city, has liftoff; seeks $1.5 million loan from Elon Musk’s SpaceX
City leaders held their first public meetings this week since voters approved the South Texas city’s incorporation. Full Story
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![Starship S28 & B10 on the launch platform in Starbase, Texas, on Thursday March, 14 2024.]()
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UT-Dallas’ new president will be Prabhas Moghe, regents say
Moghe, Rutgers University’s chief academic officer, is a biochemical and biomedical engineer and a former international student. He is expected to start in his new role later this year. Full Story
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![The University of Texas System Board of Regents has named Prabhas V. Moghe as the sole finalist for the next presidency at The University of Texas at Dallas.]()
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Texas moves close to ban on some land sales to foreigners
The Legislature has approved a conference committee report that lists sales to certain people from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran as threats to national security. Full Story
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![A horse grazes on a farm in Milam County on March 16, 2025.]()
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Trump administration knew most Venezuelans deported from Texas to a Salvadoran prison had no U.S. convictions
Homeland Security records reveal that officials knew that more than half of the 238 deportees to El Salvador were labeled as having no criminal record in the U.S. and had only violated immigration laws. Full Story
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Credit: Adriana Loureiro Fernández for The Texas Tribune and ProPublica