State leaders have promised to tackle school safety this session, and lawmakers are expected to push bills that would beef up mental health screening programs and make it easier to arm teachers.

For the few months of each new 140-day legislative session, the respective chambers typically adjourn after meeting for less than an hour. There are several reasons lawmakers can't get off to a faster start.

State Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, has led a crusade to get rid of the plaque, which asserts the Civil War was “not a rebellion, nor was its underlying cause to sustain slavery."

County party officials overwhelmingly rejected attempts to remove Shahid Shafi because he's Muslim. The 139-49 vote in his favor came after the state's top Republican officials denounced the failed move to oust the trauma surgeon.

Some local party members say Shahid Shafi's faith isn't representative of all Tarrant County Republicans. But many Texas GOP officials have denounced the attempt to oust the trauma surgeon and called the move bigoted.

After besting Republican Cynthia Flores for his open Williamson County seat, the 29-year-old Democrat from Round Rock joined the Texas House on Tuesday amid plenty of jokes and words of wisdom.

Bonnen’s unanimous election marks a new era of Texas House leadership for the first time in a decade. Meanwhile, the leader of the Texas Senate, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, was conspicuously absent on opening day.

The Texas Legislature is about to kick off its first session since three licensed marijuana dispensaries opened in the state, providing cannabis products for hundreds of patients. Now advocates are hopeful that lawmakers are ready to dramatically expand that program to thousands more Texans who stand to benefit.

A meeting is scheduled for Jan 11.

Twenty-two years after joining the Texas House as its youngest member, state Rep. Dennis Bonnen is poised to replace Joe Straus as the chamber's speaker on Jan. 8.

It can and it has. Last year, Texas lawmakers voted to override several local ordinances with new statewide measures — including relaxing regulations for ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

The national debate came home to Texas again this year when a 17-year-old opened fire at Santa Fe High School, killing 10 and wounding several others.

Twenty-two years after joining the Texas House as its youngest member, state Rep. Dennis Bonnen is poised to take over the chamber's reins on Jan. 8.

Citing health issues, the El Paso Democrat announced Saturday that he would step down from his post effective Jan. 4, four days before the start of the next legislative session.

The Texas House is about to get a new speaker and more than two dozen new members. While they all have started transitioning into their new roles, they can't do much until they are officially sworn in to their new positions next month.