Texas Legislature 2025

Lawmakers passed a bill earlier this year allowing voters to update their address at the polls and immediately vote on elections tied to that new residence, as long as the move was within the county. This bill walks it back. Full Story 

The proposal would cap absent members’ daily fundraising at $221 — their current per diem payment — and entirely prohibit the use of political funds for travel expenses. Full Story 

The law does not specifically ban the possession of THC vape pens, but those who sell them face up to a year in jail and a $4,000 penalty. Full Story 

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

Camp Waldemar, Vista Camps and Camp Stewart ask the lieutenant governor for an expert to determine where cabins are located, want financial aid if pending camp safety bills pass. Full Story 

High priority bills that propose banning THC have not moved through the Texas House, as the current overtime session could conclude in the coming days. Full Story 

The governor was expected to sign off on the new district lines, which passed the Legislature last week and aim to flip five Democratic seats in the 2026 midterms. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

Hours before debate, a Senate committee advanced a version of HB 15 that stripped changes the House added last week, including one that addressed the release of Uvalde shooting documents. Full Story 

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. Full Story 

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

House Bill 26 advanced out of the Texas Legislature on Wednesday evening, two days after being added to the second special session’s agenda. Full Story 

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. complimented Texas as Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a prohibition on using state tax dollars on specific products with additives, among other measures. Full Story 

Some people use the drug to treat COVID, even though it’s not approved by the FDA for such use. The bill now awaits the governor’s signature. Full Story 

Democrats say recent changes to the bill give too much power to the TEA and fall short of meaningfully easing the pressures of standardized testing. Full Story 

In this week’s episode, Matthew and Eleanor talk to Texas Tribune climate reporter Emily Foxhall about the emotional pleas Camp Mystic parents made to state lawmakers and analyze the proposed new laws in response to the Kerrville floods. Full Story 

The measure comes four years after the state’s highest criminal court ruled the agency could not bring election cases without an invitation from local prosecutors. Full Story 

Legislation pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott would bar voters at the polls from immediately casting a ballot based on a last-minute update to their address. Full Story 

HB 256 would prevent camps from correcting violations on the spot to avoid state penalties and reduce the number of camps serving on a state panel to a maximum of two. Full Story 

A Dallas businessman has proposed studying the aquifer to see if he can pump millions of gallons out of East Texas, a plan that residents distrust. Full Story