AUSTIN — Tuesday marked the unofficial beginning of the 89th Texas legislative session as lawmakers begin filing some of the bills they hope will reach Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk next year.
The deluge — 1,511 bills filed by 5 p.m., including 1,207 in the House — gave a first glimpse into the issues lawmakers want to tackle when the Legislature gavels in for the first day on Jan. 14.
Hot-button topics included an effort to use public money for private schools, an issue that blew up the 2023 legislative session before falling short, prompting Abbott to launch a political attack on House Republicans who blocked his school choice priority. Abbott says he now has the votes to pass a school voucherlike program in Texas.
Other Republican proposals seek to prepare for the elimination of property taxes, crack down on gender identity and create a state law enforcement agency dedicated to patrolling the border with Mexico.
Democratic bills hope to add exceptions to the state’s rigid abortion laws.
Education
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said school choice — allowing state education money to be spent on private schools — will be his top priority next session and will be designated Senate Bill 2, which had not been filed by 5 p.m. Tuesday. Senate Bill 1 is reserved for the state budget.
Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, filed House Bill 212, which he called the Texas Parental Empowerment Act of 2025. In a social media post, Cain said he was proud to be the first legislator to file a “universal school choice bill.”
The bill would let families with a child in private school be reimbursed up to 80% of the state’s average maintenance and operations expenditures per student.
Immigration
Texas has drawn national attention — and lawsuits from the Biden administration — for initiatives cracking down on illegal immigration at the state’s southern border.
Lawmakers unveiled additional immigration-related legislation Tuesday.
Rep. Terri Leo Wilson, R-Wallisville, filed the day’s first bill — House Bill 160, which would prohibit undocumented immigrants from receiving in-state tuition and require a university or college to notify law enforcement if officials become aware that a student is undocumented.
Cain’s House Bill 354 would establish a Border Protection Unit along the U.S.-Mexico border. Commissioned and noncommissioned officers would have the power to make arrests, although noncommissioned officers would have to be authorized by the state’s Public Safety Commission and the governor. Abbott would appoint a chief of the unit.
Efforts to create a state law enforcement unit along the border failed in the 2023 session.
Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, filed House Bill 219, which would require an individual to submit proof of citizenship when registering to vote in Texas. The issue became a rallying cry for conservatives prior to the general election.
GOP Rep. Nate Schatzline of Fort Worth filed House Bill 1072 to create a database with the fingerprints of undocumented children who have been detained by the Texas Department of Public Safety or the Texas National Guard. Records would be deleted after the child gained lawful status or after 15 years.
LGBTQ issues
Last session, Abbott signed into law a ban on gender-affirming care for minors and a bill barring transgender college athletes from participating in a sport that does not align with their sex assigned at birth.
On Tuesday, Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, introduced Senate Bill 84 to require government documents to reference only two sexes — male and female, as defined by each gender’s biological reproductive system.
Rep. Ellen Troxclair, R-Lakeway, filed a similar bill to define sex in the state’s government code as an “individual’s biological sex, either male or female.”
Hall’s Senate Bill 86 would bar school districts and open-enrollment charter schools from providing or allowing instruction involving sexual orientation or gender identity while also requiring employees, independent contractors and others to report to parents if a student’s “perception” of their biological sex is inconsistent with the student’s “sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous hormone profiles.”
House Bill 344 by Rep. Carl Tepper, R-Lubbock, would prohibit instruction of gender identity or sexual orientation in public schools through the 12th grade.
Abortion
House Bill 395 by Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, would loosen Texas abortion laws, among the strictest in the nation, to allow abortion in cases of rape or incest. Texas law does not include the exceptions.
Howard’s House Bill 257 would clarify when abortions are allowed to save a patient’s life after reports that doctors delayed or denied medically necessary abortions for fear of violating state law.
Current law says doctors can exercise “reasonable medical judgment” to save the life of the patient. Howard’s bill would let doctors use their “best medical judgment” to save a patient’s life or preserve mental and physical health, including fertility.
Property taxes
Cutting property taxes has been a priority for the state’s Republican leaders. Joined by Democrats, lawmakers passed $18 billion in property tax cuts last year.
Some lawmakers are eyeing additional cuts, but Abbott and several conservative legislators have expressed interest in eliminating property taxes. Rep. Cody Vasut, R-Angleton, introduced House Bill 165 to create a joint interim committee to study “alternative methods of taxation to replace” the local tax revenue that would be lost without property taxes.
House Bill 217 by Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, would raise the threshold for voters to pass a property tax rate increase on a ballot proposition from a simple majority to 60%.
Other Republican bills would allocate money from the state budget surplus to reduce the property tax burden for school district maintenance.
Other legislation
- Legislation from Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, would ban social media accounts for those under age 18.
- Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, filed a bill that would increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, up from $7.25.
- Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, filed an initial burst of 38 bills Tuesday morning, including legislation to provide free full-day prekindergarten for certain students.
- A group of Senate Democrats introduced a resolution proposing a constitutional amendment to establish “an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy.”
Texas Speaker Dade Phelan said Tuesday the first 150 bill numbers in the House will be reserved for “critical legislation,” while Patrick reserved the first 40 Senate bill numbers for his priorities.
Republicans control both chambers and slightly increased their majorities in last week’s election, gaining one seat in the Senate and two seats in the Texas House. Republicans will have a 20-11 advantage in the Senate and an 88-62 majority in the House next session.
The last day lawmakers can file most legislation is March 14. The 89th legislative session will end June 2.
