Gavel to Gavel 89th Legislative Session - April 4, 2025
With 60 days left of the 89th Texas Legislative Session, the Texas House convened on Tuesday to pass bills for the first time this session. While discussing generally uncontroversial legislation with broad support, legislation passed by members and sent to the Senate includes House Bill 13. In response to continuing drought conditions across the state, HB 13 establishes the Texas Interoperability Council to connect first responders, local governments, and state agencies for emergency communications during wildfires.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick's priorities continued to advance through the Senate this week, including SB 16, requiring proof of citizenship to vote, SB 8, requiring local law enforcement assistance in federal deportation efforts, SB 7, expanding Texas Water Fund scope and reporting, SB 27, known as the 'teacher bill of rights', and SB 29, reforming business code to strengthen legal protections for incorporations. The Senate has now passed over half of Lt. Gov. Patrick's 40 priority bills and well over 100 bills in total. Lt. Gov. Patrick held a press conference on Thursday sharing the Senate’s accomplishments to date. Click here to watch the press conference.
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Finance laid out SB 22 by Sen. Huffman, establishing the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Fund to attract moviemaking in Texas, and another of Lt. Gov. Patrick's priorities. Hollywood stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson were in attendance to lend their support to the program, with the former giving invited testimony and taking questions from members. The committee passed SB 22 by a unanimous vote.
The House Committee on Public Education took up HB 2, increasing funding in public schools, and SB 2, establishing private education savings accounts, on Thursday after a postponement from earlier this week. Because both bills underwent public testimony earlier this month, debate was entirely between committee members during the three-hour-long meeting. After extensive bipartisan collaboration, the committee passed HB 2 with some consensus on a 13-2 vote, with Reps. Alma Allen (D-Houston) and John Bryant (D-Dallas) as holdouts. Most of the discussion was on SB 2, with all Democrats voting nay, resulting in a 9-6 majority passage. Both bills will next be heard on the House floor. Governor Greg Abbott released a brief statement following the vote, accessible here.
In budget news, following the passage of the committee substitute for SB 1 this Wednesday in the House Committee on Appropriations, representatives have until 9 AM on Monday to file amendments on the appropriations bill. The bill will then be heard on the House floor on Thursday, April 10.
The Texas Senate adjourned until 2:00 PM on Monday, and the House until 3:00.