Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Special Session Adjourns
The second special session adjourned Sine Die (final adjournment) late Wednesday night. The session produced a new Congressional map for the 2026 elections, as well as measures related to the Hill Country flooding including stronger regulations on camp safety and improved warning systems. The session included a slew of bills related to conservative priorities that were not passed during the regular session including restrictions on bathroom use by transgender individuals, a crackdown on the use of abortion pills, making the drug ivermectin available over the counter, and increasing the authority of the Attorney General over election related crimes.
Most of the above-mentioned legislation was passed – or very close to passage – before the Labor Day holiday weekend, when members recessed. Lawmakers returned Tuesday and worked through Wednesday evening to finally pass a few other pieces of legislation so they could wrap up this series of special sessions and finally get a break and move into the interim period.
Before final adjournment, lawmakers passed a funding bill to help the flood victims and their communities with their recovery, a bill to prevent fraudulent solicitations for charities during the times of disaster and recovery, and legislation to prohibit fundraising by members who have left the state for the purpose of breaking a quorum.
The House also debated and approved rules changes in their chamber to try and prevent the type of quorum breaks that happened earlier this summer that caused the entire first special session to end without the passage of any legislation. New to the House rules are penalties for members that leave the state to break a quorum which subject the members to the loss of seniority (used for committee appointments and office selection), loss of committee appointments such as chair or vice-chair, and increased fines of up to three times the current per diem members receive when in session.
Even though some of the items from the special session were addressed and passed, several were left undone. First, the two chambers could not agree on a property tax relief proposal. Numerous proposals were filed regarding this issue but as the session progressed, the only proposal with any life related to lowering the amount a local entity can increase property tax rates from 3.5% to 2.5% before having to ask for voter approval. The Senate wanted to restrict the proposal to areas with a population of 75,000 or more, while the House wanted the proposal to apply statewide. In the end, no agreement could be reached and there were no new property tax proposals passed during this special session.
Secondly, the issue of legalizing versus regulating hemp related products once again was debated and ultimately nothing was done. The Senate has consistently passed a full ban on all hemp related products – vapes, drinks, smokes, gummies – that exceed the .3% threshold of legal hemp products. Anything above that threshold is considered to be an intoxicating product, and those products are currently completely unregulated. The legislature passed a bill to ban the intoxicating products in the regular session earlier this year, but it was vetoed by Gov. Abbott, who wants to allow the products to be sold in a regulated market. The issue was considered again this session, but with the Senate not budging on their desire for a full ban, nothing was done this special session.
Also not done was anything to address a controversial proposed water project in east Texas where a Dallas investor is attempting to obtain permits to drill more than 40 high-capacity wells to extract water from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in east Texas and sell the water to other jurisdictions in the state. Legislation was introduced to stop the affected groundwater districts from issuing permits for this purpose, and to set up a study to be conducted by the Texas Water Development Board to determine how this project would affect the water supply in east Texas. The legislation passed the House, but the Senate was unwilling to set the precedent of intervening in the permitting process by local groundwater districts. With no agreement reached, the legislation failed. However, both chambers did agree to move forward with a legislative study regarding the impact of this proposed project.
New Laws Take Effect
More than 800 new laws took effect on September 1st as a result of the recently completed regular session in June. Of the nearly 8,000 proposals filed, 1,155 were signed into law by Gov. Abbott.
Here is a brief synopsis of some of the more high-profile bills that are now law in Texas:
Senate Bill 1: Texas State Budget 2026-27 — The $338 billion budget for fiscal years 2026-27 increases funding for education – including a teacher pay raise, health care, public safety – including more funding for border security, and property tax relief.
Senate Bill 2: Texas School Voucher Program — Establishes one of the nation’s largest school voucher programs, allocating about $10,000 per student to use for private education costs. The program aims to expand parental choice, starting with the 2026-27 school year. It covers tuition, transportation, and tutoring, with oversight to ensure accountability.
House Bill 1481: Cellphone Ban – Prohibits student the use of personal communication devices during the school day except for medical or educational exemptions. Schools must secure or prohibit devices on campus to reduce classroom distractions, supported by $20 million for implementation.
Senate Bill 10: Ten Commandments and prayer in schools — Requires public schools to display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. Legal challenges have blocked enforcement in some districts, but others must comply as the state plans to appeal. Supporters argue the measures promote historical and moral context, while critics contend they violate the separation of church and state, a fight that may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Senate Bill 25: ‘Make Texas Healthy Again’ — requires warning labels on foods containing 44 certain additives banned in other countries. It also mandates nutrition education in schools and continuing nutrition training for healthcare professionals. The law aims to improve public health by increasing transparency about food ingredients and promoting healthier lifestyles.
House Bill 46: Medical marijuana expansion — Texas will expand its medical marijuana program to include patients with chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, and Crohn’s disease. The law also legalizes prescribed cannabis inhalation products such as vapes, nebulizers, and inhalers. Additionally, more dispensaries and satellite locations will open to increase access, while a separate law penalizes the public sale of THC-containing vape products.
Senate Bill 33: Abortion Travel — prohibits Texas cities and counties from using public funds to support abortion-related travel or services, including paying for lodging, childcare, meals, or transportation for residents seeking abortions out of state. The law authorizes the state attorney general to sue local governments or officials who violate this rule, with exceptions only for federally mandated cases. This legislation follows efforts by cities like Austin and San Antonio to fund abortion travel, which triggered lawsuits from Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Senate Bill 17: Foreign Land Ownership — prohibits individuals, companies, and governments from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from buying or leasing real estate in the state, including residential, commercial, agricultural, and mineral rights. The ban applies to foreign nationals regardless of visa status but exempts U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Aims to protect state resources and national security but raises discrimination concerns.
Senate Bill 7: Water Funding — establishes a long-term funding framework for water infrastructure projects through the Texas Water Development Board, pending voter approval of a November 2025 constitutional amendment. If approved, $1 billion annually from state sales tax revenue will be dedicated to the Texas Water Fund between 2027 and 2047. The law expands eligible projects to include water reuse, wastewater, flood control, agricultural water conservation, and out-of-state water purchases, while emphasizing repairs to aging infrastructure. It also mandates performance reporting and broadens oversight to ensure accountability in addressing Texas’ growing water supply challenges.
House Bill 14: Nuclear power expansion — creates the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office (TANEO) within the governor’s office to lead the expansion of advanced nuclear power in Texas. It offers grants up to $200 million through the Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund with a current allocation of $350 million that may grow. The office will also help navigate regulatory processes, coordinate with the Public Utility Commission, promote workforce development, and aim to integrate advanced nuclear plants into the Texas grid.
House Bill 33: Active Shooter Response and Emergency Preparedness — also known as the Uvalde Strong Act, requires Texas law enforcement and public school districts to develop and annually review crisis response policies for active shooter events at primary and secondary schools. Mandates specialized training and post-incident reports to improve preparedness and transparency after school shootings.
Abbott Signs Redistricting Bill
After a special session was killed due to a quorum break and a brutal and emotional legislative fight, the state’s newly drawn districts for Congress are finally law. Gov. Abbott signed House Bill 4 over the weekend, which ushers in the new districts under which candidates and incumbents will run for the 2026 elections.
The unusual mid-decade redistricting process was started earlier this summer when President Trump began urging state lawmakers to redraw the state’s 38 Congressional districts to in an effort to further enhance the GOP’s efforts to retain control of Congress ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans currently hold a 25-12 (one vacant) partisan advantage in the state delegation, with the new maps intended to raise the number of Republicans in the state delegation to at least 30. The five new opportunity districts for Republicans were drawn by significantly diminishing the voting strength of Democrats in districts that are currently comprised of majority minority communities.
The battle now heads to the courts. Groups representing Black and Latino voters have already filed lawsuits to try and block the maps from going into effect. The first hearing by federal three-judge panel will be the first week of October.
Creighton to Become Chancellor at Texas Tech
State Senator Brandon Creighton – Republican from Conroe – is expected to be named as chancellor of the Texas Tech University System later this month. Creighton is in his third term and currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Education. He has been the author of several laws that passed over the last two regular sessions that significantly altered the higher education landscape including the elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs, more control by university regents over university governance, the elimination of powers among faculty Senate organizations, and a revision of tenure for university personnel. Creighton also authored the recently passed school choice bill that ushered in the private school voucher program funded by the state.
The system’s chancellor position became open when Ted Mitchell announced his retirement in July. This is the third major shakeup in university system leadership, and all have been filled by former members of the legislature. Comptroller Glenn Hegar – also former state senator and representative – left the Comptroller’s office in June to assume the chancellorship at Texas A&M University System. And more recently, the University of Texas System named former state representative John Zerwas as chancellor.
Creighton’s term is up for reelection in 2026. With his resignation, Gov. Abbott will have to call a special election to fill the remainer of the current term which lasts through December of 2026. Likely candidates include state Rep. Steve Toth of The Woodlands and state Rep. Will Metcalf of Conroe. Toth had considered a challenge to incumbent Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of Houston, but the Senate race may be a more attractive goal for Toth. The district is solidly Republican, covering eastern parts of Montgomery County, running down through Chambers County and over to Port Arthur.
Political Notes
The House retirements continued this week as state Rep. Alma Allen, Democrat of Houston, announced she will not seek reelection in 2026. Allen is in her 10th term serving a solidly blue part of southern Harris County. Prior to her election to the House, she was an educator and served on the State Board of Education. She also served many terms on the House Public Education Committee during her tenure. Allen has endorsed her son Lawrence as her successor. The younger Allen also has a background in education as a teacher and in administration for the Houston ISD. He also served 15 years on the State Board of Education.
Also, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, Democrat from Houston, has filed paperwork to begin his campaign for the Democratic nomination for a seat on the Railroad Commission. The Railroad Commission is comprised of three elected members that oversee the oil and gas industry in the state. Rosenthal was first elected in 2018, defeating longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Gary Elkins. There are no other declared candidates in the Democratic primary at this time. The eventual Democratic nominee will challenge Republican incumbent Jim Wright, who is currently serving as chair of the three-member commission.
Rosenthal’s former chief of staff Odus Evbagharu immediately declared his intention to succeed Rosenthal. Evbagharu served as chief of staff to Rosenthal in the 2019 session and currently serves as a strategist at Onward Strategies, advising local officeholders on media and political engagement. He was elected chair of the Harris County Democratic Party in 2021 and still serves on the party’s executive board. The House district for which he is running is in Harris County, runs west from Jersey Village to parts in south and far west Harris County. It leans Democrat but is considered a competitive district for Republicans.
Corpus Christi party activist Fred Hinojosa has announced his candidacy to seek the Republican nomination in a crowded field for the Republican nomination for the newly drawn Congressional district 34, which runs from the Rio Grande Valley north to Nueces County. Hinojosa’s brother Adam is a member of the Texas Senate, representing a district very similar in party affiliation and demographics to CD 34. Hinojosa has worked in local Republican politics since 2002, helping elect party colleagues to local Nueces County offices. He joins a field that will seek to challenge incumbent Democrat Vicente Gonzalez that includes former Congresswoman Mayra Flores and McAllen attorney Eric Flores.
What’s Next??
Now that the special session has adjourned, the legislature will move into interim mode. In the coming weeks, each chamber will issue interim studies for each standing committee to review legislation that was passed during the sessions, legislation that was proposed and did not pass, as well as other major issues that will impact the state and need to be addressed in the 2027 legislative session.
Also, members will move into an aggressive fundraising mode. The filing deadline for the 2026 elections begins on November 8th and lasts for one month until December 8th. As of now, at least ten members of the House and five members of the Senate will not seek reelection in 2026. With the newly drawn Congressional districts, that number is likely to increase as members at the state level may seek higher office.
I’ll keep everyone updated as the interim progresses.