89th Legislative Session

TexansWakeUp Admin
Jun 3
8 min read

Updated: Jun 7

The Republican Party of Texas has it's published legislative priorities (LPs) as well as the corresponding endorsed bills for each priority on their website. There were over thirty endorsed LP bills passed this session which is good. However, many of the bills got watered down.

The LPs that had at least one passed bill this session are:

End Federal Overreach (9)
Secure Texas Elections (7)
Secure the Electric Grid (11)
Stop Sexualizing Texas' Kids (7)
Texas is Not For Sale (2)

The LPs that had zero bills pass are:

Border Enforcement (1 SJR)
No Democrat Chairs
Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying

Please review the Tom Glass update for a more in depth review of RPT priorities.

There were 8,719 bills filed in the 89th which is the highest since '91 (last date available). There were 1,208 bills passed this session which is a 13.8% passing rate (lowest since '91). The passing rate is usually around 20% on average.*

SB 1 (Huffman)- Budget - General Appropriations bill.

SB 2 (Creighton) - Relating to the establishment of an education savings account program; School Choice

SB 3 (Perry) - Relating to the regulation of products derived from hemp, including consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products; requiring occupational licenses and permits; imposing fees; creating criminal offenses; authorizing an administrative penalty

SJR 5 (Huffman) - ; 'Border Enforcement' RPT LP

SB 6 (King) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 8 (Campbell) - Relating to agreements between certain sheriffs and the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enforce federal immigration law and a grant program to cover the costs of implementing those agreements

SB 10 (King)- 10 Commandments displayed in all Texas public schools, if donated

SB 11 (Middleton) - Relating to a period of prayer and reading of the Bible or other religious text in public schools

Education

SB 12 (Creighton) - Parental Rights bill - limits what can be discussed in classroom such as gender identity and sexual orientation; OPT IN for sex education and added mental health assessments; parental permission for gay/straight clubs; 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

SB 13 (Paxton) - Strengthens legal definitions, schools can remove titles from library collections; rules surrounding SLACs (School Library Advisory Council); 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

SB 17 (Kolkhorst) - Relating to the purchase or acquisition of an interest in real property by certain aliens or foreign entities; creating a criminal offense; providing a civil penalty; 'Texas Land Is Not For Sale' RPT LP

SB 20 (Flores) - Relating to the creation of the criminal offense of possession, promotion, or production of certain obscene visual material appearing to depict a child; 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

SB 25 (Kolkhorst) - ; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

SB 31 (Hughes) - Relating to exceptions to otherwise prohibited abortions based on a physician's reasonable medical judgment.

SB 33 (Campbell) - furthers protections for preborn babies so that funds don’t go to out of state abortion travel

SJR 37 (Birdwell) - ; 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SCR 19 - Texas Life Monument outside of capital representing life & turning away from RvW

SB 75 (Hall) - Grid reliability; ‘Secure The Grid’ RPT LP; took 6 sessions to pass

SB 204 (Paxton) - Relating to a handbook on parental rights in education and training requirements on parental rights in education for a member of the board of trustees of a school district; handbook written by Texas Education Agency in an effort to take more power away from Texas Association of School Boards

SB 231 (King) ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 269 (Perry) - Relating to required reports of certain vaccine-related or drug-related adverse events; TFVC Priority

SB 293 (Huffman)- Relating to the discipline of judges by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, notice of certain reprimands, judicial compensation and related retirement benefits, and the reporting of certain judicial transparency information; authorizing an administrative penalty.; Texans for Judicial Accountability priority; SJR 27

SB 379 (Middleton) - ; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

SB 412 (Middleton) - Relating to defenses to prosecution for certain offenses involving material or conduct that is obscene or otherwise harmful to children; repeal affirmative defenses for harmful materials to minors and sexual performance of a child; 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

SB 703 (Zaffrini) - Relating to the criminal and licensing consequences for the commission of certain offenses by massage establishments, massage schools, massage therapists, and massage therapy instructors; cracked down on bad actors in massage industry

SB 888 (Kolkhorst) - ; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

SB 985 (Bettencourt) - ; 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SB 1212 (Paxton) - Relating to the prosecution and punishment for the offense of trafficking of persons; increasing a criminal penalty

SB 1257 (Hughes) - requires insurance to cover a transgender detransition; Relating to required health benefit plan coverage for gender transition adverse effects and reversals

SB 1362 (Hughes) - Relating to prohibiting the recognition, service, and enforcement of extreme risk protective orders; creating a criminal offense; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

SB 1470 (Hughes) - ; 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SB 1535 (Zaffirini) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 1762 (Blanco) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 1789 (Schwertner) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 1862 (Hughes) - 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SB 2148 (Hall) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

SB 2166 (Parker) - ;'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SB 2420 (Paxton) - Relating to the regulation of platforms for the sale and distribution of software applications for mobile devices; aka App Store Accountability; 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP; HB 4901 by Fairly, Identical

SB 2753 (Hall) - Relating to the integration of early voting by personal appearance and election day voting, including the manner in which election returns are processed and other related changes; 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

SB 3070 (Hall) - Relating to the abolishment of the Texas Lottery Commission and the transfer of the administration of the state lottery and the licensing and regulation of charitable bingo to the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation; creating criminal offenses

HB 3228 (Lambert) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

HB 3824 (King) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

HB 6 (Leach) - Relating to discipline management and access to telehealth mental health services in public schools aka 'Teacher Bill of Rights'

HB 14 (Harris) - ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

HB 33 (McLaughlin) - Relating to active shooter incidents at primary and secondary school facilities and other emergencies aka Uvalde Strong Act

HB 100 (Leo-Wilson) - Relating to the purchase, adoption, and use of instructional materials by public schools; All instructional materials have to be approved by SBOE'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

HB 119 (Gerdes) - ; 'Texas Land Is Not For Sale' RPT LP

HB 229 (Troxclair) - Women’s Bill of Rights defines male, female (protects women’s private spaces); Relating to general definitions for and collection of governmental infor regarding bio sex

HB 2963 (Capriglione) - Right to Repair; TURF priority; Relating to diagnosis, maintenance, and repair of certain digital electronic equipment; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

Medical Freedom

HB 1056 (Dorazio) - Relating to the recognition of gold and silver specie as legal tender and the establishment of a transactional currency based on gold and silver; authorizing a fee

HB 1586 (Hull) - Relating to an exemption from required immunizations for school enrollment; TFVC Priority; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

HB 1661 (Vasut) - ; 'Secure Elections' RPT LP

HB 3441 (Luther) - Relating to the liability of vaccine manufacturers that advertise a harmful vaccine; TFVC Priority; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

HB 3809 (Darby) ; 'Secure the Electric Grid' RPT LP

HB 4076 (Leach) - Relating to prohibiting organ transplant recipient discrimination on the basis of vaccination status; TFVC Priority; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

HB 4370 (Metcalf) - Relating to the projects undertaken by a public improvement district, municipal management district, water control and improvement district, fresh water supply district, or municipal utility district; See blog on MUDs

HB 4535 (McQueeney) - Relating to COVID-19 vaccine administration requirements; TFVC Priority; 'End Federal Overreach' RPT LP

HB 4623 (Little) - Relating to liability of public schools and professional school employees for sexual misconduct involving students; 'Stop Sexualizing Texas Kids' RPT LP

SB 5 (Huffman) - Relating to the creation of the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

SB 15 (Bettencourt) - Relating to size and density requirements for residential lots in certain municipalities; authorizing a fee

SB 22 (Huffman) - Relating to the Texas moving image industry incentive program and the establishment and funding of the Texas moving image industry incentive fund

SB 646 (West - D) - Relating to repayment of certain mental health professional education loans

SCR11 (Zaffrini - D) - Granting the legislature permission to adjourn for more than three days during the period beginning on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, and ending on Tuesday, February 11, 2025

SJR 34 (Hughes) - Proposing a constitutional amendment affirming the rights and responsibilities of parents

HB 15 (Meyer) - Relating to the formation, governance, and internal management of domestic entities

HB 104 (Bonnen) - Relating to the creation of the Texas future fund and the Texas future fund investment review board and to the permissible uses of money in the Texas future fund

HB 149 (Harris) - Relating to regulation of the use of artificial intelligence systems in this state; providing civil penalties

HB 3045 (Gerdes) - Relating to a franchise tax exemption for corporations operating a spaceport for certain national defense purposes

DIED

SB 4 (Bettencourt)- Reshaping the STAAR for Texas public schools

SB 18 (Hughes) - Defunding drag queen story hour for public libraries

SB 205 (Paxton) Relating to fetal development instruction included as part of the public school health curriculum in certain grade levels; prolife instruction/Baby Olivia

SB 240 - Texas Women’s Privacy Act (related to HB 229); had private enforcement; the more comprehensive bill

SB 1396 (Hall) - Relating to prohibiting the adoption or use of national sex education standards in public schools

SB 2880 (Hughes) - Stopping abortion pills; companion HB 5510

SB 2713 (Middleton) - Freedom of speech/religious liberty; Relating to preventing discrimination in membership in a professional or trade association

SB 2858 (Creighton) - Relating to state preemption of certain municipal and county regulation; grant OAG ability to investigate alleged violations of the law & sue

HB 2197 (Money) - Relating to the protection of an unborn child's rights and criminal liability and justification for prohibited conduct; Prolife;

HB 3225 (Alders) - public library collection standards, moving explicit materials from children’s section to adult, must have parental permission to check out explicit materials, fines for noncompliance

HB 3219 (Shoffner) - Relating to a statewide order issued by the commissioner of state health services authorizing a pharmacist to dispense ivermectin; Virdell identical

CENSURE

Censure Rule 44

Rep. McQueeney (Tarrant County)
Rep. Orr
Rep. Morgan Meyer
Rep. Angie Chen Button

Censure Non-Rule 44

Rep. Cecil Bell (Montgomery County)
Rep. Will Metcalf (Montgomery County)

Retirements

Rep. Tony Tenderholt

Running for Other Offices

Rep Steve Toth running for Congress
Texas Senator Mays Middleton running for Texas Attorney General
AG Ken Paxton running for Congress against John Coryn
Rep Nate Schatzline running for the Texas Senate SD9