In preview of legislative session, lawmakers expect school vouchers to pass and the House to shift to the right

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State legislators and Capitol insiders gathered at the University of Texas at Austin on Wednesday to explore lawmakers’ top priorities ahead of the 2025 legislative session that begins Jan. 14.

Panelists discussed public education, the future of gun laws, health care policy and other priorities during the daylong Texas Tribune symposium.

Politics and the 2025 legislative session

James Barragán, politics reporter at The Texas Tribune interviewed fellow journalists Blaise Gainey, Texas state capitol reporter for The Texas Newsroom; Jasper Scherer, politics reporter at Tribune; and Bayliss Wagner, a state politics reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, about what they see ahead in the upcoming legislative session.

Meet the new members

Two new state lawmakers — incoming Sen. Molly Cook, D-Houston and incoming Rep. Don Mclaughlin, R-Uvalde — discussed their priorities, including reevaluating the state budget, reforming public education and advocating for gun reform.

Cook, an emergency room nurse, replaces long-time officeholder John Whitmire, who is now Houston’s mayor. Cook plans to rely on her health care experience to craft “lifesaving” policies for all Texans, such as by raising the age to own certain firearms and enacting stricter safe gun storage laws. Those measures have faced strong headwinds in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

“It’s not just the high acuity moments where somebody’s life is on the line, you see folks who live with bullets in their bodies for their entire lives," Cook said. “They can’t get MRIs because they have metal in their body, and I think that's a really powerful illustration of what gun violence is doing to our state and to our nation.”

McLaughlin served as mayor of Uvalde when 19 students and two teachers were killed during the Robb Elementary School shooting in May 2022. The former mayor lambasted state agencies like the Department of Public Safety for withholding information about the investigation of the shooting, and said he would be an advocate for government transparency.

McLaughlin did not commit to supporting raise-the-age laws and instead said he supports increased mental health support and education about gun safety.

“Changing the age is not the answer,” McLaughlin said, adding that violent video games and Hollywood movies, along with “broken families” with incarcerated or addicted parents, are to blame.

— Pooja Salhotra

The Democratic agenda

Democratic lawmakers will have even less power than in 2023, as Republicans hope to achieve a more conservative agenda.

State Reps. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin; State Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, discussed their parties’ shortcomings in the 2024 elections.

Hinojosa said constituents revealed a different picture than what the polls showed before Election Day. She said focusing on economic opportunities would be necessary for future national or statewide Democratic candidates.

Both acknowledge that school vouchers will likely pass during the 2025 legislative session, but Democrats will try to put as many guardrails as possible and get more funding for public schools.

Zwiener expressed the importance of House Democratic lawmakers being united as a caucus, as House Democrats potentially select new leadership, and noted that any House Speaker candidate would need the support of Democrats.

“The folks who are like, ‘oh my goodness, we don't want to work with Democrats’ have been reaching out to Democrats,” Zwiener said.

— Juan Salinas II

Public education and the 2025 Legislative Session

Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly said he has enough votes in the Texas House to pass a school voucher program, which may let parents use public money to subsidize private school tuition.

Panelists Laura Colangelo, Brian Guenther, Bob Popinski and Michelle Rinehart discussed the unique funding asks that both public and private school leaders will be making during a legislative session that may be dominated by voucher proposals.

Still, Colangelo, Texas Private Schools Association executive director, said proposals similar to those that ultimately failed during the 87th legislative session won’t cut it. She called on lawmakers to set parameters for the voucher program so that all low-income families in the state can take advantage of it.

Meanwhile, as public school districts face budget deficits at a time when inflation has driven up the cost of expenses, superintendents are having to make cuts on staffing.

“Our poorest districts are getting even poorer… in terms of their buying power and how they're able to fund teacher salaries and staffing needs,” said Rinehart, the superintendent of Alpine school districts. “We're not as well equipped to meet student needs.”

— Sneha Dey

The Republican agenda

Texas Republicans made inroads this election cycle, growing their majority in the Legislature as the nation saw a “red wave.”

State Rep.-elect Mitch Little, R-Denton, and State Rep. J.M. Lozano, R-Kingsville, hesitated to say that the GOP has a “mandate” but agreed that lawmakers could no longer fail to deliver for their grassroots base. Lozano said that while the state has seen more conservative sessions than in previous years, some caveats show why Republicans need a new speaker.

“There are times, however, where bills start out as the most effective way to solve the problem, and then by the time leadership has its way with it, it's pretty much inconsequential,” Lozano said.

Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan faced a challenge from within his own party in his bid for another term leading the House. Conservatives have criticized Phlean for allowing the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton, who was acquitted in the Senate, and for continuing a long House tradition of appointing members of both parties to chair committees.

Little, who defended Paxton in his impeachment trial, and Lozano expressed confidence that Phelan won’t win another term.

“There will be change in the way the Texas House operates,” Little said.

Two days after that assertion, Phelan proved the lawmakers right and dropped out of the race.

— Juan Salinas II

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