Texas DEI ban in public schools gets House approval
Senate Bill 12’s supporters say DEI programs use class time and public funds to promote political agendas. Full Story
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The 89th Legislature’s regular session runs from Jan. 14 to June 2, 2025. Republicans control both the Texas House and Senate. We focus on what Texans need to know about the 140-day lawmaking session and how the policies legislators craft could impact people’s lives. For more behind-the-scenes updates from the session, subscribe to The Blast, the Texas Tribune’s premier newsletter that serves the first word on political moves across the state.
Senate Bill 12’s supporters say DEI programs use class time and public funds to promote political agendas. Full Story
The House has preliminarily approved Senate Bill 10 even though a similar Louisiana law was deemed unconstitutional. Supporters say Christianity is core to U.S. history. Full Story
The House gave preliminary approval to Senate Bill 8, which mandates sheriffs request formal partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for designated deputies to serve administrative immigration warrants at their jails. Full Story
Senate Bill 37 would give more power to university regents, who are appointed by the governor, to vet and veto new curricula and administrators. Full Story
The Texas Senate agreed Friday to make it easier for the new city, home to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to shutter the beach during rocket launches. Full Story
The state constitution’s legislative calendar — not a vote threshold — makes it hard to overrule the governor. Legislators are crafting an amendment that would make more overrides possible. Full Story
The chamber jettisoned a provision tenants’ advocates warned would make it easier for Texas landlords to evict renters. Full Story
A bill that would make it illegal to sell THC products could soon head over to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. For a cannabis store employee, lawmakers don't know enough about the industry they're trying to shut down. Full Story
The bill also contains a controversial provision that says it cannot be challenged in state court before it is enforced. It goes now to the House for a full vote. Full Story
Decades after making it harder for people to successfully sue doctors and corporations, the influential group Texans for Lawsuit Reform is facing more resistance than ever in its latest push to further restrict legal liability for business. Full Story
As the state seeks to put guardrails around the fast-growing technology, some critics say the bill doesn’t go far enough to protect citizens while industry worries about stifling innovation. Full Story
The ban aims to remove products — made legal through a 2019 loophole — that provide a similar high to marijuana and are easily accessible to the general public. Full Story
The Senate’s rewrite of House Bill 4 reflects a gap in what the chambers want to see out of the new state assessment and the performance ratings that largely hinge on its results. Full Story
The legislation includes new pots of money for teacher raises and other school costs like insurance and transportation. It now heads to the House, where leaders say it will pass. Full Story
The Texas Senate had previously proposed more severe consequences in the bill. Full Story
The bill, which is poised to become law, creates up to a $250,000 fine for medical professionals who change a patients’ listed sex outside of certain exemptions. Full Story
Some hemp retailers are looking at other states, while others say they are ready to take Texas to court over a THC ban. Full Story
Federal action would be needed to make the change legal. Lawmakers at both the state and federal levels have debated the question for decades. Full Story
A House vote showed broad support for the measure that would let districts set aside time for prayer or religious study. Full Story
Texas lawmakers are poised to make it easier to suspend disruptive students. But some teachers and school psychologists say discipline alone won’t meet the mental health needs at the root of their behavior. Full Story