Vouchers, marijuana, gambling: Top issues to watch as Texas lawmakers return to Austin
Lawmakers are headed back to Austin for another 140 days (or more) as they convene their latest legislative session.
Lawmakers wrapped up their work when they last met in 2023 with some unfinished business — particularly around education — and lots of contention among members that has escalated in the months since.
It’s on that note that the House and Senate will meet again starting Jan. 14.
The first order of business is picking a House speaker. Once that’s settled, the governing begins, and there’s plenty to do with more than 2,500 bills already filed. That number will grow as more proposals are submitted and as leadership names its key priorities for lawmakers.
The ongoing fight over a voucher-like program and school financing is expected to be a top — if not the top — issue before lawmakers, but it’s just one in a laundry list of debates that will play out.
Lawmakers have until June 2 to finish their work, but like in 2023 they could be called in for subsequent special sessions if Gov. Greg Abbott thinks there’s more to be done.
Texas legislative sessions are always jam-packed, but here are a few issues we’re watching.
The race for House Speaker
The House Speaker race is in full force.
The main contenders: Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, and Rep. David Cook, a Mansfield Republican.
The House GOP has remained divided over who to pick as a faction of the party pushes to ban Democrats from serving as committee chairs, a long held tradition in the chamber. Current speaker, Rep. Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, dropped out of the race in December. He faced backlash over his leadership, including his Democratic chair appointments and for the House’s impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Among Tarrant County’s Republican delegation, Fort Worth Rep. Nate Schatzline, Arlington Rep. Tony Tinderholt and North Richland Hills Rep. David Lowe are backing Cook, whose district includes parts of Fort Worth, Arlington, Burleson and Mansfield.
Southlake Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, Fort Worth Rep. Charlie Geren and incoming Fort Worth Rep. John McQueeney were among those included on Burrows’ bipartisan list of supporters. Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Euless Democrat, and Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, are also among Burrows’ supporters.
The leader of the House will set the tone for the session and the direction of bills.
School vouchers
Abbott started the 2023 session with a charge for lawmakers: Pass “school choice” for parents and students using state=funded education savings accounts.
The voucher-like program would let parents use state dollars for their child’s private education, a move that opponents say would harm public education funding. (Abbott has said public schools will be fully funded.)
Some Republicans and Democrats in the House didn’t like the idea and ultimately — despite multiple special sessions — Abbott’s priority stalled. Caught in the crossfire were teacher pay raises and public education funding.
The debate will resume in January, and a more conservative Texas House could bode well for the governor, though leadership at the top could also be a factor. Abbott successfully targeted several Republicans who opposed vouchers in the 2024 Republican primaries.
A couple bills related to education savings accounts have been filed in the House, but the main vehicle for the governor’s priority doesn’t appear to have been filed.
Patrick has named school choice his top priority come January.
As voucher debates play out, there will likely be renewed conversations about teacher pay raises and the amount of money public schools get in funding per student.
Marijuana access in Texas
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is targeting a flourishing cannabis industry.
Patrick announced in December that one of his priorities is banning consumable THC products, such as Delta-8 and Delta-9 products that can produce a high. They’re in vape cartridges, gummies and seltzers.
The products are easily found at specialty stores, convenience stores and vape stores across the state and are legal if they have a Delta-9 THC concentration below 0.3%. Anything above that is legally defined as marijuana and not allowed in Texas, except in limited circumstances for medicine.
The industry has boomed since the legalization of hemp, which like marijuana comes from the cannabis plant, but lacks regulation.
Patrick says retailers have acted dangerously, exploiting the agriculture law. Cannabis advocates and some within the industry oppose an outright ban, but support regulation.
Sen. Charles Perry, a Lubbock Republican, is expected to carry the bill, but the legislation hadn’t been filed as of Jan. 8.
Another outstanding question is whether there will be further expansion of access to medical marijuana through the state’s Compassionate Use Program. The program allows “low-THC cannabis” for the treatment of certain medical conditions, such as cancer, epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorders.
There was a push in 2023 to expand the program to include those with chronic pain who’d otherwise be prescribed opioids and those with “debilitating medical conditions” designated by the Department of State Health Services. The effort didn’t make it to Abbott’s desk.
With Klick out of the Legislature after losing her March primary, another member will have to take the helm on medical marijuana expansion for proposals to pass this time around.
Sports betting and casinos
Pushes for legalized sports betting and expanding casinos in Texas have garnered attention in recent years but have ultimately stalled.
The House in 2023 approved a measure that would let Texans vote on whether to allow online sports betting, but the proposal didn’t move in the Senate. A bill that would have let voters decide on a limited number of resort-style casinos died in the House.
Las Vegas Sands has been a key driver of the push for the casinos through the Destination Resort Alliance, joining with other players in the gaming and entertainment industry. As of 2024, Sands had more than 100 registered lobbyists. The company is tied to the Adelson family, members of which also own the Dallas Mavericks.
At least one bill expanding casinos has already been filed, a constitutional amendment by Rep. Carol Alvarado, a Houston Democrat. The bill would allow a limited number of destination resort style casinos, which have amenities such as a hotel, shopping, entertainment venues and meeting rooms.
Any gambling expansion would have to first go to Texas voters for approval.
The Texas power grid
Improvements have been made to the Texas power grid since the winter storm in February 2021 but there’s still more to do, Abbott said during a Jan. 8 news conference.
Because of new laws in recent years, the grid is more resilient than it has ever been, Abbott said.
Still, population growth and economic development are booming, Abbott said.
“We’re going to have many more businesses coming to the state of Texas, some of which will be heavy users of power, such as AI data centers,” he said. “And so, for Texas to maintain its national leadership for economic development and for growth, we need to make sure that we continue to add more power to our grid, so that power will stay on for every home and for every business.”
Abbott said he’s requesting more money for dispatchable power in Texas from lawmakers.
The remarks came as state officials updated Texans on forecasted winter weather, including the state of the grid.
During a December Dallas stop, Abbott said lawmakers should make nuclear energy and securing water resources priorities during the coming session, according to The Dallas Morning-News.
This story was originally published January 10, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
