Here’s where bills stand on schools, taxes, marijuana as TX Legislature winds down
It’s that time of the Legislative session where many bills are moving — and fast — while even more appear to be stalled.
With just weeks left in the session and key deadlines past and looming, there are numerous bills to keep tabs on, from education policies and funding and the shaky fate of the Texas lottery, to bills responding to issues at home in the Tarrant County-area.
Thursday, May 15, marks the last day the House can hear most major House bills. (Some bills can still be considered through Friday, May 16, as part of what’s called the Local and Consent calendar, which is generally reserved for the most agreeable of proposals.)
Effectively, that means House bills not passed this week won’t see the governor’s desk, though the policies could advance in the form of a Senate bill or an amendment tacked onto another bill.
The session ends June 2. (Keep in mind, there’s always the chance Gov. Greg Abbott calls a special session later.)
Here are some of the measures to watch in the Texas Legislative Session’s final weeks.
School funding and other education bills
Much of the legislative session has focused on Abbott’s call for “school choice” in the form of education savings accounts for private and homeschooled students. But while the school voucher bill has been signed into law, other proposals — like a DEI ban in public schools, a ban on student cell phone use, with some exceptions, and the required display of the Ten Commandments in public schools — are still making their way through the Legislature.
Closely watched is whether public schools will see more funding and whether teachers will receive pay raises.
Some details have been released about the latest version of a bill funding public education, House Bill 2. The House passed the bill on April 16 and sent it to the Senate for review.
According to Sen. Brandon Creighton, who chairs the Senate Committee on Education K-12, the amended bill includes:
▪ Pay raises for teachers in their third year, with another increase at their five-year mark through a new teacher compensation allotment.
▪ $1.3 billion for special education.
▪ $500 million for school safety.
The bill is scheduled to be heard on May 15 in a Senate committee.
Splitting a school district
A House committee in April considered a bill that would require the splitting of a school district to go to a public vote. The proposal was filed after some members of the Keller school board proposed dividing the district in half along U.S. 377.
The district walked back the idea, but the move sparked public outcry and raised questions about whether splitting a school district — a process called detachment — has to be approved by voters in a public election.
House Bill 5089 by Rep. Charlie Geren clarifies that a vote is required.
The bill has been set on the House’s calendar for May 15, the same day as a midnight deadline for the chamber to hear House bills. Expect a rush to the clock — or lots of stalling — as lawmakers try to pass bills they like or block ones they don’t.
The bill is at risk of not being heard before the clock runs out.
Property tax relief
The House and Senate have reached a deal on property tax relief, according to The Texas Tribune and other news reports.
▪ Senate Bill 4, which raises the state’s homestead exemption for school taxes from $100,000 to $140,000. Combined with Senate Bill 23, homeowners 65 and older and those with disabilities would receive a $200,000 homestead exemption. The bumps would need voter approval as a constitutional amendment. Both bills have passed out of the Senate and a House committee but haven’t been debated on the House floor.
▪ House Bill 9, which gives businesses a $125,000 exemption on taxable personal property.
The Senate bills still need to be considered on the House floor. The Senate passed House Bill 9 on May 14, but the changes from the original version must be approved by the House before it heads to the governor.
THC and medical marijuana
Banning THC products that are readily available at gas stations, smoke shops and specialty stores across Texas is a top priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
The Senate passed its version of the proposal, Senate Bill 3, in March, but it has since been amended in a House committee. The new version was changed to be more in line with the House’s original proposal, which allows THC beverages, according to Spectrum News 1.
Those changes could be a sticking point between the two chambers.
The House on May 13 passed a bill expanding the state’s medical marijuana program, which allows low-dose THC for certain medical conditions.
Among its changes to the program, House Bill 46 increases the number of businesses allowed to distribute medical marijuana and expands qualifying conditions. If passed chronic pain where an opioid would otherwise be prescribed would be among the newly eligible medical conditions.
It would also allow for the overnight storage of medical marijuana at satellite locations across the state.
The bill is now in the Senate, where it must pass through committee and on the floor.
Tarrant County Appraisal District
Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, filed three bills addressing a policy by the Tarrant Appraisal District’s board of directors to conduct reappraisals every other year, rather than annually. The plan adopted in July 2024 also set a 5% “threshold” on market value increases on residential property, unless the district has evidence to support a bigger increase.
On May, 14 the Texas House sent House Bill 2786, clarifying that reappraisals must be done annually, to the Senate, where it must advance through committee and on the floor before heading to Abbott.
House Bill 3235 stipulates that a home’s appraised value is equal to the lesser of its market value as most recently appraised or 110% of its appraised value for the preceding tax year plus the market value of new improvements. The bill is pending in committee.
House Bill 148 requiring training for appraisal board members has passed in the House and out of a Senate committee.
Trinity Railway Express
Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Trinity Metro, which jointly own and operate the Trinity Railway Express line linking Dallas and Fort Worth, have warned that House Bill 3187 by Rep. Matt Shaheen threatens funding and could lead to service reductions and job losses.
The line is often used for travel to the American Airlines Center, which hosts concerts and sporting events.
Cities in DART’s service area have been divided on the proposal. Some city officials have called for the bill to pass because they aren’t seeing a sufficient return on their investment into the public transit provider.
The bill establishes a general mobility program with some of the tax dollars that would otherwise fund DART. Cities could use the money for projects like sidewalk construction and maintenance, hiking and biking trails, drainage improvements, and street lights and traffic control improvements.
The bill was passed out of committee but wasn’t scheduled for debate in the Texas House, missing an important deadline for many bills.
There is a Senate version of the proposal but it hasn’t advanced from a Senate committee.
Driving while intoxicated
Senate Bill 2320 by Sen. Phil King, a Weatherford Republican, increases criminal penalties for driving while intoxicated and responds to a November 2023 crash when three members of a Fort Worth Family were killed.
Lauren and Zach Muckleroy, 44, and their two children were hit by a driver whose blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit while on their way to a relative’s home for Thanksgiving. Zach Muckleroy and the two children, 12-year-old Judson and 9-year-old Lindsay, died, as did the driver.
The bill already advanced from the Senate and was heard in a House committee on May 8. If voted out, it would head to the House for debate.
Gambling and the Texas Lottery
After being a hot topic in 2023, sports betting and casino expansion in Texas has stalled in 2025. Proposals have been filed but haven’t gained traction with less than a month left in the Legislative session.
More focus has been placed on the Texas Lottery, amid scrutiny over the use of lottery couriers.
One proposal by Sen. Bob Hall was considered in a Senate committe on May 12, the same day the Edgewood Republican filed the last-minute bill, Senate Bill 3070. The bill hasn’t been voted out of committee as of May 14.
The bill would preserve the Texas Lottery, which isn’t funded in the version of the budget that’s being considered by a conference committee. That committee’s job is to negotiate a compromise bill that’s agreeable to both the House and the Senate.
But Hall’s bill would move the lottery under purview of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, according to the Senate Research Center. It also caps the number of lottery tickets bought in a single transaction at 100 tickets, and prohibits playing the lottery by phone or internet, according to the center’s analysis.
Jail transparency
Bills calling for more transparency around deaths in county jail custody have not advanced from a subcommittee where they were considered on April 28.
House Bill 3841 by Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat and Rep. David Lowe, a North Richland Hills Republican, deals with the investigation of jail deaths by an outside law enforcement agency. It also requires the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to regularly publish information about jail deaths on its website.
House Bill 5108 by Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Euless Democrat, requires jail death independent investigation materials to be retained as “vital records.”
The proposals come as family members and advocates have sought more information about jail deaths in Tarrant County.
Are you affected by any of these bills or others making their way – or not moving – through the Texas Legislature? We want to hear from you. Email edearman@star-telegram.com.
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM.
