These new Texas bills target THC, taxes, schools. Will all of them become law?
Lawmakers wrapped up their work in Austin on June 2, ending the 89th Texas Legislative Session.
The session started with a contentious race for House speaker and fell on the heels of a heated election year. During their 140 days at the Capitol, the lawmakers passed school vouchers, new marijuana laws, an increased homestead exemption, and a slew of other laws that may soon govern Texans lives.
“Member’s the speaker’s desk is clear,” House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, said for the last time this legislative session, a little before 4 p.m.
He took a few minutes to reflect on the session before sending lawmakers back home to their districts.
“We started the session as a House in a bit of uncertanity and I believe that we ended in a much more unified and solid place,” Burrows said.
Lt. Gov. Patrick called the 31 senators a “well-oiled machine.” This is the “finest session” of any Texas Senate in modern times, Patrick said.
“Now the second part of the job you get elected for is to go home and serve your district and meet with your district and tell them all of the great things we have done,” Patrick said.
Here are some of the bills lawmakers sent to Gov. Greg Abbott and some that did not cross the finish line.
Texas vouchers, school funding
From the start, education policy was at the center of the legislative session.
Gov. Greg Abbott entered January following legislative race victories favoring his voucher priority that had failed when lawmakers met in 2023. With several new faces in the House, he reaffirmed his promise to pass “school choice” in Texas.
The proposal passed, with lawmakers passing an education savings account program that the governor swiftly made law. The bill lets parents use public dollars for their child’s private education.
Lawmakers also approved an $8.5 billion public school finance package that includes teacher pay raises.
Other notable education bills include pushes to incorporate religion into public school classrooms through bills that designate prayer time and require the hanging to the Ten Commandments in classroom.
Among the measures to pass in the Legislature’s final days was a bill banning DEI initiatives in public grade schools, including clubs for LGBTQ students. Lawmakers also approved a required personal financial literacy class for high school students.
With the exception of the voucher bill, Abbott has not yet signed the bills into law.
Lawmakers had been negotiating a bill to eliminate the STAAR test, but it missed a deadline and wasn’t approved in time.
“I am proud of the work we accomplished this session,” Burrows said. “I am most proud of what we did for public education. I think it’s transformative. It was something we can all be proud of.”
Texas property taxes, home appraisals
The Texas Legislature approved a bill increasing the homestead exemption on school property taxes by $40,000 to $140,000. Homeowners who are 65 or older would see their exemption increase to $200,000 through a companion bill that also passed.
But before homeowners see the savings, the question of whether to increase the exemption will appear on the November constitutional amendment ballot for voters to decide.
“We know the burden they feel in their homes, especially our senior citizens, and we focused in that area,” said Sen. Kelly Hancock, a North Richland Hills Republican, during a May 29 news conference.
But schools still need that revenue, Hancock said.
“We don’t want to just take those monies out of education,” Hancock said. “We’re going to replace them and fully fund that gap with state dollars.”
Bills responding to the Tarrant County Appraisal District’s July 2024 rule changes mostly did not pass.
They include measures by Rep. Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat, that would have required annual property appraisals and another stipulating requirements for a home’s appraised value.
A bill that did pass requires training for appraisal board members in counties with more than 75,000 people. It was sent to the governor but hasn’t been signed into law.
Texas THC ban, medical marijuana access
A ban on consumable THC products is at Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for approval. The bill would bar and penalize the distribution or purchase of consumable hemp products that contain any cannabinoid other than CBD or CBG, which do not produce a high.
Since the legalization of hemp in Texas and the U.S., there’s been a rise in the THC products, like delta-8 and delta-9 gummies, vapes and drinks. Supporters of a ban say the products are unsafe and shouldn’t be available. Others, including hemp businesses, have opted for a regulatory approach over prohibition.
The ban was one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priorities, and it will be up to Abbott whether to make it law.
Members of the hemp business community asked Abbott to veto the bill during a news conference on June 2.
“Texas is standing at a critical crossroads, not just for Texas hemp industry, but for the individual rights of all Texans, entrepreneurs, farmers, small businesses and consumers,” said Mark Bordas, the executive director of the Texas Hemp Business Council. “Thankfully, there’s one stop left in the legislative process and that is with the CEO of our state, Gov. Greg Abbott.”
Lawmakers also passed an expansion of Texas’ medical marijuana program that awaits Abbott’s signature. Among steps to make the products more accessible, the bill extends eligibility to number of medical conditions, including chronic pain.
North Texas bills that didn’t pass
Several bills affecting North Texas or stemming from North Texas died.
One proposal would have reduced funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which jointly owns and operates the Trinity Railway Express linking Dallas and Fort Worth. DART officials had warned that if the bill passed, the transportation authority could see service reductions, including possible cuts to the TRE line.
The legislation had the support of some suburban communities in DART’s service area who said they weren’t seeing sufficient return on investment. Ultimately, the bill did not pass out of a House committee.
A bill increasing the penalty for driving while intoxicated also didn’t advance from a House committee. It was filed after three members of a Fort Worth family were killed by a drunken driver in a November 2023 crash. Lauren Muckleroy, whose husband and two children were killed, testified in support of the bill.
Lawmakers also didn’t take action on legislation adjusting how the Texas Health and Human Services Commission awards contracts for Medicaid programs that insure low-income families. Cook Children’s has warned of health care coverage disruptions for mothers and children, without the legislature acting.
Other bills that didn’t pass deal with transparency surrounding the circumstances of jail deaths, the creation of the Wise Regional Water District and one that would have required a public vote for school districts to split, as discussed in the Keller school district.
Texas Lottery, immigration laws, movies and other bills
Here are some of the other bills that have been debated this legislative session:
- Texas Lottery: Lawmakers passed a bill that continues the Texas Lottery but eliminates the Texas Lottery Commission, moving the lottery under the purview of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The bill has not been signed into law.
- Immigration law enforcement: Sheriffs that operate jails or contract with a private vendor that operates a jail must enter into an agreement with the federal government authorizing local law enforcement officials to enforce federal immigration law, if a bill that passed the Texas Legislature is signed into law.
- Abortion exceptions: Senate Bill 31 clarifies Texas abortion law in medical emergencies. It has not been signed into law.
- Texas movies: Texas lawmakers approved Senate Bill 22, bolstering the state’s film incentive fund, which would receive $300 million every two years until 2035.
- Defining man and woman: House Bill 229, which is on Abbott’s desk, defines in state law “man” and “woman” and “male” and “female” based on a person’s reproductive system.
- Lot sizes: If Senate Bill 15 is signed into law, cities with more than 150,000 people (that fall at least partly counties with more than 300,000 people) could not adopt rules requiring residential lots be more than 3,000 square feet in certain areas with undeveloped land.
This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 3:11 PM.
