Amid housing affordability crisis, Texas House votes to take some power from NIMBYs
Texas lawmakers have sought to make it easier to build more homes — and harder for neighbors to block projects. 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.
Texas lawmakers have sought to make it easier to build more homes — and harder for neighbors to block projects. Full Story
Legislators in the House and Senate have reached an agreement on more property tax relief. But some critics worry the cuts aren’t sustainable forever. Full Story
One proposal would allow the attorney general to sue cities and freeze sales tax revenues for up to 90 days. Full Story
Texas will give participating families about $10,000 to pay for their kids’ private schooling. Other details about the program, set to launch in 2026, are unclear. Full Story
A fiery debate on the House floor Friday gave way to the Senate Bill 412’s final vote. Supporters say it’s needed to protect children. Full Story
The Texas House is considering a bill to abolish May elections, which have the lowest turnout of any election. Full Story
Abbott tapped into a powerful national conservative movement and his own campaign war chest to turn legislative races into multimillion-dollar affairs. Full Story
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has called banning THC products a top priority. The latest draft of the lower chamber’s THC regulation bill would allow retailers to continue selling edibles and drinks. Full Story
The Texas Legislature has also invested millions in research to clean the fracking wastewater. Critics say it’s not a viable solution to the state’s water crisis. Full Story
The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year. Full Story
Dozens of people who signed up to speak were ready at 4 a.m. to debate whether public school classrooms should have to display the Ten Commandments. Full Story
The bill faced fierce opposition from hardline conservatives who say it is policing speech and could allow the state to jail people over silly political memes. Full Story
The Texas House passed onto the Senate a proposed ban Tuesday, alongside another bill that would require a social media warning label for minors. Full Story
Republican lawmakers are considering a bill to strengthen the state’s ban on homeless encampments and speed up the eviction process. Full Story
The bill, which would require schools to use a definition of antisemitism when considering discipline for students, will soon head over to Abbott’s desk. Full Story
A House bill would require school districts to hold an election before breaking into smaller entities. Full Story
Uvalde’s former mayor, now in the Legislature, wrote the bill so that law-enforcement agencies would have better coordination and leadership as they respond to a mass shooting. Full Story
Students are concerned the legislation could silence supportive teachers, dismantle safe spaces, lead to overenforcement and prevent honest conversations about identity. Full Story
Get quick answers from our archive of school voucher reporting with our experimental AI assistant. Full Story
The measure was briefly delayed by Democrats’ efforts to block the voucher program, but eventually passed with bipartisan support. Full Story