89th Texas Legislature

Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, had previously insisted he had enough votes to thwart a challenge from the right led by state Rep. David Cook of Mansfield.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said consumable THC products are a public health threat, and he named their prohibition one of his top priorities for the 2025 legislative session. Business and veterans’ groups are likely to lobby hard against the effort.

The bill would reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV substances. Doctors say doing so could cause delays in care during serious medical emergencies.

Emboldened by the recent election, some Texas lawmakers are already filing bills that would dictate bathroom use, limit gender identity markers on documents and restrict funding for surgeries.

State Senator Paul Bettencourt pre-filed seven bills largely aimed at past practices in Harris County. Six of them previously cleared the Senate in 2023 but died in the House at the end of the regular legislative session.

Policy experts discussed a range of issues they hope legislators consider next year, including child care, early childhood education and chronic school absenteeism.

Democratic state Rep. John Bucy pre-filed two bills in the Texas Legislature that would kick-start a high speed rail line along the I-35 corridor and direct funding to bullet train projects.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has pledged to pass legislation in 2025 that would mandate the placement of the Ten Commandments in every public-school classroom in Texas. A federal judge just blocked a similar law in Louisiana.