BY RACHEL LELAND, JAMES T. NORMAN & HALEY VELASCO CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANNAH NORTON
Sorting out details
Stay tuned
Notable bills filed across the state of Texas
Bay Area legislators have voiced some of their top priorities for education, including school vouchers. State Rep. Terri Leo Wilson, R-Galveston, at the Dec. 2 superintendent meeting said she believes the lack of support for school vouchers in 2023 caused some public school funding to be lost. In many cases, additional funding was tied to such bills. Leo Wilson as of Dec. 19 has filed 38 bills , which include topics dealing with immigration; diversity, equity and inclusion; and lobbying and campaign finance restrictions, among other topics. State Rep. Dennis Paul, R-Clear Lake, has filed four bills as of Dec. 19, according to bill filings. One such bill relates to the Gulf Coast funding account, which would set aside money for various Gulf Coast protection projects. Middleton is author of or party to 69 separate bills as of Dec. 19, dealing with topics including school allotments, various civil and criminal penalties, and observing daylight savings time year-round, according to filings.
The legislative session for 2025 begins Jan. 14 and runs through June 2, according to the Legislative Reference Library of Texas. However, Gov. Greg Abbott has the ability to call for a special session following the 140-day period, according to state documents. Those sessions would focus on specific topics and can last for up to 30 days . The governor can call for multiple special sessions. There were four special sessions called in 2023 following the regular period. Those ran from May to December, state documents show. Community Impact previously reported those special sessions in 2023 were called to tackle legislative priorities Abbott felt weren’t addressed in the regular session.
House Bill 351: Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin To increase the basic per-student allotment HB 165: Cody Vasut, R-Angleton Creating a committee and finding a way to eliminate property taxes in Texas House Concurrent Resolution 35: Claudia Ordaz, D-El Paso Pushing U.S. Congress to make spacesports eligible for tax-exempt private bonds HB 212: Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park Reimburses families for private school tuition costs through public school funding HB 1009: Mike Olcott, R-Aledo Requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in classrooms HB 183: Jared Patterson, R-Frisco Allows parents to ask the State Board of Education to review books they find inappropriate House Joint Resolution 80: Ana-María Ramos, D-Dallas Allows patients and doctors to decide if abortion is necessary
SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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