AUSTIN, Texas – As the Texas legislature kicks off the 89th session, lawmakers have introduced more than 2,400 bills across the House and Senate.
A flurry of bills was filed on Nov. 12, 2024, the first-day lawmakers could file.
Lawmakers file thousands of bills throughout a session, and rarely does each one make it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
Among these are proposals addressing some of the state’s most contentious issues, including immigration, education, and energy. Here’s a look at some bills KPRC 2’s Rilwan Balogun plans to follow this session.
Education: School Choice, Vouchers, and Federal Accountability
Education is a key battleground in the session, with a strong push for school choice programs. Governor Greg Abbott called a special session in the previous legislative session hoping to a sign bill advancing school choice programs. School choice, or vouchers, would allow parents to use public funds to send their children to private schools.
House Bill 212, filed by Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, would establish a Parental Empowerment Program. According to the bill’s language, the goal is to ensure the best education for Texas children is driven by parents, with funding following the child to the educational option that best fits their needs.
“School choice is wanted by all demographic groups in the state of Texas,” said Governor Abbott during a November news conference. “Hispanics and African Americans in the state of Texas, they strongly support school choice. Those parents want an option. They know their child better than any government employee does, and they want to put their child on the pathway toward success. School choice improves educational opportunities for minority and low-income students.”
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, the president of the senate, calls it his priority.
Another bill combining education and immigration is House Bill 371 (authored by Rep. Ben Bumgarner R-Flower Mound). This legislation calls for the federal government to reimburse Texas for the costs associated with educating children living in the state illegally. However, the bill’s success is contingent on the federal government’s willingness to enter into such an agreement, making its future uncertain.
“The board of trustees of a school district or the board ’s designee may require evidence that a person is eligible to attend the public schools of the district at the time the board or its designee considers an application for admission of the person,” the bill reads.
Immigration: Tightening Laws and Local Enforcement
Immigration is poised to be a significant focus, with several bills aiming to enhance enforcement and change existing policies. House Bill 1303 (authored by Rep. Andy Hopper R-Wise County) seeks to make changes to state laws that currently prevent law enforcement from making arrests at schools or places of worship for individuals living in the country illegally. Additionally, the bill would elevate illegal entry into the U.S. to a third-degree felony if the individual has prior convictions, a change from its current status as a state jail felony.
Another proposal, Senate Bill 658 (authored by Sen. Charles Schwertner R-Georgetown), would mandate county sheriffs enforce federal immigration laws, requiring larger counties—those with populations exceeding 250,000, such as Harris, Fort Bend, and Galveston Counties—to allocate the resources necessary to implement such enforcement. For smaller counties, the bill allows sheriffs to apply for grants from the Attorney General’s office to support the effort.
“The attorney general shall establish and administer a competitive grant program to support the state purpose of ensuring the security of this state’s borders by awarding grants to reimburse eligible sheriffs the costs of participating in agreements entered into under Section 752.081,” the bill reads. “The application must include a detailed plan on how the sheriff intends to implement and sustain the sheriff ’s participation in the agreement.”
Energy: Strengthening Grid Security and Infrastructure
Energy-related legislation is also on the agenda, with several bills aimed at enhancing the state’s power grid resilience and improving infrastructure. Senate Bill 270 (co-authored by Sen. Molly Cook D-Houston, Sen. Sarah Eckhardt D-Austin, Sen. Roland Gutierrez D-San Antoino, Sen. José Menéndez D-San Antonio, and Sen. Borris L. Milles D-Houston) proposes a state study to evaluate the benefits and costs of burying power lines underground. This bill, following the outages caused by Hurricane Beryl, would examine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of such an initiative.
The study, if passed and signed into law, would look at the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio areas. The goal of the study is to answer the following questions:
- (1) potential costs of burying existing overhead distribution power lines, including costs that could be passed on to ratepayers;
- (2) potential costs of maintaining and repairing underground distribution power lines;
- (3) potential cost savings associated with reduced power outages after burying distribution power lines; and
- (4) anticipated effects of burying distribution power lines on the environment, such as land use and water quality, on public safety, and on emergency response.
In a bid to address the vulnerabilities of the state’s electric grid, Senate Bill 75 and House Bill 941 propose the creation of a new security commission. This commission would include members with federal security clearances and a focus on ensuring the grid’s resilience. The legislation points to major outages in 2011 and 2021, which caused significant disruptions, including fatalities, as evidence of the urgent need for stronger oversight and security measures.
As the Texas legislative session unfolds, lawmakers are likely to continue filing bills addressing a wide range of issues. While the amount of proposed legislation is high, it’s important to remember that only a small fraction of these bills will survive the legislative process and ultimately become law.
