The clock is ticking on all the high-profile bills that have yet to be passed in this Texas legislative session. With the 88th Legislature’s session set to close on Memorial Day, a rundown of the status of key bills shows a mixed bag for the Republicans who control the majority in both chambers.
As The Dallas Express reported, some of the pieces of legislation important to the more conservative faction of Republicans were defeated through the combined efforts of Democrats and moderate Republicans, including a bill that would have proscribed the purchasing of real property in Texas by some Chinese, Iranian, North Korean, and Russian nationals.
Although not dead yet, a popular bill with border security patriots that would make it a crime and imprisonable offense to illegally cross the border, including as a felony for repeat offenders, may not make the finish line after its House sponsor had it postponed.
School choice, another priority specifically pushed by Governor Greg Abbott, died through procedural pitfalls.
However, a series of high-profile bills championed by conservatives are still working their way through the process and may be gaveled into law at the last minute. This includes a bill cutting property taxes and a bill to create a new Texas Border Force.
In addition, a bill restricting college sports participation to biological sex and another prohibiting certain sexually oriented performances in the presence of a child may both be passed before the session is over.
The House also passed a sports betting bill with a Democrat majority, only to see it die in the Senate, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Notably, House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) angered many of his Republican colleagues in January while still early in the legislative session. Phelan appointed several of his Democrat supporters to chair House committees, to the dismay of his Republican peers.