Texas lawmakers' negotiations over judicial pay raises go down to the wire as legislative session ends

CBS News

2 days ago

Lawmakers at the Texas Capitol negotiated over a single bill Monday afternoon before adjourning sine die. The final measure, Senate Bill 293, increases starting annual salaries for state judges from $140,000 to $175,000.
The House and Senate had disagreed over one key issue: pensions for state lawmakers, which are tied to judges' salaries. The House opposed a pension increase for legislators, while the Senate supported it. Under the compromise reached Monday, lawmakers' pensions will increase now, but starting in 2030, the Texas Ethics Commission — not lawmakers — will determine future pension adjustments.
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Among the major bills passed this session:
A $1 billion school voucher program allowing students to use tax dollars to attend private schools.
$8.5 billion in new funding for public schools.
$10 billion in additional property tax relief.
A $1 billion biennial investment in water infrastructure to create new sources and repair leaking pipes, pending voter approval in November.
Legislation allowing ERCOT, the state's electric grid operator, to shut off power to large users like data centers, provided they have backup power.
Bills ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) considerations in school district hiring.
Measures expanding parental and school board control over public school library content.
Other legislation includes abolishing the Texas Lottery Commission and transferring oversight to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, banning cellphones for K-12 students in schools, and requiring Apple and Google to verify users' ages on their apps.
Several bills failed to pass, including one that would have replaced the STAAR standardized test and another that would have required Dallas Area Rapid Transit to return 25% of collected sales tax revenue to member cities.
"This has been a pretty rough session. I think Democrats are going to come back invigorated. We're going to go into this next election cycle with fire in our eyes, and I think we want the public to come join us. We now hear the cries of the public," said state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.
"The things that I and my voters will consider wins are probably not the things that Rep. Wu and his constituents might view as wins. But when I go back home and we have over $44 million in new dollars coming to our public schools, that's a win," said state Rep. Shelby Slawson, R-Stephenville, vice chair of the House GOP Caucus.
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