Latest news with #SB18
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Recap Texas' 89th Legislative Session with KXAN
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After 140 days, Texas' 89th Legislative Session closed Monday with state lawmakers passing over 1,000 bills. Senators and representatives filed 8,719 bills and 2,765 resolutions this session; by the session's end, 1,189 bills went to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott. In 2023, the legislature passed 1,222 of its 8,046 filed bills; Abbott vetoed 76 bills following the session. DATA HUB: How many bills have state lawmakers passed? Ahead of the 2025 Legislative Session, KXAN laid out which topics we would focus on — education, immigration, housing, AI, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. These 5 KXAN investigations sparked bills landing on the Texas governor's desk KXAN and Nexstar journalists wrote hundreds of stories covering the 89th Legislative Session since bill filing opened in November 2024. Due to the volume of bills, KXAN also republished stories from The Texas Tribune. When lawmakers, legislative staff, activists, journalists, and other lege watchers talk about a piece of legislation 'dying,' they mean that a bill failed to meet a deadline. IN-DEPTH: What are the Texas Legislature's session deadlines? The clearest deadline is the end of a session. Unless called back for a special session, lawmakers must wait until 2027 to pass more legislation. This session, 7,530 bills died in the legislature (86.4% of filed). That number likely also includes companion bills for bills that did pass this session. If every bill that passed had a companion, then the total shakes out to around 6,300 (72.7%). Thousands of Texas House bills 'die' at key midnight deadline KXAN reported on the following bills that failed this session: HB 274, which would have put Austin under the state's direct control HB 5151, which would have restricted development of rock crushing plants SJR 1, which would have prevented bail for undocumented suspects SB 18, which would have banned drag story time events SB 240, which would have restricted transgender Texans' use of private spaces SB 819, which would have added multiple regulations to renewable energy projects HB 366, which would have criminalized deceptive AI-generated campaign ads, also failed to pass. Other bills died during the final days of session. That period is when committees with members from both legislative chambers meet to hash out any differences in a bill that both passed. Bills that die don't always stay dead; lawmakers can refile them during the next session. Some already announced their intent to do so, such as Sen. Royce West with his bill to require hospitals install bollards near entrances. In fact, most of the bills that we covered in our session preview ended up failing. Ahead of the 2025 session, Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced their priority bills for the session. They met many of those priorities this session, such as creating education savings accounts (HB 2), funding water infrastructure projects (SB 7), and creating a 'Texas Cyber Command' (HB 150). Where Abbott's emergency priorities stood on May 16, 2025 Here's what some other bills that passed this session would do: Ban hemp products that contain THC (SB 3) Require Texas counties partner with US ICE to enforce immigration law (SB 8) Ban 'DEI' programs, LGBTQ+ clubs in schools (SB 12) 'Make Texas Healthy Again' with nutrition curriculum, daily exercise (SB 25) Expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program (HB 46) Create a sickle cell registry (HB 107) Define 'male' and 'female' in Texas law (HB 229) Limit roadside pet sales (HB 2012, 2731) Close a loophole in sexual assault laws (HB 3073) Further restrict abortion (multiple bills) Abbott has 20 days following the session's end to veto bills, after which they become law regardless of his signing them. Last session, KXAN reported that Abbott vetoed 76 bills, setting a new personal record. Most new laws in Texas will take effect on September 1 in the same year as the session. Some, like a law allowing fireworks sales before Juneteenth (HB 554), begin immediately. Several laws related to ad valorem taxes take effect at the start of 2026, and so will SB 2420, which requires mobile app stores verify the ages of their users. However, Texas voters have final say on anything that would effect taxes. In 2023, 14 laws required an amendment to the state's constitution; voters approved 13. IN-DEPTH: KXAN's Capitol Context In November, 14 ballot measures will be before voters, according to legislative records: billreport-2Download Legal challenges can lead to a court enjoining the state and its agents from implementing or enforcing some laws. The ACLU announced its intent to bring a lawsuit against recently passed SB 10, which would require public schools display a state-approved version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. Did we miss a bill that you'd like an update on? Let us know at ReportIt@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Texas House kills drag story time bill again
AUSTIN (KXAN) — For the second consecutive session, legislation targeting drag story time events died in the Texas House of Representatives. Senate Bill 18 missed a key deadline this week to be fully considered on the House floor, effectively ending its chances of becoming state law. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick identified the legislation as a priority this session after a similar measure died in the House in 2023. Before stalling in Texas Senate, 'homosexual conduct' bill made legislative history The bill called for stripping public funding for any library that hosted a children's reading event led by a drag performer. Supporters argued it was needed to protect kids from the confusion of seeing someone dressed in drag and concerns about them being exposed to inappropriate content. However, opponents accused lawmakers of using this to crack down further on the LGBTQ+ community and said it would do nothing to actually protect Texas children. The legislation passed the Texas Senate in February along a party line vote, and a House committee then took up the legislation in May and recommended it for consideration in the full chamber. Even though SB 18 made it onto the intent calendar Tuesday, the House took no action on it in the rush of the final few days of the session. Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, reintroduced the bill this year after the previous iteration of it met a similar fate in the lower chamber two years ago. The legislation advanced further than it did then because a House committee actually debated the bill, which never happened in 2023. KXAN reached out Thursday to Hughes' office for comment about SB 18 dying this session and asked whether he would file it again when lawmakers reconvene in 2027. This story will be updated whenever Hughes shares a response. Reporting about his previous proposal, Senate Bill 1601, was featured in a KXAN investigative project called 'OutLaw: A Half-Century Criminalizing LGBTQ+ Texans.' It looked in-depth at the historic number of bills filed in the 2023 session impacting the state's LGBTQ+ community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Senate weighs bill limiting universities as public spaces for speech, demonstrations
In 2019, Texas lawmakers passed a bill establishing open spaces at Texas universities as traditional public forums for anyone to speak freely. A new proposal in the Senate, however, would upend that statute and only allow students and employees to engage in expressive activities in common outdoor areas. Senate Bill 2972 by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, who chairs the Senate Education K-16 Committee, received its second approval from senators Tuesday, leaving one more vote before it advances to the House. The bill comes a year after multiple pro-Palestinian protests broke out at college campuses across Texas, resulting in more than 150 demonstrators getting arrested and some Jewish students feeling unsafe. The 2019 law, SB 18, was priority legislation for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, which was passed with enthusiasm from Republican lawmakers who feared conservative voices were being silenced on campus. However, an interim hearing in 2024 after the pro-Palestinian protests, which notably opposed Texas' strong pro-Israel stance, sought to investigate how universities could better manage free speech. "The committee substitute of SB 2972 balances First Amendment rights of faculty, students and staff while returning local control to university leadership to ensure order and safety on campus to limit disruption during finals and class hours and the ability for peace officers to keep students safe during these organized efforts," Creighton said on the Senate floor Tuesday. More: Texas lawmakers probe universities' compliance with anti-DEI law, free speech: Our takeaways As per the bill, university boards of regents would have authority to designate areas on a campus to serve as limited public forums, but they would no longer be required to have a free speech area. University open spaces would be considered private unless designated otherwise, Creighton confirmed in response to Democratic Sen. Sarah Eckhart's questions on the floor. Additionally, SB 2972 instructs institutions of higher education to prohibit expressive activities that include amplified sound or drums, encampments, wearing a face mask to conceal a person's identity and demonstrations that occur during finals week — all features of the pro-Palestinian protests, which universities and lawmakers deemed to be disruptive and threatening. The protesters have asserted their demonstrations were peaceful. Creighton's proposal would also bar speech on campuses between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. and the U.S. and Texas flags could not be replaced by any other. More: A year ago, 136 pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested at UT. How campus has changed. Creighton's bill resembles changes UT adopted after two large pro-Palestinian protests last spring, which a spokesperson said at the time were regular updates and clarifications to the school's policies. At an April 16 Senate K-16 Education Committee hearing, Amanda Cochran-McCall, UT's legal affairs vice president, was called as a resource witness for the bill, but senators did not call on her with questions. Multiple students have sued the University of Texas for allegedly violating their free speech rights when they were arrested during the pro-Palestinian protests in April 2024. Free speech groups have decried UT's police response to the demonstrations, which was supported by Gov. Greg Abbott and applauded by conservative lawmakers. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers arrived mounted on horseback to control the demonstrations. Police used zip ties to detain protesters and pepper spray was used as a crowd control measure. At a Senate hearing in April, Sameeha Rizvi, a UT alum who is also a representative of the Council of American-Islamic Relations for Texas, said the restrictions in Creighton's bill would chill lawful speech. The bill would bar students from holding peaceful vigils in the evening or speaking up during the last two weeks of a semester, she said. More: Analysis: UT increases limits on free speech after pro-Palestinian protests, Abbott order Creighton's bill joins several proposals aimed at curbing "disruptive" free speech after the pro-Palestinian protests. Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, authored SB 2595, which the Senate passed last week, would make it a criminal offense for people to conceal their identity while 'intentionally" harassing, intimidating or threatening someone or a group of people in a public space. Middleton's bill closely resembles model mask ban legislation by the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, that has been implemented in places like Nassau County, New York and North Carolina. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Senate poised to advance bill limiting free speech at colleges
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
After college students protested Israel-Hamas war, Texas Senate votes to restrict time, place and manner of future events
The Texas Senate on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would restrict protesting on college campuses in reaction to the pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. The bill's author, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, said he wants to prevent disruption and unsafe behavior, but opponents have said it contradicts the Legislature's previous commitment to campus free speech, championed by conservative lawmakers six years ago. Senate Bill 2972 would give university systems' governing boards the power to limit where protests can take place on campus and more tools to police them. Lawmakers voted 21-10 to advance the bill without debate. Under the legislation, students and staff would not be allowed to use microphones or any other device to amplify sound while protesting during class hours. The bill largely prohibits them from protesting at all overnight and during the last two weeks of a semester. They'd also be barred from erecting encampments, taking down an institution's U.S. flag to put up another nation's or organization's and wearing masks, facial coverings or other disguises to avoid being identified while protesting or to intimidate others. Finally, students and university employees at a protest would be required to present a valid ID when asked by law enforcement. In 2019, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 18, which required colleges and universities to ensure that all outdoor common areas of campus were traditional public forums. This meant anyone could protest there as long as they weren't breaking the law or disrupting the function of the college or university. SB 18 also said any restrictions institutions placed on protesting had to be 'narrowly tailored to serve a significant institutional interest.' SB 2972 would walk those provisions back, allowing governing boards to designate which areas on campus are traditional public forums and allowing them to restrict protests in these areas as long as it is 'reasonable in light of the purpose of the area.' Cate Byrne, a third-year law student at the University of Texas at Austin, said during a Senate K-16 Education Hearing last month that because the bill doesn't define what is 'reasonable,' it could lead to administrators discriminating against protesters based on their viewpoint. Other current and former UT-Austin students pointed out that some protesters must wear masks because they are immunocompromised and that this legislation would also impede conservative speech — which lawmakers sought to protect when they passed SB 18 in 2019. They pointed out that candlelight vigils for the unborn would not be allowed under this proposal because they would occur at night, for example. 'These restrictions create an impossible situation,' said Sameeha Rizvi, Texas policy and advocacy coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations and a UT-Austin graduate. 'Protest silently during the daytime or don't protest at all after hours. Whether students are advocating for human rights or religious freedom, all speech across the political spectrum will be constrained.' Following Hama's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, students across the country demanded their universities divest from Israel or manufacturers supplying Israel with weapons in its strikes on Gaza. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Hillel International also reported a sharp uptick in antisemitic incidents on campus, which lawmakers vowed to address this session. When students protested at UT-Austin, administrators called in armed state troopers, who arrested more than a hundred people over several days. Several colleges across the country have since imposed limits on protesting that clamped down on pro-Palestinian encampments. The Indiana University board of trustees adopted a policy similar to the bill the Texas Legislature is considering that prohibits camping unless it is part of a university-approved event, protesting overnight and amplified noise that 'materially or substantially' disrupts university life. The Trump administration has also demanded that Columbia and Harvard universities ban masks at campus protests. Columbia agreed. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
SB 37 doesn't fix problems at Texas universities. It undermines faculty, students
Texas public higher education has been in the crosshairs of right-wing politicians since February 2022. That month, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick threatened 'looney Marxist professors' with the end of tenure after the University of Texas faculty council issued a statement affirming its faculty's right to academic freedom. Patrick's threats led to the 2023 passage of Senate Bill 17, which banned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts at universities, and SB 18, which weakened the protections of faculty tenure. Several Republican-sponsored bills this session go after higher education even further. But in my view, Patrick's priority bill, SB 37, should be most vehemently opposed by Texans who care about the quality of higher education in this state. In crafting SB 37, Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, has abandoned the culture war language of 'wokeness' and 'CRT,' or critical race theory. Instead, the bill promises to provide more oversight of universities and promote excellence in higher education. At first glance, that may sound rather innocuous. But the bill has harmful implications for our public colleges and universities. It will lead to inefficiencies, undermine democratic processes and deny educational liberty and student choice, among other negative effects. SB 37 would create an Office of Excellence in Higher Education to oversee compliance in our public colleges and universities. But the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Board of Regents already provide such oversight. Adding another layer of bureaucracy will lead to unnecessary government spending and duplicate an infrastructure that already exists. SB 37 would also require that half of the members of faculty senates and councils be elected. Appointed faculty are more likely to align with the views of the administration, which would reduce the range of perspectives that would be offered in deliberation. The bill would also expand senate membership to constituencies outside the university and limit faculty membership to tenured faculty. Faculty senates in Texas already serve in an advisory capacity to the president, but under this configuration, only the most elite members of the university workforce — those with tenure — would even be eligible for service. As tenured faculty make up only a minority of the faculty workforce, this severely undermines any semblance of democratic deliberation. SB 37 would also eliminate minors and certificate programs that politicians determine are under-enrolled. But certificates and minors cost the university virtually nothing to offer. Offering fewer will effectively eliminate students' ability to seek the credentials they believe are best for them, regardless of the popularity of those studies. Additionally, SB 37 would place the core curriculum at each institution under the review of an appointed committee. This committee would ensure that 'courses do not endorse specific public policies, ideologies or legislation' — a vague provision that in practice could easily lead to state censorship of education. Like any bureaucratic system, universities could be more efficient in delivering the services the state has asked them to provide. A real inefficiency that should be addressed, for instance, is the increase in highly-paid upper administrative positions at universities that have increasingly taken the work of governance out of the hands of faculty. But this bill doesn't fix any real problems in our public colleges and universities. Instead, SB 37 implies that faculty are not experts in the fields in which they've spent decades working. It suggests bureaucrats are better at managing organizations than those who labor in them every day. And it contends that students don't deserve the educational liberty to choose the courses of study that they deem best. I'm sure if he reached out, Sen. Creighton would find faculty to be willing partners in making our universities the best in the world. Instead, he has proposed a course of action that will greatly hamper our pursuit of excellence. SB 37 is not only bad for Texas colleges and universities, it's bad for Texas. Pauline Strong is a professor at the University of Texas and president of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors) chapter at UT Austin. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Senate Bill 37 would weaken public universities in Texas | Opinion
