AUSTIN, Texas — On Tuesday, Jan. 14, Texas state senators and representatives will begin the 89th regular session of the Texas Legislature. Unlike the U.S. Congress, Texas lawmakers only meet in regular session once every two years.
The Texas Legislature typically introduces thousands of bills throughout the session. So far, lawmakers have introduced 1,636, and that number will grow as the session progresses.
With so many bills introduced each year, Democrats and Republicans make a habit of declaring their priorities each session. Here’s what members of both parties have indicated as their focus in 2025.
Republicans
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick leads the Republican Party within the Texas Senate. Before the session began, he publicized a list of legislative priorities for Republicans this session.
School Choice
One of Patrick’s top priorities is implementing so-called school choice legislation, which would allow taxpayer dollars to be used for private and faith-based schools. This is right in line with Gov. Greg Abbott’s priorities and could be named as an emergency item, allowing lawmakers to take it up in the first 60 days of the session. Abbott previously called several special sessions to try to get “school choice” passed, and even campaigned against Republicans who stopped them in the house. But now Abbott says he has the numbers to pass school vouchers.
Property Tax Relief
Patrick has charged lawmakers with continuing their efforts to provide property tax relief for Texans. Those efforts include studying the impacts of reducing or even eliminating property taxes altogether.
Strengthening the Power Grid
Improving and reinforcing Texas’ power grid is another major priority, likely in response to past issues with grid reliability, like the winter storm of 2021 that left hundreds of thousands without power. Patrick has charged lawmakers with studying the effects of Bitcoin mining facilities on the grid.
Housing Affordability
Patrick has directed senators to study and address the state’s housing affordability crisis, including examining housing supply, homelessness and methods of providing and financing affordable housing.
Fighting Antisemitism on College Campuses
Combating antisemitism in higher education institutions is listed among Patrick’s priorities.
Examining Charitable Bail Organizations
Patrick wants to investigate the operations and impact of charitable organizations that pay bonds for people.
Banning Delta 8 and 9
The lieutenant governor is pushing for a ban on cannabis-derived products like Delta 8 and 9, which are currently legal under state law due to their low THC content.
Education and Workforce Development
Patrick has called for:
- Overseeing how public schools spent federal COVID-19 relief funds
- Reviewing school safety measures implemented after the Uvalde shooting
- Studying workforce productivity and maintaining childcare availability
- Examining programs and certifications related to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in public universities
Border Security
Expanding border security efforts is likely to be a significant focus, given its prominence in Republican priorities.
Election Integrity
Patrick supports establishing an election integrity division in the Office of the Texas Attorney General to oversee ongoing election integrity efforts.
By outlining these priorities, Patrick aims to set the agenda for an 89th legislative session that aligns with the goals of Texas’s conservative majority.
Democrats
Texas Democrats held a press conference on Monday outlining their legislative priorities. Democratic State Reps. Gina Hinojosa, Lulu Flores, James Talarico, Vicky Goodwin, Cassandra Hernandez, Gene Wu and Donna Howard emphasized their focus on working-class issues and their opposition to what they view as divisive policies from their Republican counterparts.
Here are some of the issues Democrats said they would focus on in that press conference:
Opposition to Republican Policies
Democrats cited several Republican efforts that they plan to oppose in the 89th Legislature, including:
- Voucher programs for private schools
- Tax cuts that Democrats say primarily benefit wealthy individuals
- Elimination of programs supporting minorities in higher education
- Spending on border security initiatives like Operation Lone Star
Economic Justice and Fair Wages
Texas House Democrats are prioritizing the creation of an economy where workers receive fair compensation for their labor. They highlight that Texans work more hours than residents of any other state, yet many earn less than $15 an hour. The Democrats aim to address this disparity and ensure that a fair day’s work is rewarded with a fair day’s wage.
Affordable Housing
Making homeownership accessible to all hardworking Texans is another key priority. The Democrats said they recognize that the dream of owning a home has become increasingly difficult for many, especially young people. They propose expanding programs like “Homes for Heroes,” which provides down payment assistance to first responders, and introducing the “Fair Rent Incentive Act” to help renters save for future home purchases.
Health Care Access
Democrats are fighting to make health care a right rather than a privilege. They say that one in four Texans struggles with medical debt, which they find unacceptable. Their goal is to improve health care accessibility and affordability for all Texans.
Public Education
Democrats said they stand united against the governor’s proposed voucher program, which they view as a threat to public schools. They claim school vouchers don’t give Texas families a “choice” but instead the private schools, because they can deny admission to any child for any reason. Another concern Democrats have with vouchers is that the $8,000 to $10,000 families could receive would not even cover the full cost of tuition at most Texas private schools.
“The vast majority of funding ends up going to rich parents who don’t need any help, at the expense of working-class kids across the state,” said State Rep. James Talarico of Austin.
They emphasized the need for increased funding for public education, criticizing Abbott for not allocating any of the $33 billion budget surplus to schools in the previous session.
“We beat Greg Abbott’s billionaire backed voucher scheme, but in retaliation, Greg Abbott withheld new funding for our public schools,” Talarico said. “Abbott spent zero of that historic surplus on our students, on our teachers, on our families and on our schools, it’s unconscionable.”
Infrastructure and Basic Services
Democrats said they aim to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used to fund essential services and infrastructure. That includes maintaining neighborhood schools, keeping utilities functioning and addressing water conservation and infrastructure issues.
Gun Violence Prevention
Democrats are pursuing policies focusing on gun violence prevention. This includes building upon previous initiatives like the “Natalia Cox Act” and working with survivor families to address gun-related issues. Democrats said they would like to pass a law similar to a federal law that prevents people from openly carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of a school.
Child Care
Addressing the challenges in the child care sector is another priority. Democrats recognize the financial strain on both child care providers and parents, and aim to create a “thriving family fund” to address these issues.
Speaker Race Drama
House Democrats also brought up their concerns about the speaker race in the Texas House. On the first day of the legislative session, the House of Representatives will vote in a Speaker to lead the House.
Two Republicans are vying to be the next Speaker, State Representative Dustin Burrows from Lubbock, and State Representative David Cook from Mansfield. The Republican House Caucus picked Cook, but a coalition of Burrows supporters say they’re willing to break away from the Caucus.
To become the speaker, a Representative needs a simple majority vote among the 150 members, so if Representative Burrows gets the support of all 62 House Democrats plus 14 Republicans, he’ll get to the 76 votes needed to win the seat.
Recently Attorney General Ken Paxton has been pressuring Republican Representatives to vote for the Caucus’ pick, David Cook. But House Democrats say this fight for control of the House goes deeper than just the Speaker race.
Austin Representative James Talarico claims two billionaires from West Texas, who are the largest Republican donors in the state are vying for Cook to win.
“They’ve already bought our governor, they’ve bought our lieutenant governor, they’ve bought our attorney general, they’ve bought our state senate,” Talarico said. “And now to complete their takeover, they’re trying to buy the Texas House. Tomorrow, they’ll attempt to get their puppet elected speaker.”
He says public education and school vouchers are going to be the battleground that Republicans fight on for control of the House.