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Is it law yet? See how far some of the most consequential bills have made it in the 2023 Texas Legislature

Illustration by Emily Albracht
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Published 6:29 PM

By Texas Tribune Staff, The Texas Tribune

May 18, 2023

"Is it law yet? See how far some of the most consequential bills have made it in the 2023 Texas Legislature" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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Editor's note: An earlier version of the bill tracker included SB 9, which would have given one-time bonuses to teachers according to their school district's enrollment size. However, we removed it from the tracker after a House committee removed teacher bonuses from the bill.

Texas lawmakers filed thousands of bills during the 2023 legislative session. However, most of those bills won’t become law. Lawmakers will spend the final weeks before the session ends on May 29 trying to push through their priorities. They will also try to stop certain bills from going through by delaying votes and letting them miss key deadlines. If a bill fails, it might still be revived as an amendment to other legislation. Most new laws take effect Sept. 1.

Here’s how the legislative process works:

Major bills at a glance

Bills that are still in the works

Bills are proposed in the House or Senate and must be approved by both chambers. A conference committee reconciles any differences.

The session ends May 29, so time has run out for proposed bills.

Bills that have been sent to Gov. Abbott

Next, bills go to the governor, who can decide whether to sign or veto them.

Allocating the budget

HB 1: Sent to Abbott on May 27

The state's $300 billion-plus spending plan, which will determine how Texas allocates a $32.7 billion surplus. This is the one bill the Legislature is constitutionally required to pass. Lawmakers struck a deal that includes tax cuts and spending on mental health access and state parks, among other things. Read more

Banning care for trans kids

SB 14: Sent to Abbott on May 17

A bill to block the use of puberty blockers or hormone treatments for transgender children. The bill has spurred protests that have led to altercations with state police. Read more

Expanding postpartum Medicaid

HB 12: Sent to Abbott on May 28

This bill would extend Medicaid coverage for low-income Texans for a full year after childbirth. The version passed by the Senate includes an amendment that would exclude people who have abortions. In a conference committee, House members agreed to accept the bill with the Senate’s amendment. Read more

Allowing murder charges for fentanyl poisoning

HB 6: Sent to Abbott on May 19

This measure would allow prosecutors to pursue murder charges against those accused of providing someone with a fatal dose of fentanyl. Read more

Addressing school safety

HB 3: Sent to Abbott on May 28

A wide-ranging proposal to increase school safety funding and strengthen school safety standards. The provision to require an armed person at every school campus was added back into the bill during the negotiation process after the Senate took it out earlier in the session. Read more

Shoring up the power grid

HB 1500: Sent to Abbott on May 28

A measure designed to shore up the Texas electrical grid by setting guidelines for a financial mechanism to give gas-fueled power plants more money, among other things. Lawmakers revived this proposal after SB 7, which contained the same language, failed after missing a key deadline. Following a conference committee, both chambers came to an agreement. Read more

Restricting trans athletes in college sports

SB 15: Sent to Abbott on May 26

A bill designed to restrict transgender women from playing women's collegiate sports. Read more

Banning DEI offices in colleges

SB 17: Sent to Abbott on May 28

A bill that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion offices on public university campuses. Lawmakers came to an agreement, largely adopting the version that the Texas House approved, with some minor changes. Read more

Restricting tenure at universities

SB 18: Sent to Abbott on May 27

A Senate attempt to ban tenure for university professors. The House proposed significant changes that would keep tenure while codifying guidelines and requiring regular performance reviews for those who earn it. In a surprise move, senators backed off their position and accepted the House’s counterproposal. Read more

Expanding broadband

HB 9/HJR 125: Sent to Abbott on May 28

This bill would allocate $1.5 billion to an infrastructure fund that is meant to expand internet availability in a state where 7 million people lack access to the service. Read more

Regulating sexually explicit shows

SB 12 : Sent to Abbott on May 28

This bill would criminalize performers that put on sexually explicit shows in front of children as well as any businesses that host them. Originally designed as legislation to restrict minors from attending certain drag shows, lawmakers agreed on bill language that removed direct reference to drag performers just before an end-of-day deadline. Read more

Preempting local regulations

HB 2127: Sent to Abbott on May 19

Sweeping legislation that would bar cities and counties from issuing local ordinances that go further than what’s already allowed under areas of state law, including labor, agriculture, natural resources and finance. Read more

Creating university endowments

HB 1595: Sent to Abbott on May 28

This bill would create an endowment fund of about $3 billion accessible to Texas State University, Texas Tech University, the University of Houston, and the University of North Texas, contingent on voter approval in November. Read more

Funding water infrastructure fund

SB 28/SJR 75: Sent to Abbott on May 28

The bills would earmark $1 billion to upgrade Texas’ failing water infrastructure and jumpstart massive water supply projects, from marine desalination to treating “produced water” — water that comes up from the ground during the oil fracking process. Read more

Bills that have been signed into law

Bills signed by Abbott become law. If Abbott doesn’t veto a bill, it also automatically becomes law.

None of the bills we are watching are at this point right now.

Bills that failed or were vetoed by the governor

Some legislative measures fail by missing a key deadline. Abbott can also veto any bill sent to him.

Creating education savings accounts

SB 8: Missed key deadline on May 20

A measure to allow parents to use state money to fund education savings accounts, which can help pay for private school tuition or home-schooling expenses. This was one of many Senate bills that failed after it did not meet a key procedural deadline, but senators added the idea to another bill, HB 100, which also ended up failing after not meeting a deadline. Read more

Increasing school funding and education savings accounts

HB 100: Missed key deadline on May 27

A measure originally written to add $4.5 billion in state funding for schools, including for modest teacher raises. Late in the session, senators updated it to also tack on Gov. Greg Abbott's priority that failed elsewhere: allowing parents to use state money to pay for private school tuition or home-schooling expenses. However, the bill failed after lawmakers could not reach a deal in conference committee before deadline. Read more

Cutting property taxes

SB 3: Missed key deadline on May 27

A measure to reduce property taxes for Texans. The Senate wanted to do so by increasing homestead exemptions. A House proposal increased homestead exemptions and put a cap on the growth of property appraisals. Both chambers separately agreed to invest more state money to buy down school district taxes. The bill failed after lawmakers could not reach a deal in conference committee before a deadline. Read more

Expanding border security funding and creating a border safety unit

HB 7: Missed key deadline on May 27

This bill sends nearly $100 million to border communities to help handle the influx of migrants and creates a new state border patrolling unit. A Senate committee expanded the bill by creating a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence for human smugglers and making it a crime for migrants to enter the state anywhere but a port of entry. However, the bill failed after lawmakers could not reach a deal in conference committee before deadline. Read more

Raising the age

HB 2744: Missed key deadline on May 10

This bill would raise the age to purchase a semi-automatic rifle in Texas from 18 to 21. Read more

Shoring up the power grid

SB 7: Missed key deadline on May 27

A measure designed to shore up the Texas electrical grid by setting guidelines for a financial mechanism to give gas-fueled power plants more money, among other things. The bill failed after lawmakers could not reach a deal in conference committee before deadline. However, the idea was revived in HB 1500 late in the session. Read more

Legalizing online sports betting

HJR 102: Missed key deadline on May 24

A bill that proposes a constitutional amendment election that would allow online gambling on sports in the state. Read more

Authorizing casinos

HJR 155: Missed key deadline on May 12

This measure proposes a constitutional amendment election to allow a select number of casinos to operate in the state. Read more

Adopting permanent daylight saving time

HB 1422: Missed key deadline on May 24

A proposal that would adopt permanent daylight saving time in Texas, if Congress allows it. Read more

Raising minimum sentence for gun crimes

SB 23: Missed key deadline on May 20

This bill would raise the minimum sentence for many felony crimes involving a firearm to 10 years. This was one of many Senate bills that failed after it did not meet a key procedural deadline, but senators added the idea to another bill, HB 4843, which also ended up failing after not meeting a deadline. Read more

Raising minimum sentence for gun crimes

HB 4843: Missed key deadline on May 27

This bill would raise the minimum sentence for many felony crimes involving a firearm to 10 years. The Senate revived this proposal after SB 23, which contained the same language, failed in the House after missing a key deadline. However, the bill failed after lawmakers could not reach a deal in conference committee before deadline. Read more

Restricting foreign land ownership

SB 147: Missed key deadline on May 20

Originally written to ban people from China, Iran, North Korea or Russia from owning land in Texas. It has since been updated to only restrict purchases of agricultural land, timberland and oil and gas rights by entities associated with any country that “poses a risk to the national security of the United States.” This was one of many Senate bills that failed after it did not meet a key procedural deadline. Read more

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/18/texas-legislature-bills-pass-fail/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

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