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- The Blast - May 26, 2025
The Blast - May 26, 2025
The Blast | Texas Tribune
May 26, 2025
By Renzo Downey and The Texas Tribune Politics Team
1 day until the House’s Senate bill deadline
2 days until the Senate bill deadline
7 days until sine die
IN TODAY’S BLAST
Patrick’s wishlist is almost complete
As for the House’s and Abbott’s priorities
Smoke clears over TCUP bill
PATRICK’S WISHLIST IS ALMOST COMPLETE
In past sessions, the Texas House has been a graveyard for many of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s conservative priorities. But with only a little more than 24 hours left for the House to take up Senate bills, Patrick is primed to get nearly everything on his wishlist.
Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows have largely been rowing in the same direction, to use a phrase that’s been thrown around the Lege in recent weeks.
Of Patrick’s 30 priorities last session, the House passed conservative priorities such as the ban on kids from drag shows (SB 12), the transgender collegiate athletes bill (SB 15), the ban on DEI in higher education (SB 17) and a reined-in version of the professor tenure bill (SB 18). Yet, many of them languished in committee.
This session, the House has already passed most of Patrick’s 40 priorities, at least in some form.
SB 13, the school library materials bill, languished last session but came up this afternoon after it was postponed this morning. SB 30, the nuclear verdicts bill, is on the floor now.
Tomorrow, the House is scheduled to take up three of Patrick’s priority measures:
Patrick’s only bills that missed the last train to the House floor are:
Measures like Patrick’s call to raise teacher pay, SB 26, and to ban lottery courier services, SB 28, were included in other bills that have passed. And the Legislature did sign off on SJR 37, a constitutional amendment that would clarify that a voter must be a citizen.
However, other top bills that didn’t receive priority number designations, like the online abortion pill sellers bill, SB 2880, have been left to die. And thanks to a third reading amendment by House Calendars Committee Chair Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, Patrick’s film incentives fund ordered in SB 22 could be slashed from $500 million to $300 million.
The next question will be which of Patrick’s laundry list of victories he will highlight in his 2026 reelection campaign.
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AS FOR THE HOUSE’S AND ABBOTT’S PRIORITIES
The House’s lower-numbered bills have also largely sailed through the legislative process. But many of those bills were filed and assigned numbers while former Speaker Dade Phelan was still in charge. As a result, most of the session’s headline-grabbing conservative bills originated from the Senate.
Nine of the House’s low number bills have been added to the Senate’s intent calendar for tomorrow.
The final player to check on is Gov. Greg Abbott, who named seven emergency items in the early days of the session. He got his voucher bill, a teacher pay raise and property tax relief. In the works are a career training bill and a water bill.
Most of his bail package is over the finish line, although SJR 1, which would deny bail for immigrants who entered the country illegally and are accused of violent crimes, was postponed yet again, till tomorrow. The House will try again tomorrow to adopt SJR 87, a constitutional amendment to deny bail to certain repeat offenders.
Abbott’s biggest question mark is over the Texas Cyber Command. HB 150, which would create the agency, was heard in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee last week after awaiting a hearing for most of the month. However, the Senate has until Wednesday to schedule it for the floor.
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SMOKE CLEARS OVER TCUP BILL
The biggest flareup over the weekend was over Texas’ medical THC program, although it sounds like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the House have come to an agreement.
Several conservative members expressed concern after the Senate’s version of HB 46 emerged with fewer new licenses and without provisions to expand the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP) to cover chronic pain and traumatic brain injury. House Speaker Dustin Burrows seemingly shared their concerns, reposting their demands on social media.
Rep. Tom Oliverson, the Republican who is Patrick’s neighbor in Cypress and who shares consultants with the lieutenant governor, had assured the House that he would fight to include the chronic pain provision and some of the House’s other demands into the bill. But after House members, including Oliverson, began their push to get Patrick to expand the Senate’s bill, Patrick made clear that he had made no agreement with Oliverson on how to expand the bill — and that he had explicitly told Oliverson no to including chronic pain.
Last night, Patrick and Oliverson announced that they had reached an agreement, which includes chronic pain. It would also expand the number of licenses from the current three to 12.
The Senate must take up the bill by the end of Wednesday.
The 2025 legislative session has been consequential for Texas schools and libraries. Lawmakers approved a school voucher program, proposed major funding increases for schools and debated sweeping changes to teacher hiring, student discipline and classroom content.
On June 11, after the session concludes, we’ll host a live recording of TribCast, our weekly podcast, at Austin Central Library to explore what it all means for students, teachers and families across the state. Co-hosts editor-in-chief Matthew Watkins and women’s health reporter Eleanor Klibanoff will be joined by public education reporter Jaden Edison and other special guests for the podcast recording and audience Q&A.
Doors open at the downtown Austin Central Library Special Event Center at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 11. The podcast recording begins at 7 p.m.
House actions:
The House voted 93-32 in favor of SJR 87, a constitutional amendment to deny bail to certain repeat offenders. The measure, named “Jocelyn’s Law” by an amendment by Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, needed 100 votes for adoption, but the House can try again tomorrow. Meanwhile, SJR 1, which would deny bail for immigrants who entered the country illegally and are accused of violent crimes, was postponed yet again, till tomorrow.
Trey’s Law, SB 835, will head to the governor’s desk. The bill bans non-disclosure agreements for sexual assault victims in civil settlement agreements.
The House today finally passed SB 25, the “Make Texas Healthy Again” bill, by a 116-24 vote, but not without an attempt by Rep. Pat Curry, R-Waco, to remove some of the warning label requirements for certain ingredients.
The House voted 112-27 in favor of SB 3070, which would abolish the Texas Lottery Commission and transfer the lottery and bingo to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The House voted 108-33 to preliminarily pass SB 3059, which would hand control of the Alamo to an Alamo Commission. However, lawmakers adopted an amendment from Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, that would push back the transfer till whenever the General Land Office deems the Alamo Plan “fully implemented.”
The House and Senate have not adjourned for the day. The House is expected to run till after midnight and convene at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Unlike the Senate version of the bill to add judicial district courts, the House version of SB 2878 does not include a new court for Ellis County. Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said the county’s representative, Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, did not come forward with the documents backing up why the county should get a new court. Harrison, denied a chance to speak, came down to the House well and began yelling and waving his finger at Leach. Over an hour later, Burrows did recognize Harrison to speak. Leach loomed over him as he began speaking, but Burrows appeared to call Leach to the dais and said or mouthed “stop” to Leach, waving him off with a firm hand sign.
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“After years of tension, Texas House emerges as cooperative partner for Dan Patrick and his conservative agenda” by Jasper Scherer of The Texas Tribune
“THC ban will destroy Texas’ hemp agriculture industry, farmers say” by Jayme Lozano Carver of The Texas Tribune
“Houston megadonor Dick Weekley is losing in the Texas Legislature after 30 years of wins” by Neena Satija and Dylan McGuinness of the Houston Chronicle
“$2.5 billion water infrastructure deal, additional 10-year annual $1 billion struck in Texas Legislature” by Brad Johnson of The Texan
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