With the special legislative session just one week away, lawmakers in the Texas House have begun filing legislation in response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s 18-item agenda.
As of Monday morning, more than 60 bills had been filed in the House. Many reflect key issues from Abbott’s call, including property tax relief, abortion restrictions, and a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying.
State Rep. Valoree Swanson filed House Bill 32, which would require public facilities to designate spaces according to biological sex and allow private civil lawsuits for violations—mirroring Abbott’s call to protect “women’s privacy in sex-segregated spaces.”
State Rep. Mike Olcott’s House Bill 46 would prohibit local governments from using public funds to hire lobbyists, a long-standing priority of grassroots conservatives and now an official item on the governor’s agenda. State Reps. Jared Patterson, Ellen Troxclair, and Briscoe Cain have also filed similar proposals.
On abortion, legislation such as House Bill 66 by State Rep. Steve Toth creates civil liability for the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs, adds criminal penalties, and targets internet service providers that host content facilitating access to such drugs.
Several bills also take aim at Texas’ property tax system. House Bill 71 by State Rep. Ellen Troxclair proposes using surplus state revenue to reduce school district maintenance and operations taxes. Meanwhile, House Bill 45 by State Rep. Brian Harrison calls for the outright abolition of ad valorem property taxes and the creation of a committee to plan for their elimination.
Still, many of the session’s most consequential proposals have not yet appeared.
The first 30 House bill numbers remain reserved—held by House leadership for top-priority legislation that has not yet been filed. Meanwhile, the Senate has yet to begin filing altogether.
The special session begins Monday, July 21, at noon. Lawmakers will have 30 days to address the full scope of Abbott’s agenda, which also includes redistricting, flood relief, judicial reforms, and marijuana regulation.
The full list of filed House bills can be viewed here.
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