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.
Ahead of the 2025 Legislative Session, KXAN laid out which topics we would focus on — education, immigration, housing, AI, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.
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.
What stalled out & died
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.
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%).
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.
The bills that passed
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).
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.
When will these take effect?
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 November, 14 ballot measures will be before voters, according to legislative records:
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@kxan.com.
