More than 800 new laws went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1, ranging from school vouchers and water infrastructure funding to a ban on city and county-funded abortion travel funds.
After signing 1,155 bills from the regular legislative session, some went into effect immediately. Gov. Greg Abbott signed 1,155 bills that came out of the regular legislative session, 200 went to effect immediately including the school cellphone ban, the abortion-ban clarification, property tax cut and increased oversight over the energy grid.
Otherws won’t go into effect until next year or voters approve constitutional amendments in November. Additionally, there are 140 bills the governor did not take action on, including 34 that took effect immediately.
Measures that will soon take effect include: -Senate Bill 1 lays out the state’s new $338 billion two-year spending plan, with over 70% of the budget being reserved for education and health and human services. Some notable parts include spending to maintain and provide property tax cuts, a new school voucher program, additional funding for public schools, as well as investments in the state’s energy, water and broadband infrastructure.
-Senate Bill 2 will create one of the country’s largest school voucher programs, allowing parents to pay for their children’s accredited private school tuition or other education- related expenses with public tax dollars. In most cases, each child will receive just over $10,000 per year, though students with disabilities could receive up to $30,000 in additional funding. Wealthier families with children already in private schools could also be a part of the program. SB 2 takes effect on Sept. 1, but the voucher program itself isn’t expected to launch until the 2026-27 school year.
-House Bill 2 will provide about $8.5 billion in new money to public schools, as districts across the state tackle longrunning challenges following years of stagnant funding. From this pot, more than $4 billion will go toward raising educator’s pay. A significant part of the law activated immediately, while another big chunk will take effect on Sept. 1. Some will roll out in future years.
-Senate Bill 10 will require the visible display of the Ten Commandments on donated posters that are at least 16 by 20 inches in public school classrooms, which are attended by around 5.5 million students in Texas. Such laws have already faced legal challenges in Texas and other states. The issue is likely to get to the Supreme Court.
-Senate Bill 12 will extend the ban on diversity, equity and inclusion policies to K-12 schools. In particular, it will prohibit school districts from factoring race, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation into hiring decisions. It will also bar schools from offering instructions, programs and guidance that focus on sexual orientation or gender identity, including sponsoring student clubs such as Gender and Sexuality Alliance. Some civil rights groups including the ACLU of Texas have launched a legal challenge against the law.
-Senate Bill 13 will give parents and school boards more power over what students can access in public school libraries. These boards can also delegate this oversight process if 50 parents in the same district sign a petition for the creation of a local school advisory council. Supporters said the law will protect students from inappropriate content and give parents more control over what their children consume.
-Senate Bill 37 will give politically appointed regents more power over public universities, including by granting them more say over the hiring of administrators, as well as over some responsibilities that were traditionally held by faculty members. It will also create an office that can investigate universities for failures to comply with state laws, such as regarding DEI initiatives.
-House Bill 33, authored by Republican state Rep. Don McLaughlin who was mayor during the Uvalde school shooting, will require law enforcement agencies across Texas to establish crisis response policies. Among several changes, the law will compel school districts and local law enforcement to meet annually in order to assess their emergency operations plans, resources and capabilities. It will mandate law enforcement agencies and emergency medical service providers to complete training programs on how to respond to active shooters at primary and secondary schools.
-Senate Bill 7 will create a framework for funding water projects through the Texas Water Development Board and providing oversight over them, amid a broad effort to tackle the state’s looming water crisis. Certain sections of the law would take effect in September 2027, if voters approve the constitutional amendment outlined by House Joint Resolution 7 in November. This ballot measure, if accepted, would allocate $1 billion each year from the state’s sales and use tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund between 2027 and 2047.
-Senate Bill 15 will allow for certain single-family homes to be built on smaller lots. In particular, the law will ban big cities from requiring these homes to sit on more than 3,000 square feet of land, if they are being constructed in a new subdivision that is at least five acres in size. While some lawmakers were wary about interfering in local control over the issue, supporters said the change will allow cities to build more housing and keep costs down.
-Senate Bill 17 will ban governments, companies and individuals who legally reside in China, North Korea, Russia and Iran from owning land and properties in Texas. The governor also has the authority to add countries or entities to the list. The prohibition doesn’t apply to U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
-Senate Bill 33 will ban cities or counties from using their money to support residents seeking abortions outside Texas.
-House Bill 46 will expand the state’s medical marijuana program to include patients with chronic pain, traumatic brain injury and Crohn’s disease. Physicians will also be able to prescribe inhalation via vaporized and aerosol products, such as vapes.
-House Bill 229 will define man and woman based on biological reproductive systems and apply that definition across the state code. Government entities collecting vital statistics information will also have to use it. Senate Bill 835, titled “Trey’s Law,” will ban and void the use of nondisclosure agreements in sexual assault and human trafficking cases.