Week in Review: A Digest of Capitol News

Special Session at Halfway Mark

Two weeks into its overtime session, the 89th Legislature has held a series of hearings and made progress on some of the 18 items Gov. Greg Abbott placed on the 30-day agenda. More below.

Select Committee Travels to Kerr County

The Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding, an 18-member House and Senate joint committee, met Thursday in Kerrville to address the catastrophic July 4 floods. The committee was formed to examine the first four items on the governor's special session proclamation:

• Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• Legislators to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
• Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.

Archived video of the Kerrville meeting is available here. The committee also met July 23; archived video from that meeting is available here.

First to Move

Three items on the governor's call moved closer to passage on Wednesday when the Senate passed legislation on a THC ban, prosecutorial jurisdiction related to elections and a ban on the use of specified taxpayer funds to compensate a lobbyist. The bills and votes on final passage:

• Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock). Relating to the regulation of certain products derived from hemp, including consumable hemp products and the hemp-derived cannabinoids contained in those products; requiring occupational licenses and registrations; imposing fees; creating criminal offenses; authorizing an administrative penalty. (Passed on a 21-8 vote.)
• SB 11 by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola). Relating to the duty of the attorney general to prosecute criminal offenses prescribed by the election laws of this state. (Passed 17-12.)
• SB 12 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston). Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities. (Passed 17-11.)

Archived video of the Senate's deliberations and votes is available online in two parts; SB 12 is taken up at about the 1:05 mark of Part II.

Proposed Congressional Redistricting Maps Released

Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) filed House Bill 4 on Wednesday. An interactive proposed congressional redistricting map is available here. Additional maps and data are available for download here.

Next Up

The Senate Committees on Local Government and Business and Commerce met today to consider SB 9 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), regarding calculation of the voter-approval tax rate, and SB 15 by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), regarding recording requirements for certain documents concerning real property, respectively.

Legislative Directory Available

The Texas Association of Counties' 2025-26 Legislative Directory remains available for order. The directory includes contact information for legislative leaders, committees, county official associations and TAC's Legislative Services team.

Order free your copies here.

Week in Review is a collaborative column from TAC Legislative Services.