Texas lawmakers are getting plenty of input from the executive branch as they enter the main phase of the 2025 Legislative Session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has released his top 25 priorities for the Senate, with more to come. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott is planning to outline his top priorities and emergency items in his State of the State Address from Austin this weekend.
Patrick's priority list includes familiar items like school choice, property tax relief (specifically increasing the homestead exemption), water infrastructure, and border security funding. But it also includes banning the sale of consumable cannabis, reforming bail laws to prevent the release of violent criminals, and establishing a parental bill of rights for public schools, among other items.
The Senate is already moving on school choice, and is likely to pass most of the items on the list. Things will get more interesting in the House, with new Speaker Dustin Burrows winning the gavel over the objection of Patrick and most Republicans. "The big question of this session is going to be will Burrows lead the House in a different way than Dade Phelan did," says Matt Mackowiak, GOP consultant and political analyst. "I think (Burrows) knows that they need to pass more conservative bills this time...will it be every single one of Patrick's priorities? I suspect not, but it will be most of them."
School choice is a favorite to pass this time, but some of Patrick's other items may prove more difficult. That is why Patrick and Burrows will likely have to play nice whether they want to or not. "On things like property tax cuts that have to happen, or the significant investment in water infrastructure that we know we need, the House and Senate are going to have to come together," says Mackowiak. "And there's a huge interest in this happening, because I think everyone wants to avoid special sessions, like the (2023) session which went on for months and months and months."
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