The last day of Texas' 2025 legislative session is here. After 140 days at the Capitol in Austin, the state Legislature has passed more than and resolutions.
The pathway there was filled with the usual complaints of not doing enough, contentious debates, rallies hosted by advocates and horse-trading between lawmakers.
But during all of that, some extremely significant pieces of legislation passed both chambers and are headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. He's already signed into law.
Whether you're a longtime watcher of the state Legislature or just catching up on the action, here are some of the top bills that have passed both chambers and 鈥� barring a veto from Abbott 鈥� will soon become law.
A $1 billion school voucher plan
After failing to get his signature legislation passed in 2023, Abbott finally celebrated getting the school voucher bill passed this year. The measure allows parents to apply for an education savings account and use state tax dollars on expenses for homeschool or private school, including religious schools.
The voucher-like program, which won't be in effect until the 2026-27 school year, will give parents 85% of the average amount Texas public schools get per student 鈥� slightly more than $10,000, according to current estimates. Students with disabilities could be given a voucher worth up to $30,000.
The plan was crafted by legislators to prioritize students with disabilities and those from low-income families. The passage was also a huge win for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a longtime proponent of such programs.
Reducing property taxes though a larger homestead exemption
One of the largest financial commitments made during Texas' 89th legislative session was aimed at reducing property taxes. Two bills passed this session, , which will cost the state an estimated $10 billion if the bills go into effect.
"We know that many Texans face an affordability crisis," Abbott said earlier this session, when he named property tax relief as one of his emergency items for lawmakers this year.
This year, that relief came in the form of increased homestead exemptions, which the Legislature already . The homestead exemption reduces how much of a home's value owners can be taxed on.
Texas lawmakers agreed this session to increase the exemption for all homeowners from $100,000 to $140,000 through SB 4. Meanwhile, SB 23 gives those over 65 years old or with a disability an additional exemption up to $60,000, an increase from $10,000.
"To put that in perspective, if you live in an average home in Texas 鈥� which is now about $350,000 to round off the number 鈥� that means you take [$140,000] off of that to pay taxes on," said Lt. Gov. Patrick last week at a press conference celebrating the passage of the bills. "So, your school taxes are going to go down about 48 to 50% for everyone under 65."
This will mark the fourth time the Texas Legislature has expanded the homestead exemption to property taxes in the past ten years. In , lawmakers passed an amendment, approved by voters later that year, that raised the exemption for property owners to $25,000 from $15,000.
Public school funding boost clears the Legislature
If goes into effect, Texas public schools will receive much-needed additional funding next year. The House and Senate agreed on a robust school funding bill that adds $8.5 billion into the state's public school system.
The measure includes raises for school teachers, more money to help with the cost of teaching kids with disabilities and additional funding for school safety. Public school advocates say the new money will help relieve financial pressure, but isn't enough to bring districts back to their 2019 buying power.
Nearly half of the $8.5 billion will go toward raises for experienced teachers, with those in smaller districts receiving up to an $8,000 salary bump. The bill also includes funding for full-day pre-K as well as $430 million that will be used to boost school safety, from things like installation of perimeter security fencing to purchasing of window security film that provides resistance to forced entry.
THC ban advances, medical cannabis access expands
A top priority for Patrick, Senate Bill 3 was passed to , the psychoactive component in cannabis.
If it becomes law, it would mean THC-infused products like gummies, drinks, vapes and smokable hemp flower 鈥� which have surged in popularity since Texas legalized hemp sales in 2019 鈥� would be illegal in the state.
Under the bill, Texans would still be able to buy non-psychoactive cannabis derivatives like CBD or CBG, but only in child-resistant packaging.
The bill is currently awaiting final approval from Abbott, who has not taken a public stance on the ban.
Critics, including veterans groups, argue that THC helps many manage chronic pain. To address this, would expand the state's Compassionate Use Program to include patients who suffer from chronic pain 鈥� joining those already eligible, such as patients with cancer or PTSD.
HB 46, which is also heading to the governor's desk, would increase the number of licensed dispensaries in Texas from three to 15, broadening access and participation.
The Life of the Mother Act
Clarifying the state's abortion ban was a top priority of GOP lawmakers this year.
Senate Bill 31, also known as the , was crafted with input from both physicians and anti-abortion groups. It was sponsored by Rep. Bryan Hughes, the Mineola Republican who also authored the state's 2021 abortion ban.
"Every pro-life law that Texas has passed has recognized that, when the life of the mother is in danger, that is an exception," said Hughes while introducing the bill earlier this session.
In Texas, abortions are illegal except when a medical emergency occurs that threatens a woman's life or a "major bodily function." But doctors have said the language of the exception isn't clear enough, and leaves them unsure of what qualifies as an emergency and when they can legally act.
This bill makes language about exceptions consistent across Texas' various overlapping abortion laws, clarifying that the risk of death or impairment does not have to be "imminent" for doctors to act. It also says that discussions between doctors and their colleagues or patients while determining if abortion is the best treatment option is not considered to be "aiding and abetting" an illegal abortion under the law.
The bill is sitting on Abbott's desk.
Displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools
would require the display of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom in the state, using the King James Bible translation featured on a monument outside the Capitol.
The bill was sent to Abbott's desk on Sunday and is expected to be signed into law. If enacted, it would take effect in the upcoming school year.
However, the bill is already facing legal pushback. A coalition of four civil liberties groups, including the ACLU of Texas, has announced challenging the measure, arguing that it violates the constitutional separation of church and state.
Three of the groups are already challenging a similar law in Louisiana, which has been by a federal court and is now under review by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Texas tightens legal definition of biological sex
State lawmakers debated several bills this session to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people. As in past years, transgender Texans were a particular target.
, which sits on Abbott's desk, would strictly define "man" and "woman" in state law according to a person's reproductive capabilities and require state agencies to recognize only these two sexes.
Opponents of the proposal say it ignores intersex people, whose genitals, chromosomes or reproductive organs don't fit into the sex binary. Since it also doesn't make a distinction between "sex" and "gender," the bill would also not recognize trans people who identify as a gender different from their sex assigned at birth.
Galveston Republican Mayes Middleton, who carried the bill in the Senate, said the bill was filed in response to transgender women wanting to participate as women in areas of public life 鈥� like business and sports.
While it's unclear exactly how sweeping the effects of the proposal will be, it will support the state's recent decision to stop allowing transgender people to update the sexes on their driver's licenses and birth certificates unless the change is made to fix a clerical error.
A different bill to criminalize people with mismatched state documents did not become law.
There are an estimated , according to a 2022 study from the Williams Institute at UCLA.
Overhaul of Texas Lottery oversight
stops short of abolishing the Texas Lottery Commission 鈥� an idea floated earlier in the session 鈥� but would introduce major reforms following and state investigations into the Texas Lottery.
proposes transferring oversight of the Texas Lottery to the state's Department of Licensing and Regulation, a move lawmakers say will increase accountability. The bill would also ban, which allow people to buy lotto tickets online through third-party apps. Lawmakers raised concerns about the legality of these services after an $83 million jackpot was won earlier this year using one.
The bill would set a critical deadline for the lottery's future: In August 2027, the state's Sunset Advisory Commission will conduct a focused review to determine whether the lottery should continue to exist. If the commission recommends shutting it down, the Texas Lottery would end later that year.
The bill is now awaiting final approval from Abbott.
Restricting Texas land sales to people from some foreign countries
The Legislature also passed a to people from some foreign countries. Currently those include China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. The list of countries will be updated periodically from the Annual Threat Assessments of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Abbott expressed support for the bill, while some thought it could lead to racial profiling of potential buyers who are both citizens and non-citizens.
The move to restrict certain foreign countries from buying land is sweeping across the nation. Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas and Louisiana are some of the states to recently enact laws doing so.
Contributors to this story include KUT's Olivia Aldridge, Texas Public Radio's Camille Phillips and Houston Public Media's Andrew Schneider, along with Nina Banks, Blaise Gainey, Rachel Osier Lindley, Lauren McGaughy and Lucio Vasquez from The Texas Newsroom.
Copyright 2025 KERA
