Democrat Taylor Rehmet and Republican Leigh Wambsganss will face off to succeed Kelly Hancock after winning the most votes in the Nov. 4 election.

John Huffman was the best-funded candidate in the Senate District 9 special election thanks to casino interests, but failed to make the runoff. Gambling proponents still have millions more to spend on Texas races.

Democrat Taylor Rehmet came within three percentage points of winning Senate District 9 — which voted for Donald Trump by over 17 points in 2024 — over his two Republican opponents.

With the GOP vote fractured between Wambsganss and another Republican, Rehmet led the three-person contest for the red-leaning district.

Texans will decide the fate of 17 proposed amendments to the state Constitution and vote in special elections for Congress and the state Senate.

The Austin Democrat will face an uphill battle in the GOP-leaning district. McCaul announced earlier this year he would not seek reelection.

The U.S. Senate must confirm the appointment. The Granbury Republican previously announced he would not seek another Texas Senate term.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Camp Mystic leaders would be invited to testify before the committees, as part of what Speaker Dustin Burrows said would be a “comprehensive and thorough review.”

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Friday called Abbott’s decision a pathway to full legalization of cannabis, including marijuana which is still federally illegal. Hemp-derived THC is legal.

Another special Texas legislative session ended without action on banning or further regulating consumable hemp products. However, a narrower ban on certain vapes has taken away one popular way to consume THC variations.

Both legislative chambers adjourned without agreeing on changes to Senate Bill 2, which aimed to create new training and licensing requirements for local officials.

Between cracking down on abortion pills and restricting transgender restroom use, lawmakers also tackled flood safety and the STAAR test. Left untouched: Texas’ hemp industry.

Legislators couldn’t reach a last-minute deal to tighten regulations on consumable hemp products.

The Conroe Republican has authored some of Texas’ major higher education legislation in recent years. He will take over as chancellor once he resigns from the Texas Senate.

High priority bills that propose banning THC have not moved through the Texas House, as the current overtime session could conclude in the coming days.

Senate Bill 8, which goes into effect on Dec. 4, restricts bathroom use in government buildings and schools to the sex assigned at birth.

One lawsuit, filed by LULAC on behalf of 13 Texas residents, states that the redrawn districts in the new map are racially discriminatory and violate voter protection laws.

The Texas Senate has given final approval to a new, Republican-leaning congressional voting map, sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.

Republican lawmakers pushed the map through over fierce Democratic opposition, positioning the GOP to net up to five additional seats in Texas.

Camp Mystic and Richard “Dick” Eastland’s family expressed their support Thursday for Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 1, legislation aimed at improving safety at camps and communities along the Guadalupe River.

The parents of Camp Mystic flood victims are scheduled to testify at a Texas Senate committee hearing on Wednesday.

Senators moved fast on Gov. Greg Abbott’s agenda for the second special session. With House Democrats back in Texas, bills can now move through that chamber.

Now that the Texas House has a quorum following Democrats’ two-week absence, lawmakers are back to debate a wide range of issues, including redrawing congressional maps to benefit Republicans.

A second special session that has made approving the map a priority started Friday, shortly after the first one ended.

Every previous public poll had shown the attorney general with a considerable lead over Texas’ incumbent senator.

With Democrats’ walkout over redistricting bringing the House to a standstill, both parties are accusing each other of abandoning Central Texas flood victims.

Democrats' absence has halted work in the Texas House, which must also approve the new boundaries, for more than a week.

The proposal would put tighter limits on how much property tax revenue cities and counties of a certain size can collect each year.

Senate Bill 7 would require people to use restrooms that match their birth gender and fine institutions up to $25,000 for repeated violations.

Before House Bill 8 can go to the governor, the House must formally agree with changes from the Senate, which approved the proposal Wednesday night.

The Senate’s decision signals another potential standoff with Gov. Greg Abbott, who vetoed a similar ban earlier this year as he called for more regulations instead.

Senate Bill 5 would ban products containing any detectable amount of any cannabinoid, creating criminal offenses for possession of hemp-derived THC.

Soon after Birdwell announced his retirement, state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, said he was running for the seat.

The contest coincides with the state’s November uniform election, when voters across Texas will already be at the polls to decide local offices and ballot measures.

Texas lawmakers passed a $1.5 billion film incentive bill with the support of homegrown filmmakers and even some of Hollywood’s new and old guard.

Lawmakers also approved direct pay for student athletes and sought better pathways from college to the workforce.

Screwworm is a parasitic fly that targets warm-blooded animals and has the potential to disrupt Texas’ $15 billion cattle industry.

Here’s a look at senators, ranked from most conservative to most liberal, based on votes cast during the 2025 regular session.

Texas lawmakers approved a sweeping package to overhaul the state’s bail system, a longtime priority of Gov. Greg Abbott’s.

Our interactive tool allows you to search how state lawmakers voted on the most consequential proposals debated during the session, which ended June 2.

Research shows cellphones interfere with students' ability to focus in class. Texas would join at least nine other states that ban students from using their phones during the school day.

House Bill 186, approved by the lower chamber in May, never received a vote in the Senate.

Many trans Texans have changed the sex listed on their birth certificate, driver’s licenses and other documents. They say their identities will be invalidated under bill headed to governor's desk.

House Bill 46, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s approval, would include more patients with chronic pain and allow for prescribed vaporized and aerosol products.

Much of the debate focused on the tense relationship between cities and the Texas Legislature. The bill is head to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

SB 3070, which awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature, would move the lottery game to Texas’ Department of Licensing and Regulation and includes new restrictions on ticket purchases.

The chambers differ on how much power districts should have to push back in courts over their accountability ratings. They risk keeping STAAR by default if they don’t reach an agreement.

The Texas Senate had previously proposed more severe consequences in the bill.

Providing bigger tax breaks to homeowners is a key component of a deal brokered by Republicans in the Texas Legislature to lower tax bills for Texans.

Senate Bill 3070 would allow the Texas Lottery’s games to continue under a new department, abolish the agency and create restrictions on ticket purchases.

The proposal would heavily invest in teacher pay and special education. It includes a modest $55 increase to schools' base per-student funding, significantly lower than what the House had sought.

The Texas House must approve changes to the proposal that were brokered by party leaders. It’s part of a package of bills to bring down property taxes statewide.

Sen. Brandon Creighton says the bill will prevent disruption. Critics say it walks back conservative lawmakers' previous pledge to protect campus free speech.

Student discipline, uncertified teachers and school bans on DEI and cellphones are some of the topics being debated at the Texas Legislature this session.

A key Senate critic threw a lifeline to the Texas Lottery when he proposed moving its oversight to a new agency instead of eliminating it entirely.

The bill contains many provisions legal experts say are likely unconstitutional, including one that says it can’t be challenged in state court.

Paul is the first candidate out of the gate to succeed incumbent Mayes Middleton in an open seat running from Galveston to the outskirts of Houston.

The bill would overturn a two-decade-old law allowing some undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition.

Senate bills that reduce the influence of faculties and restrict protests on college campuses were voted out of committee in a last-minute meeting Monday.

The legislation, which won unanimous approval in both chambers, was written following the state’s historic Panhandle wildfires last year.

After years of claiming that companies selling lottery tickets online could not be regulated, the Texas Lottery Commission voted to ban the practice.

Voting rights advocates worry that legislation approved by House and Senate committees could make it harder to get more people on the rolls.

Senate Bill 1717 would require the name of Gulf of Mexico to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication.

The only time the state conducted such an assessment two decades ago, it found that undocumented Texans contributed more to the state’s economy than they cost the state.

The revised bill, which seeks to clarify when a doctor can perform medically necessary abortions, aims to address concerns from abortion advocates and conservative groups.

The lieutenant governor proposes that the Texas Senate adopt the House bill, which would eliminate a negotiation over the two versions and cement the victory for supporters.

The bill would let families use taxpayer dollars for their children’s private schooling. Lawmakers also signed off on a sweeping $7.7 billion package to boost public school funding.

House Bill 6 is a response to reports of more violent classroom disruptions after the pandemic. It lowers the bar for when schools can discipline for the state’s homeless and youngest students.

Senate Bill 36, a priority bill for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, would create an office within the Department of Public Safety focused on immigration enforcement, organized crime and threats to state infrastructure.

In an interview, the lieutenant governor talks about his recent pop-up investigations and how he uses storytelling to make a political point.

One Senate Democrat joined Republicans, providing the margin needed to approve Justin Berry to the state law-enforcement board.

Senate Bill 7, which won unanimous approval, is among legislation that seeks to avert a looming water crisis as the state’s population booms.

Senate Bill 16 would create new barriers for voters and new burdens for election officials.

State lawmakers are poised to devote billions to save the state’s water supply. These are some of the ways the state could spend the money.

Only Gov. Greg Abbott can call for a special session. But in his role presiding over the Texas Senate, Patrick can block any bill from passing, giving him leverage to compel overtime sessions by killing must-pass legislation.

Next step will be action in the state House, where budget writers have different plans for distributing property tax help.

The new finding is about 20% higher than previous estimates of the known cost of the effort to remove Paxton from office.

Lawmakers, who are preempting locals on lot sizes in new subdivisions, have been eyeing ways to allow more homes to be built as the state faces a shortage.

Patrick says the measure will shut down the dangerous THC products business. The House’s proposal would tighten oversight of the industry without a full ban.

A possible reassignment of the charitable games comes as 15 bills in the Legislature seek to either alter or abolish the troubled agency.

A Senate bill filed Friday does not expand abortion access, but aims to give doctors clarity while operating under laws that come with up to life in prison.

The bill would have set deadlines for the oil and gas industry to plug inactive wells, which can pose a danger to the environment.

All 20 GOP senators signed on to Senate Bill 16, which would apply to currently registered voters, and restrict some to only congressional elections.

The prominent right-wing pastor told state lawmakers that an anti-communist curriculum is crucial to reaffirming that America is a “Christian country.”

Farmers and elected officials told a Senate committee Monday that the lack of water is becoming dire, with little relief in sight.

The legislation would require voters to approve the $3 billion start-up cost, and then the fund would be maintained at no more than $300 million annually.

Senate Bill 13 would create school library advisory councils largely made up of parents. It would give school boards, rather than librarians, the final say over new books.

There is little doubt that a ban will sail through the Senate. But its prospects are far less certain in the House.

The vote comes amid a broader push by conservative Christians to infuse more religion into public schools and life.

The goal of the new legislation is to help drive down the cost of housing so that more Texans can afford homes.

Unanimous passage in the Senate comes after top Texas officials say the third-party services undermine trust in the lottery.

The policy shift was announced before state senators, skeptical of the move, grilled officials with the department and courier services in a hearing on SB 28.

The debate over bail reform is intensifying in Texas, with Governor Greg Abbott declaring it an emergency item.

A recent budget analysis noted the Texas Senate’s voucher bill could affect the fund if it leads students and teachers to leave public schools.

The package was fast-tracked after Gov. Greg Abbott declared “bail reform” an emergency item. The bills now head to the House for consideration.

Teachers with three and five years of experience would qualify for raises under Senate Bill 26. Instructors in smaller school districts would get bigger pay bumps.

Texas lawmakers kicked off a new legislative session mid-January and it has been no secret that “school choice,” “school vouchers,” “education freedom,” or some of its other monikers, would be a top priority.

The package of bills would tighten the state's bail laws to keep more people in jail — including undocumented immigrants — while their criminal cases are pending.

Past efforts to allow more religion in public schools have been hamstrung by legal challenges. But those on the religious right feel empowered by recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

The marquee proposal would increase the amount of a home’s value exemption from school taxes to $140,000 from $100,000. The legislation must win approval from the House next.