A total of 774 bills and individual sections from 19 additional bills have become law as of September 1st after the 88th Texas Legislative Sessions.
According to The Texas State Law Library, a number of laws have already gone into effect or are scheduled to go into effect at a later date, and there may be additional bills passed by this legislature if Governor Greg Abbott calls more legislative sessions before the 89th Legislature convenes in 2025.
Some of the laws affecting public education that went into effect as of September 1st include:
House Bill 3, mandating that Texas School Districts must have an armed guard on every campus.
Senate Bill 15, college athletes must compete against their birth gender.
Senate Bill 17 banning Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Offices on public college campuses.
Other laws that went into effect include:
Senate Bill 22, which amends the Local Government Code to establish grant programs to provide salary assistance for rural sheriff’s offices, constable’s offices, and prosecutor’s offices in counties with a population of 300,000 or less. The bill requires the comptroller of public accounts to establish and administer the grant programs.
House Bill 14 amends the Local Government Code to authorize the performance of a development document review, and the conduct of a development inspection, by a third party if a regulatory authority does not timely perform such review or conduct such inspection. Among other provisions, the bill sets out qualifications for the third party and provides for the appeal of a decision regarding a development document or a development inspection.
House Bill 1277 Roads can be used for foot traffic when sidewalk is blocked or unsafe.
House Bill 1885, allowing TXDOT to temporarily change speed limits without approval.
For a complete list of laws passed during the 88th Legislative Session, go to https://capitol.texas.gov/