The first bills for the 2025 legislative session – Part I: Texas lawmakers target property taxes, abortion and education

(The Texas Tribune) – Lawmakers in the Texas House and Senate filed more than a thousand pieces of legislation Tuesday, offering an early look at the issues they hope to prioritize when they gavel in for the 89th legislative session in January.Tuesday marked the first day lawmakers could file bills they hope to pass when the Texas Legislature reconvenes next year. Republicans control both chambers and expanded their majority in the House and Senate after flipping a handful of seats during this year’s elections. The ouster of many Republicans by challengers further to their right during this year’s primaries means that the Texas GOP’s far-right wing will have unprecedented sway over the upcoming legislative session. Few of those lawmakers filed bills on Tuesday, but it’s likely they’ll seek to push the Legislature’s already deep-red agenda even further right once they file their own bills.Related Stories Lawmakers typically file thousands of bills in the course of a legislative session, and most never make it to the governor’s desk. The lowest bill numbers are reserved for the highest priority bills set by the House speaker and lieutenant governor, who leads the Senate.Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced last week that his top policy...