AUSTIN, Texas — When the 2025 session of the Texas Legislature opened on Tuesday in Austin, it was another round of our lawmaking body facing 21st Century problems under a state constitution that’s 149 years old.

The Texas Legislature meets only every other year, while most state legislatures in the U.S. meet every year. Add to that the fact that the Texas legislative session is relatively brief for a state so big and with so many challenges. Lawmakers meet for just 140 days, while most other state lawmakers meet anywhere from six months to a full year. However, Texas lawmakers can be called back to Austin by the governor for a special legislative session.

While a lot of the state’s business still manages to get done, throughout Texas history what counted as important state business now seems, well, weird.

Here are a few of the strangest laws approved by the Texas Legislature in days gone by:

It’s illegal to milk somebody else’s cow.

Since horses are a form of transportation, they are required to have working taillights when being ridden after dark.

Texas requires that all vehicles have working windshield wipers but does not require that vehicles have windshields.

One Texas bill that almost became a law said that if criminals intend to commit a crime, they are supposed to give their victims oral or written notice 24 hours in advance.

Finally, one of the weirdest things the Texas Legislature did in 1971 was to unanimously approve a resolution honoring Albert de Salvo for being an exemplary citizen. De Salvo was also known as the “Boston Strangler,” who killed several women in New England.

The lawmaker who got that resolution approved said he did it as a joke and quickly withdrew it.

Perhaps it was a good example of why it’s important to actually read to bill or resolution that you’re voting on.

AUSTIN, Texas — Austin police arrested a group of people accused of going on a crime spree.

According to police, five young people and two 17-year-olds, identified as Javonni McDowell and Rashon Mosee, were involved in a string of auto thefts, violent carjackings and burglaries at several businesses, including a Tiny Pies Bakery location and The Gents Place barbershop in northwest Austin.

Police said one of the carjackings involved an on-duty security guard whose stolen vehicle and equipment was used in two more carjackings.

The crimes happened over two days starting on Jan. 12. In total, there were eight separate incidents:

• Stolen vehicle
• Security officer carjacking
• Vape shop burglary
• Failed carjacking
• Honda Civic carjacking
• Tiny Pies Bakery burglary
• The Gents Place burglary
• Vehicle pursuits

The suspects were taken into custody around 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 14. Several agencies were involved in the arrest, including Austin police patrol, air, K-9 and robbery units, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office.

“In doing so, they ended an ongoing violent threat to the Austin community and prevented further victimization of our citizens and visitors,” police said.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected in the near future, police said.