Austin, TX

What to expect as the 89th Texas legislative session gets underway

Published

12 months ago

January 13, 2025

What to expect as the 89th Texas legislative session gets underway

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) -The 89th Texas legislative session kicks off Tuesday, with lawmakers set to address major issues ranging from school vouchers and immigration to water policy and sports gambling. With a Republican-dominated legislature and more than 2,300 pre-filed bills, experts predict a high-stakes 140 days.

Legislative makeup and new members

Republicans maintain control of both chambers, holding 20 of 31 seats in the Senate and 88 of 150 seats in the House. Democrats control 11 Senate seats and 62 House seats. The Senate gained one additional Republican member since the last session, and three senators are serving their first term.

The House welcomes 32 new representatives, including Brazos Valley’s District 14′s Paul Dyson, and District 12′s Trey Wharton, while also flipping two seats in November’s elections.

“This session could bring significant changes,” said Kirby Goidel, a political science professor at Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government and Public Service. “What the state legislature does in Texas is probably even more important to you than what happens in Washington, D.C.”

Key issues on the agenda

Among the most debated topics this session is school vouchers, a priority for Gov. Greg Abbott. Lawmakers have struggled to pass a bill in the last session which included five special sessions, but experts say momentum is growing.

“This should be something that would be easy for them to get done,” Goidel said. “The challenge is really in the details. Should vouchers be everywhere? If they are everywhere, do they hurt rural school districts without as many private school choices?”

Bryan-College Station districts weigh in on state election results, school voucher legislation

Another focal point will be immigration. Republican lawmakers are considering creating a state agency to handle border security and immigration policies independently of federal initiatives.

“There’s a feeling, I think, on the Republican side that now that you have a Republican in the White House, maybe that maybe there’s a dividend that we that we get back because we don’t have to spend as much time as an energy on immigration,” Goidel said. “Republicans also feel like they owe their voters to show that they are addressing the immigration issue.”

Focus at Four: Sports betting to break $35 billion this football season

Sports gambling is also likely to spark debate, with advocates pushing for legalization to recapture millions of dollars currently spent in other states.

“We know people in Texas are gambling on sports,” Goidel said. “There is going to be a big push to try to make that legal.”

Infrastructure and budget surplus

Water export from the Brazos Valley is expected to be a significant issue as lawmakers address statewide water policy during the 89th legislative session. With the region sitting atop critical water resources, local leaders and residents have voiced concerns about plans to transport water to urban areas outside the Brazos Valley. These exports could strain local supplies and impact long-term sustainability for agriculture and growing communities within the region.

“This is gonna be a session that’s going to have to deal with some of the water resources confronting the state,” Goidel said.

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Lawmakers will also contend with a budget surplus, with a key update from the state’s revenue estimating commission expected Monday. The surplus could influence property tax relief and other funding priorities.

“Many people are expecting [the surplus] to be very big—we may all get some property tax relief,” Goidel said.

A busy session ahead

The pre-filing of more than 2,300 bills—over 1,600 in the House and 700 in the Senate—gives a glimpse of the legislative priorities. Topics such as public education funding, social issues, and infrastructure are expected to emerge alongside the core debates.

Incoming state Rep. Paul Dyson weighs in on speaker race splitting House Republicans

The speaker’s race has revealed divisions within the Republican Party, with lawmakers split between the establishment faction and the MAGA-aligned wing, a dynamic that could influence the tone and priorities of the 89th session.

“We walk into the Texas legislative session this year not really sure who the speaker is going to be because there is a division within the Republican Party—between what I don’t really like these terms, but I’ll use them anyway—sort of between the establishment side of the Republican Party and the MAGA side,” Goidel said. “That’s got to be resolved before anything gets done, and how that gets resolved could affect everything else that follows.”

Looking ahead

With a packed agenda and a Republican-controlled legislature, experts say this session will shape Texas’ future on multiple fronts. The session, which runs for 140 days, begins Tuesday. Lawmakers are required to pass a budget before the term concludes, but political observers will also watch closely to see how key debates unfold.

KBTX News 3 will have a team in Austin on Tuesday, bringing you the sights and sounds from opening day.

CONTINUING 89TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION COVERAGE

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Austin, TX

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

Published

30 minutes ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Man arrested, charged for deadly shooting at downtown Austin hotel

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A 20-year-old was arrested and charged with murder for a deadly shooting at the Cambria Hotel in downtown Austin, police said.

What we know:

Police said on Monday, Jan. 5, around 6:55 a.m., officers responded to a report of a gunshot at the Cambria Hotel at 68 East Avenue #824. The caller said a person had been shot.

When officers arrived, they found a man with injuries. He later died at the scene. He was identified as Luke Bradburn.

The investigation revealed that Bradburn drove and crashed a car that belonged to 20-year-old Maximillian Salinas. After the crash, Bradburn and the other people in the car left and went to the Cambria Hotel.

Salinas went to the hotel and shot Bradburn.

On Jan. 6, Salinas was arrested and charged with murder.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police at 512-974-TIPS. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

The Source: Information from the Austin Police Department

DowntownCrime and Public Safety

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Austin, TX

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Published

13 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Austin activists hold anti-ICE protests following the death of Renee Good in Minneapolis

Chants of “shame” and “ICE out of Texas” rang through the street as Austin-area activists joined thousands across the nation in protesting the killing of Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

The protest was held in front of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

Good, 37, was shot in her SUV while attempting to drive away from several ICE officers who ordered her to exit her vehicle.

Scarleth Lopez with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the organization that led the protest, said the videos of the shooting in Minneapolis were “sickening.”

“Trump has lied and and said that Renee was a terrorist. She was a mother. She was an innocent bystander,” Lopez said. “We must organize to stop these people from kidnapping and murdering.”

Lorianne Willett

KUT News

Spray painted messages appeared outside of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville

Elizabeth Bope, a retired Pflugerville ISD teacher, said the claims from federal and state lawmakers that Good was attempting to strike the ICE agent with her vehicle inspired her to attend the protest.

Such claims were posted online by Vice President J.D. Vance and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Attorney General Ken Paxton reposted a statement from DHS on X, formerly known as Twitter, that said the ICE agent “relied on his training and saved his own life.”

“It’s beyond really any words that they killed this woman for no reason, but also that they’re lying about it,” Bope said. “I’m not even a radical left person, I’m just a regular old Democrat.”

Other key Texas leaders, including Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have not commented on the shooting.

A group of protesters holding yellow signs reading "ICE Out of our Communities" gather during a night time protest. — Protesters gathered and held signs during a protest against ICE.

Doug Tickner, who said he works for a home building company in Austin, said he felt it was important to show up in person for Good.

“I don’t really think of Minneapolis as being that far from here, and it’s not like what happened in Minneapolis was some sort of one off unique event,” Tickner said. “This is part of a pattern, and I feel folks better wake up and realize that this is becoming more and more serious.”

The news that federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon, broke hours before the protest.

The gathering in Pflugerville is among the first of four anti-ICE demonstrations planned across the Austin area over the next few days.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the intersection of 45th Street and Lamar Boulevard during rush hour. A protest on Friday will be held at the Capitol and another will be held Saturday at City Hall.

Protesters bang on the outside of a building built of metal. — Protesters bang on the outside of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security building in Pflugerville.

State and federal leaders are now sparring over who should conduct an investigation into the Minneapolis shooting, according to NPR.

Minnesota’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which was originally asked to conduct a joint investigation with the FBI, said in a statement it was later told the investigation would be led solely by federal authorities.

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Austin, TX

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

Published

1 day ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Flesh-eating screwworm may be moving closer to Texas on its own, ag commissioner says

article

AUSTIN, Texas – A Texas agency is concerned that the flesh-eating New World screwworm could be getting closer to Texas without commercial livestock movement.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller is sounding the alarm again for livestock owners to remain vigilant in watching for signs of the parasite in their animals.

Screwworm sighting near Texas

The latest:

Miller said in a Thursday release that a screwworm had been detected in a cow in González, Tamaulipas, a little more than 200 miles from the southern Texas border.

According to the commissioner, the cow had no reported history of movement outside Tamaulipas, and is the third active case reported there.

Officials in Mexico have not reported a known population of the worm in Tamaulipas. They’re working with U.S. authorities to investigate further into the new case.

What they’re saying:

“The screwworm now may be moving closer on its own, with no apparent link to commercial animal movement,” Commissioner Miller said. “Texas producers must act now—stay informed, stay vigilant, and prepare immediately. We cannot drop our guard for even a moment.”

Inspect livestock for screwworm

What you can do:

Miller urged immediate action from ranchers along the Texas border.

“Inspect your animals daily,” Miller said. “Check every open wound. If anything looks suspicious, report it right away. Better a false alarm than a delayed response—early detection and rapid reporting are our strongest defenses against this devastating pest.”

U.S. plan to fight screwworm in Texas

Big picture view:

The threat to cattle has been deemed so potentially devastating to the U.S. food supply that the federal government is committing $850 million to fight it.

Most of that money will be spent on building a sterile male fly production facility near the border.

The facility will produce 300 million sterile male flies a week to be dropped into target areas where the screwworm is now. Those male flies help to reduce the population size through mating without reproducing.

A much smaller portion of the funding will be used for screwworm detection technology.

In addition, the federal government has already spent $21 million on a sterile fly production facility in Mexico.

What are New World screwworms?

Dig deeper:

The insect gets its name because it’s only found in the Americas.

It lays its eggs in the open wounds of animals, and its larvae become parasites, threatening livestock, domestic animals, and even people.

The screwworm was mostly eradicated in Texas and the rest of the United States in the 60s. But now, it’s moving north up from Panama and has a known presence a little over 300 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.

The Source: Information in this article comes from Sid Miller.

Texas

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