Texas lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Monday, July 21 for a second try at regulating THC, the psychoactive compound discovered within the hashish vegetation of hemp and marijuana. This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a deliberate ban on most hemp merchandise, which include THC at decrease ranges than marijuana, in addition to greater than two dozen different payments that lawmakers had authorised.
Abbott has additionally known as on lawmakers to sort out emergency preparedness within the wake of catastrophic flooding in Central Texas, in addition to redrawing the state’s congressional districts and passing conservative priorities similar to banning abortion capsules. Right here’s what it is advisable to know:
Why there’s a particular session
Throughout their common legislative session within the spring, state lawmakers handed a invoice that will have banned consumable hemp merchandise like vapes, gummies and drinks that present the same excessive as marijuana. The broad ban would have taken impact in September, if not for Abbott’s veto. He then ordered a particular legislative session for lawmakers to manage the hemp business and deal with different payments he vetoed.
The opposite vetoed payments on Abbott’s agenda vary from adjustments to the felony justice system to water rights administration, however many eyes will likely be on how lawmakers deal with a loophole in earlier state legal guidelines legalizing hemp that allowed the sale of THC merchandise — which spawned a complete new business throughout Texas.
Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, who has claimed that THC is driving younger folks to suicide and altering folks’s brains, championed the ban and even threatened to make lawmakers work additional time by stopping different necessary laws from advancing in the event that they didn’t approve a ban.
Consultants say there are some well being issues, together with that THC might be addictive, however they are saying it doesn’t often trigger widespread psychosis or mind injury.
The hemp business and its advocates warned the ban might shutter the hemp business and hinder entry to the non-psychoactive CBD and CBG and to medical marijuana for sufferers in want of ache reduction.
Lawmakers did develop the state’s restricted medical marijuana program, however medical marijuana dispensaries nonetheless hope lawmakers will closely regulate the hemp business by setting up age restrictions and banning artificial delta-8 THC, which makes up the majority of consumable hemp merchandise.
A particular session lasts as much as 30 days, and state lawmakers can solely work on the governor’s agenda gadgets.
After dealing with stress from President Donald Trump’s political group, Abbott has requested lawmakers to redraw a few of Texas’ 38 U.S. Home districts forward of the 2026 midterms.
He additionally directed lawmakers to give attention to these areas following the lethal Hill Nation floods over the July 4 weekend:
Flood warning methods
Emergency communications
Pure catastrophe preparation
Reduction funding for the impacted areas
Abbott additionally included a number of high-profile and controversial conservative priorities that didn’t go in the course of the 140-day common session, together with:
Banning cities and counties from hiring lobbyists to advocate for them on the Capitol
Requiring folks to make use of bogs that align with the intercourse they have been assigned at start
Cracking down on the manufacturing and distribution of abortion capsules
Throughout the session, which ran from January by early June, state lawmakers did not go a invoice that will have established a statewide plan to enhance Texas’ catastrophe response. Home Invoice 13 known as for the plan to incorporate “using outside warning sirens,” like these utilized in tornado-prone Texas counties, and develop new emergency alert methods.
State Rep. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, mentioned he would suggest laws to make sure individuals are alerted with sirens alongside watersheds as an alternative of notifications on their telephones that could possibly be silenced or missed.
How Texans can observe the session
The Texas Legislature On-line: By way of the Legislature’s web site, you could find payments which have been filed and monitor their progress. You may simply create a private listing of payments to observe and arrange e mail alerts for updates on laws. You may also obtain e mail alerts when notices of upcoming committee hearings are posted. You may also use the web site to search out hyperlinks to broadcasts of ground debates or committee conferences within the Home and Senate, in addition to different sources, similar to a glossary of legislative phrases.
The Invoice Standing Hotline: Throughout the legislative session, you possibly can name 877-824-7038 in Texas to get up-to-the-minute details about a invoice’s standing, the legislative course of, assist getting a duplicate of the invoice and speak to data for a lawmaker’s workplace, in response to the Legislative Reference Library. However hotline workers can not interpret a invoice or switch your name to a lawmaker’s workplace.
The Texas Tribune: You may also sustain with the most recent on the Legislature by the Tribune’s protection. Listed below are among the methods you possibly can observe our work:
Need to understand how your lawmakers voted on key points in the course of the common legislative session? Use our lawmaker lookup software to search out out.
Subscribe to our newsletters. For summaries of crucial Texas information from us and different information shops, you possibly can join The Temporary, our free day by day e-newsletter, or for The Briefly Weekly. You may also join breaking information alerts or weekly RSS newsletters compiling all our tales on subjects such because the Texas Legislature, schooling and well being care.
Comply with our free WhatsApp channel, the place we’ll be sending updates at the least as soon as per week with important information in regards to the Texas Legislature. Discover and observe us by this hyperlink. Faucet the bell icon within the channel to activate notifications for any updates.
Hearken to our weekly podcast, TribCast, the place Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins, reporter Eleanor Klibanoff and different visitors will talk about the most recent information from the session. Discover it wherever you take heed to podcasts and on our YouTube channel.
Need much more updates? We even have a premium e-newsletter, The Blast, with unique reporting, nonpartisan evaluation and the primary phrase on political strikes throughout the state. Subscribe and get entry to our texting line for well timed updates and alerts of recent editions of The Blast.
How can I take part within the legislative course of?
Contact your lawmakers: Texans can share their issues and private tales with their elected representatives, which might be the simplest type of advocacy, mentioned Kathy Inexperienced, the director of state and federal technique for AARP Texas who has greater than 30 years of expertise working in and round state authorities.
“In the event you’ve acquired tales about these precise issues that have an effect on your day by day life, speak to your legislator about that,” she mentioned. “They should hear the tales; they should perceive what folks again of their districts are dealing with.”
However it helps to be ready with information of the laws, together with its affect and attainable prices, and in regards to the lawmaker you’re contacting, mentioned state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. For instance, don’t foyer a legislator to help a invoice that they authored, she mentioned.
Assembly with the lawmaker’s workers might be simply as necessary as assembly with their boss, Zaffirini added.
“Employees is essential within the course of as a result of workers makes the suggestions concerning the invoice,” she mentioned. “So by working with a workers, [constituents] put together the workers to be persuasive with a member.”
Testify at a public listening to: You may register by kiosks on the Capitol or on-line whereas utilizing the Capitol Wi-Fi. Within the Senate, you could have to fill out a card in individual in the course of the listening to to testify. You’ll find extra tips about the best way to testify right here.
Throughout a particular session, a Senate committee or subcommittee should submit discover of a gathering at the least 24 hours earlier than the assembly, in response to the state’s legislative information. Home committees or subcommittees should additionally sometimes submit discover for a public listening to held throughout a particular session at the least 24 hours earlier than, except the rule is suspended by a vote of the members on the Home ground.
It’s extra impactful to succinctly talk about your expertise than it’s to learn written testimony or simply cite information, mentioned Luke Metzger, the manager director of the advocacy group Atmosphere Texas. However you may as well submit written testimony or have another person testify in your behalf.
It might take time for laws to come back up for dialogue in a committee listening to, particularly if a listening to is scheduled for after a chamber meets for ground debate, so it helps to be ready to be on the Capitol for some time.
“Planning is important, and sometimes plan to spend the day and keep in a single day if obligatory,” Zaffirini mentioned. It might additionally assist to speak with workers if it is advisable to go away by a sure time, she mentioned.
Be part of an advocacy group: In the event you discover a company that’s engaged on points that matter to you, they may also help you navigate and keep engaged within the legislative course of. However it doesn’t take a well-funded group, mentioned Shera Eichler, a authorities affairs marketing consultant and former chief of workers for a state consultant.
“Perhaps there’s a bunch of fogeys or a bunch of your neighbors that share the identical frequent issues, the place you possibly can all meet with the legislator collectively or ship a letter collectively,” she mentioned.
Disclosure: AARP and AARP Texas have been monetary supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan information group that’s funded partly by donations from members, foundations and company sponsors. Monetary supporters play no function within the Tribune’s journalism. Discover a full listing of them right here.
This text initially appeared in The Texas Tribune, a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and fascinating Texans on state politics and coverage.
