The 89th Legislature Session’s last month has arrived for the discussion and passing of Texas state bills. Education and student related bills have been a critical talking point as the original priorities predicted.
For a brief history overview, legislature sessions occur every two years. In Texas, they run for 140 days. This year, June 2 will be the last day of the regular session.
In order to understand the type of bills being passed, it is important to note Republicans control the state House and Senate. This provides reasoning for the high priority bills representing conservative beliefs, many of which are in line with President Donald Trump’s federal political agenda.
Recently, Governor Greg Abbott signed a school choice bill allowing taxpayer money to be used for private school tuition. President Trump is a major proponent for this concept of school choice. He signed an executive order freeing up federal funding for school choice programs back in January.
Leading up to the bill’s signing, Democrats expressed distaste over this piece of legislation. Many Texan liberals believe Governor Abbott is promoting welfare for the wealthy. They also believe the program is at public school student’s expense.
The Texas Republican desire to control state universities is another legislature session priority. Proposed Senate Bill 37 would prohibit professors from teaching themes that make a specific bracket of people (whether that’s based on race, religion, or gender) appear to be superior. This bill supports a Republican belief that higher education favors the liberal bias.
Such a proposal can also be seen as an effort on the state level to comply with President Trump’s focus on diminishing DEI programs.
If passed, Texas public universities would be affected; ie UT Austin, UT Dallas, A & M, Texas Tech, etc. Specific majors such as Latin American Studies, Asian Studies Women & Gender Studies, and other similar programs could also be affected.
Besides the educational aspect of student life, access to social media for those under the age of 18 is also a topic of discussion and controversy.
House Bill 186 would prohibit social media accounts created by minors and require parents verification. A similar bill is also looking for platforms to include warning labels relating to social media usage of adolescents.
The social media activity of minors has found its way into federal and state government discussions more recently over the past couple of decades. Due to this increase, numerous states along with Texas have contributed to reducing harmful social media effects. Outside the US, in 2024, Australia made strides by passing a law which would ban social media platforms for those aged 16 and under.
Student-based matters are just one of the many discussions going on during this year’s Texas Legislature Session. This includes but is not limited to taxpayers money, housing affordability, and the states’ water supply are also in discussion.
Students are the least likely to understand how state legislation affects their current lives and future collegiate education. Students must be made aware of how their rights are being addressed during the legislature session.
Note: For more information related to the Texas Legislature Session visit “The Texas Tribune” for further news.
