81st Texas Legislature Convenes in Austin

On Tuesday, January 13, the 81st Texas Legislature convened in Austin.  Avoiding a divisive fight, the House of Representatives elected San Antonio Republican Joe Straus, III, as Speaker of the House.  Straus replaces outgoing Speaker Tom Craddick.  Most observers feel that Straus will not make wholesale changes in leadership on public education issues.

Even though the Legislature convened this week, members have been filing bills for over two months.  If this session follows the pattern of previous sessions, over 5,000 different measures will be filed.  We expect several hundred to deal directly with public education.  TIER staff has already begun to analyze this legislation and will continue to do so throughout the session.  Below is a list of education bills that have already been filed and TIER will continue to update this list—and the action taken on them—throughout the session.

Please continue to check back for legislative updates.  If you would like to join our mailing list and receive more frequent email updates, visit the “contact us” link and provide us with your contact information.  In addition, you can access legislative information through the Texas Capitol website, www.capitol.state.tx.us.