AUSTIN, Texas – As the 89th Texas Legislature begins in Austin on Tuesday, lawmakers will again resume debate around familiar topics gaining steam across the state.
The Texas Legislature consists of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber with 150 members, and the Senate, which is the upper chamber with 31 members.
KSAT sat down with two political science professors in San Antonio to discuss some of the top issues likely to permeate throughout the Republican-led session.
Jon Taylor, department chair of political science and geography at the University of Texas at San Antonio, pointed to similarities in the dysfunction between lawmakers in Austin and Washington, D.C.
“It’s almost as though Austin has turned into a mini version of Washington, DC, particularly in terms of the US House versus the Texas House in the sense of they seem to be dysfunctional in trying to find a speaker, massive fights over that (and) factionalism within the Republican party,” Taylor said.
Electing a speaker is likely to be one of the first things on lawmakers’ agendas in the Texas House.
Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), pushed out by other party members, will soon give up the gavel.
Two candidates have drawn near-constant conversation in legislative circles as ideal candidates: David Cook (R-Mansfield) and Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock). A third candidate, Ana-María Rodríguez Ramos (D-Richardson) has not garnered as much attention.
While it is more than likely that a Republican will assume Phelan’s role, Trinity University Political Science Professor Juan Sepulveda said the question is much more about what kind of Republican will take charge and what they would want to push forward.
“This is really a battle within the Republican Party,” Sepulveda said. “This is not a question of ideology. This is not about being conservative or moderate or liberal. They are both very conservative leaders. But this is really about power.”
After a speaker is elected, members of the House will offer amendments to and vote on House rules that will define governance for the body’s work.
In a slight decrease from the last legislative session, Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar projected Monday state lawmakers would have about $195 billion for the 2026-2028 budget, according to reporting by the Texas Tribune.
Throughout the session, lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget without overspending what is available.
Governor Greg Abbott will announce his list of priority items later, determining which legislation can be moved in the session’s first 60 days.
As the session begins and committees begin to hear bills, we can expect familiar topics around school vouchers, immigration and property taxes.
Tayor thinks some of San Antonio’s needs will be at the forefront, too.
“There is a real need to push and to think long-term, planning for things such as water, “Taylor said. ”Additionally, I think an area for at least an issue for San Antonio is to look for state support for in particular for transportation, public transportation, not just building freeways, but to build public transit systems.”
Another piece of legislation that could affect us locally is a bill filed by San Antonio Senator José Menéndez to address dangerous dog incidents.
“This is not a Democratic Party political issue. This is something we’ve been kind of seeing as a community. So. And he’s got and he’s been there long. He’s got good relationships. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s able to kind of get something done.
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