Texas legislature gears up for another session

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Now that the midterms are drawing to a close, state lawmakers have begun the legwork of filing proposals for the upcoming legislative session.

The Texas legislature meets for five months every other year and in that time they attempt to get as much work done as time permits. For this upcoming session, 800 proposals have thus far been filed. While not every proposal will be made into a law, the recent preview of the legislature’s to-do list gives Texans a glimpse into the priorities of their elected representatives.

Lubbock State Senator Charles Perry has re-filed a proposal put forth last session. It requires doctors to include a child’s biological sex on the baby’s birth certificate, and it prevents a clerk or court from ever changing it. Current law allows a transgender person to change the sex on their birth certificate which can make them eligible for certain sporting leagues.

Senator Perry said in the last session that his proposal would protect the integrity of women’s sports by preventing trans women from competing with an unfair advantage.

After the Uvalde shooting, democrats promised efforts to tighten up on guns. Bills filed today would force gun sellers to report to law enforcement the sale of any gun to someone under the age of 21. One bill specifies this for rifles over .22 caliber, while the other includes multiple magazines.

Senator Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, has proposed raising the minimum age to 21, no matter what kind of gun it is.

Property tax relief and public school funding are going to compete for the legislature’s favor again. One republican has proposed getting rid of all school districts’ “Maintenance and Operation” tax, which pays teacher salaries and day-to-day expenses to provide property tax relief.

Another proposal caps appraisal growth year-over-year. A notable change after Lubbock experienced 20% appraisal growth over the past two years.

The legislature convenes on January 10.

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