Democratic and Republican legislators file hundreds of bills or proposed laws to be considered during the legislative session. Only a few of the bills actually pass in both the Texas House and the Texas Senate to become law. In this project you will pick a bill, explain the purpose of the bill, who filed the bill and analyze what happened to the bill. Did the bill make it out of committee for discussion and vote before the Texas House and Texas Senate. You will explain whether or not you agree with the proposed law and discuss the pros and cons of the proposed legislation. You will report on the final result for this bill in the Texas Legislature.
NB: You do not have to pick a bill that actually became law. Pick an issue that is interesting to you and see what happened to the bills. The point is to look at the many issues before the Texas State Legislature and to track the bills through the legislative process.
- Read the news and current events.
Bills in the 2021 Texas Legislature: Articles Explaining New & Proposed Laws
Bills in the 2021 Texas Legislature: Articles Explaining New & Proposed Laws
The articles below discuss some of the proposed bills that worked their way through the legislative process. You can also search a topic in the Texas Tribune to see if there have been any proposed bills filed.
Texas Tribune State Legislature: Texas Tribune Articles on 2021 State Legislature and Proposed Bills
Big Takeaways from the 2021 Legislature
Gov. Greg Abbott calls third special session for Sept. 20 to address redistricting and other conservative priorities
Analysis: The Texas Legislature was weird. What comes next is uncertain. | The Texas Tribune
New laws in Texas on Sept. 1: What you need to know | The Texas Tribune
Texas Universities Get More State Funding, but Not Community Colleges
Analysis: Coronavirus breaks into Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session agenda | The Texas Tribune
Power Grid Legislation
Texas Alcohol to Go
Texas' New Gun Law
Critical Race Theory Law
Transgender Sports Bill
Texas' near-total abortion ban: What the law says | The Texas Tribune
Abortion Bills
Texas voting bill signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott | The Texas Tribune
Texas Anti-Abortion Bill Tries to Make it Easier to Sue Providers and Harder to Sue in Court
Abbott supports GOP bills designed to clamp down on local efforts to expand voting access
National Anthem at Mavericks Game Bill
Abbott's Priorities Match What Lawmakers are Doing
16 Pre-Filed Bills Worth Watching
House Bills Filed as of Feb 11
Texas Bill filing for 2021 Texas session begins with legislation on abortion, police stops and redistricting (This articles previews some of the proposed laws.)
Republicans kept their grip on Texas government in 2020. In 2021, they'll be able to tighten it. (This article addresses the redistricting process.)
Texas Democrats push to legalize marijuana
Analysis: In a recession, turning to sin might save the Texas budget
Abbott touts bill to stop social media companies from banning Texans for political views
Harris County got rid of cash bail, GOP lawmakers want to walk that back
Dan Patrick Announces 2021 Priorities: Pandemic, Power Grid and Socially Conservative Issues
Proposed Law Project Directions
Proposed Law Project Directions
Select a bill that has been filed in the Texas State Legislature. You can look up bills here (Bill Search) or you can read the articles below that outline many of the proposed bills. Research a bill that has been proposed in the Texas House or the Texas Senate. Prepare a presentation and present the bill and its future to the class. Your presentation should include power point slides or other visual images. If you want to get creative and do a news report or a television spot on the bill, feel free.
Your project will include basic information about the bill. A sample format is below: - Explain the bill: What does the bill aim to do? How? Explain the details of the proposed law.
- Bill's Author: Who filed the bill? Write about the politician who wrote and filed the bill. Is this person a Democrat or Republican? a member of the House or the Senate? Have representatives jointly filed the bill? Why is this politician filing this bill? What does this politician expect to gain from this bill? For example, will this bill help the people living in this politician's district?
- Explain the Politics of the Bill: Is this bill likely to pass and become law? Who is likely to support this bill? What committee has this bill been assigned to? How will this bill get before the full house or senate? How will the public respond to this bill?
- Your opinion: Do you support this bill? Why or why not?
- Future Lawmaking: Is the topic of your bill something Texas will be dealing with in the future? What are the future implications of this bill? Is this a bill that will be proposed every legislative session? Is this a bill that may have to wait its time to pass? Is this a bill that will not be addressed again in the future? Alternatively, if the bill passes and becomes law, how will this law affect Texas?
- Did the Bill Pass: Finally, did the bill pass into law? Why or why not?
Please try to have fun with your project. I am available to help if you have any questions or need assistance.