What you need to know
Nov. 12 marked the first day state legislators could file new bills for the upcoming session, and more than 1,400 bills were filed on the first day. Local legislators filed bills on topics including firearm possession, health care costs, wages and the criminal justice system.
Local representatives have filed the following number of bills:
- Republican Rep. Gary Gates filed four bills
- Republican Sen. Joan Huffman filed six bills
- Democratic Rep. Suleman Lulani filed 25 bills
- Democratic Rep. Ron Reynolds filed 19 bills
- Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst filed 13 bills
Huffman, who won her re-election bid in November, filed several bills related to the justice system. Two bills, Senate Bill 328 and Senate Bill 329, would create two new judicial districts in both Fort Bend and Brazoria counties, respectively.
Fort Bend County officials previously said new courts were needed to address the rising number of cases judges deliberate, caused by the county’s growing population.
Digging deeper
Meanwhile, Lulani and Reynolds, who also were also re-elected in November, filed numerous bills on the first day relating to the purchase and possession of firearms and semiautomatic rifles.
According to the filings, the bills propose:
- Prohibiting someone under 21 years old to purchase or possess firearms or semiautomatic rifles or have it transferred to them
- Prohibiting sex offenders from purchasing or possessing firearms
- Increasing the penalty if someone makes a firearm accessible to a child
Additionally, Kolkhorst filed several bills relating to real estate and the health care industry.
One real estate-related bill, SB 322, would limit increases on property values from 20% to 10% of the appraised value from the previous year, according to bill text. It would also postpone the limit of time the law would be in place from 2026 to 2031.
This would require voter approval as a constitutional amendment, according to the bill.
Meanwhile, Gates, who also won his re-election bid, filed four bills of varying topics, ranging from the number of petition signatures needed to dissolve municipal management districts to limiting solid waste management fees.
What’s next
These bills have yet to be voted on or signed into law and are subject to change or be dismissed entirely prior to approval.
