Texas lawmakers set for contentious special session on flooding, THC, redistricting, and many more

AUSTIN, Texas - The special session of the Texas Legislature begins on Monday at 12 P.M.

Governor Greg Abbott shared that there are 18 agenda items he wants lawmakers to discuss over the next 30 days. 

Lawmakers will report to Austin for the start of a special session.

Trending agenda topics

Flooding-related

Gov. Abbott released a jam-packed agenda with a top priority being the historic flooding in Central Texas. Lawmakers are set to discuss flood warning systems, flood emergency communications, relief funding, and natural disaster preparation and recovery.

• FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS: Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• FLOOD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• RELIEF FUNDING FOR HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
• NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION & RECOVERY: Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.

THC ban

Abbott vetoed a bill that was passed in the regular session that would have essentially banned the sale of all THC products. The bill was a priority of attorney general Ken Paxton. During the special session, the governor wants to discuss more regulations, especially when it comes to kids. 

• PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THC: Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.
• REGULATE HEMP-DERIVED PRODUCTS : Legislation to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.

Texas redistricting

Another hot-button issue on the 18-item agenda is redistricting. Governor Abbott says, according to a letter from the Department of Justice, there are constitutionality issues with the current maps. President Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he wants to pick up five more republican seats from the state of Texas.

• REDISTRICTING: Legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Experts on the special session

What they're saying:

Angela Downes is an assistant director at the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law. Downes says the flooding agenda items will be the only thing in the session that will unite both parties and the other agenda items, like THC regulation, could spark heated debate.

"And I really think that's something that's going to be a rallying point for both sides of the aisle. The other items, probably not so much. I think those are going to be contentious," said Downes. 

"Surely, I don't know how this will go, but if it's any indication…from the regular session, I think it's going to be very, very heated."

David Froomkin is an expert in election law from the University of Houston. He says lawmakers who created the maps have denied any racial gerrymandering. 

"In the administration's view, the existing Texas map constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, meaning that the legislators who drew the existing map, in the view of the administration, improperly relied on race as a criterion in drawing that map," said Froomkin.

"If Republicans had simply said, we have a political objective, then they would be fine under existing gerrymandering law. On the other hand, because they've taken the position that they are correcting a racial problem with the existing map, they have opened the door to plaintiffs coming along and suing them on the grounds that they are the ones who have entered into this process with a racial objective in mind."

Froomkin says he'll be watching to see how incumbent republican lawmakers react to the redistricting discussion.

"Their seats could be threatened if there's a wave election. They may stand to lose their seats under the new plan and, so, I think that a lot of the stakeholders under the current map have good reason to resist the change on both sides of the aisle. So that will be interesting to watch."

Lawmakers have plenty on the agenda and Downes is unsure if lawmakers will be able to tackle it all in just 30 days.

"So there are so many things to look at, you know, STAAR test, human trafficking, property taxes, so many items I don't know that the legislature will be able to get through all of them, and the governor might decide that there needs to be an additional special session."

Full agenda for the special session

Dig deeper:

Here is the full agenda for the special session, as listed by a release from Gov. Abbott's Office:

• FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS: Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• FLOOD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
• RELIEF FUNDING FOR HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
• NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION & RECOVERY: Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.
• ELIMINATE STAAR TEST: Legislation to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability.
• CUT PROPERTY TAXES: Legislation reducing the property tax burden on Texans and legislation imposing spending limits on entities authorized to impose property taxes.
• PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THC: Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.
• REGULATE HEMP-DERIVED PRODUCTS : Legislation to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.
• PROTECT UNBORN CHILDREN: Legislation further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion.
• BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING: Legislation prohibiting taxpayer-funded lobbying, including the use of tax dollars to hire lobbyists and payment of tax dollars to associations that lobby the Legislature.
• PROTECT HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1278 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that protects victims of human trafficking from criminal liability for non-violent acts closely tied to their own victimization.
• POLICE PERSONNEL RECORDS: Legislation that protects law enforcement officers from public disclosure of unsubstantiated complaints in personnel files.
• PROTECT WOMEN’S SPACES: Legislation protecting women’s privacy in sex-segregated spaces.
• ATTORNEY GENERAL ELECTION POWERS: Legislation proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the Attorney General to prosecute state election crimes.
• REDISTRICTING: Legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.
• TITLE THEFT & DEED FRAUD: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 648 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that provides strengthened protections against title theft and deed fraud.
• WATER PROJECT INCENTIVES: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1253 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that authorizes political subdivisions to reduce impact fees for builders who include water conservation and efficiency measures.
• STATE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 2878 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to the operation and administration of the Judicial Department of state government.