“I still lose sleep”: GOP Rep. Drew Darby reflects on voucher vote, THC ban and special session

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State Rep. Drew Darby hopes lawmakers can reach a compromise to regulate the state’s multi-billion dollar THC and hemp market that won't devastate Texas’ agriculture industry when the Legislature returns to Austin next month.

Darby, a San Angelo Republican, said regulation is possible as he reflected on how the legislative session impacted rural Texas in a conversation moderated by Tribune editor-in-chief Matthew Watkins at Angelo State University. It is the latest in a series of talks organized by the Tribune to reflect on the 2025 legislative session that ended June 2.

During the session, lawmakers passed a bill banning THC products, which Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed on Sunday. In doing so, Abbott also called lawmakers back to work on the legislation.

Darby said he favors regulating the industry that would allow for licenses to sell and impose control over packaging, labeling, testing and ultimately taxation.

"I think that's the best path," Darby said. "Hopefully, the governor and lieutenant governor will agree with that path and we can have a meaningful discussion come July 21 when we all come back together."

Lawmakers also passed a historic bill to create a private school voucher program that had failed to make headway for several years, in large part due to opposition from rural Republicans.

But with Abbott's help, many of the lawmakers who opposed the bill were voted out of office and this year, Republicans finally had the votes to pass the voucher bill.

Darby had initially opposed vouchers but ultimately voted for the bill that limited funding to $1 billion, imposed audit requirements, and limited funding to schools that have existed for at least two years.

Additionally, lawmakers approved a bill allocating $8.5 billion to public schools. Altogether, that led him to vote yes on vouchers. Though it wasn’t a vote he made lightly.

"I still lose sleep over that," Darby said.

He doesn't foresee the many rural Texans enrolling onto the voucher program and expects it will be a bigger issue in urban areas. However, he expects the vouchers will continue to come up in the legislature as lawmakers seek to increase funding for the program to allow more people to enroll.

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