A guide to Texas’ special legislative session

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Editor's note: This is an updated version of our Texas Legislature 101 guides originally published in 2023.

Texas lawmakers will return to the Capitol on July 21 for a second attempt at regulating THC, the psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plants of hemp and marijuana. This comes after Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a planned ban on most hemp products, which contain THC at lower levels than marijuana, as well as more than two dozen other bills that lawmakers had approved.

Abbott has also called on lawmakers to tackle emergency preparedness in the wake of catastrophic flooding in Central Texas, as well as redrawing the state’s congressional districts and passing conservative priorities such as banning abortion pills. Here’s what you need to know:

Why there’s a special session

During their regular legislative session in the spring, state lawmakers passed a bill that would have banned consumable hemp products like vapes, gummies and drinks that provide a similar high as marijuana. The broad ban would have taken effect in September, if not for Abbott’s veto. He then ordered a special legislative session for lawmakers to regulate the hemp industry and address other bills he vetoed.

The other vetoed bills on Abbott’s agenda range from changes to the criminal justice system to water rights management, but many eyes will be on how lawmakers address a loophole in previous state laws legalizing hemp that allowed the sale of THC products — which spawned an entire new industry across Texas.

Lt. Gov Dan Patrick, who has claimed that THC is driving young people to suicide and altering people’s brains, championed the ban and even threatened to make lawmakers work overtime by preventing other important legislation from advancing if they didn’t approve a ban.

Experts say there are some health concerns, including that THC can be addictive, but they say it doesn’t usually cause widespread psychosis or brain damage.

The hemp industry and its advocates warned the ban could shutter the hemp industry and hinder access to the non-psychoactive CBD and CBG and to medical marijuana for patients in need of pain relief.

Lawmakers did expand the state’s limited medical marijuana program, but medical marijuana dispensaries still hope lawmakers will heavily regulate the hemp industry by putting in place age restrictions and banning synthetic delta-8 THC, which makes up the bulk of consumable hemp products.

A special session lasts up to 30 days, and state lawmakers can only work on the governor’s agenda items.

After facing pressure from President Donald Trump’s political team, Abbott has asked lawmakers to redraw some of Texas’ 38 U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 midterms.

He also directed lawmakers to focus on these areas following the deadly Hill Country floods over the July 4 weekend:

• Flood warning systems
• Emergency communications
• Natural disaster preparation
• Relief funding for the impacted areas

Abbott also included several high-profile and controversial conservative priorities that didn’t pass during the 140-day regular session, including:

• Banning cities and counties from hiring lobbyists to advocate for them at the Capitol
• Requiring people to use bathrooms that align with the sex they were assigned at birth
• Cracking down on the manufacturing and distribution of abortion pills

During the session, which ran from January through early June, state lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have established a statewide plan to improve Texas’ disaster response. House Bill 13 called for the plan to include “the use of outdoor warning sirens,” like those used in tornado-prone Texas counties, and develop new emergency alert systems.

State Rep. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said he would propose legislation to ensure people are alerted with sirens along watersheds instead of notifications on their phones that could be silenced or missed.

How Texans can follow the session

The Texas Legislature Online: Through the Legislature’s website, you can find bills that have been filed and track their progress. You can easily create a personal list of bills to follow and set up email alerts for updates on legislation. You can also receive email alerts when notices of upcoming committee hearings are posted. You can also use the website to find links to broadcasts of floor debates or committee meetings in the House and Senate, as well as other resources, such as a glossary of legislative terms.

The Bill Status Hotline: During the legislative session, you can call 877-824-7038 in Texas to get up-to-the-minute information about a bill’s status, the legislative process, help getting a copy of the bill and contact information for a lawmaker’s office, according to the Legislative Reference Library. But hotline staff cannot interpret a bill or transfer your call to a lawmaker’s office.

The Texas Tribune: You can also keep up with the latest on the Legislature through the Tribune’s coverage. Here are some of the ways you can follow our work:

• Want to know how your lawmakers voted on key issues during the regular legislative session? Use our lawmaker lookup tool to find out.
• Subscribe to our newsletters. For summaries of the most important Texas news from us and other news outlets, you can sign up for The Brief, our free daily newsletter, or for The Briefly Weekly. You can also sign up for breaking news alerts or weekly RSS newsletters compiling all our stories on topics such as the Texas Legislature, education and health care.
• Follow our free WhatsApp channel, where we’ll be sending updates at least once a week with essential news about the Texas Legislature. Find and follow us through this link. Tap the bell icon in the channel to turn on notifications for any updates.
• Listen to our weekly podcast, TribCast, where Editor-in-Chief Matthew Watkins, reporter Eleanor Klibanoff and other guests will discuss the latest news from the session. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts and on our YouTube channel.
• Want even more updates? We also have a premium newsletter, The Blast, with exclusive reporting, nonpartisan analysis and the first word on political moves across the state. Subscribe and get access to our texting line for timely updates and alerts of new editions of The Blast.

How can I participate in the legislative process?

Contact your lawmakers: Texans can share their concerns and personal stories with their elected representatives, which can be the most effective form of advocacy, said Kathy Green, the director of state and federal strategy for AARP Texas who has more than 30 years of experience working in and around state government.

“If you’ve got stories about those actual things that affect your daily life, talk to your legislator about that,” she said. “They need to hear the stories; they need to understand what people back in their districts are facing.”

But it helps to be prepared with knowledge of the legislation, including its impact and possible costs, and about the lawmaker you’re contacting, said state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo. For example, don’t lobby a legislator to support a bill that they authored, she said.

Meeting with the lawmaker’s staff can be just as important as meeting with their boss, Zaffirini added.

“Staff is very important in the process because staff makes the recommendations regarding the bill,” she said. “So by working with a staff, [constituents] prepare the staff to be persuasive with a member.”

Testify at a public hearing: You can register through kiosks at the Capitol or online while using the Capitol Wi-Fi. In the Senate, you may have to fill out a card in person during the hearing to testify. You can find more tips on how to testify here.

During a special session, a Senate committee or subcommittee must post notice of a meeting at least 24 hours before the meeting, according to the state’s legislative guide. House committees or subcommittees must also typically post notice for a public hearing held during a special session at least 24 hours before, unless the rule is suspended by a vote of the members on the House floor.

It is more impactful to succinctly speak about your experience than it is to read written testimony or just cite facts, said Luke Metzger, the executive director of the advocacy group Environment Texas. But you can also submit written testimony or have someone else testify on your behalf.

It can take time for legislation to come up for discussion in a committee hearing, especially if a hearing is scheduled for after a chamber meets for floor debate, so it helps to be prepared to be at the Capitol for a while.

“Planning is critical, and typically plan to spend the day and stay overnight if necessary,” Zaffirini said. It can also help to communicate with staff if you need to leave by a certain time, she said.

Join an advocacy group: If you find an organization that is working on issues that matter to you, they can help you navigate and stay engaged in the legislative process. But it doesn’t take a well-funded organization, said Shera Eichler, a government affairs consultant and former chief of staff for a state representative.

“Maybe there's a group of parents or a group of your neighbors that share the same common concerns, where you can all meet with the legislator together or send a letter together,” she said.

Disclosure: AARP and AARP Texas have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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