The Texas Senate approved the new congressional map and sent the bill to Gov. Greg Abbott. A lawsuit challenging the redrawn districts as being racially discriminatory was filed before Abbott could sign the bill, which he has promised to do soon. The Texas Tribune reported that the redrawn map, which could give Republicans five additional congressional seats in 2026, has been challenged by two law firms filing on behalf of 13 Texas residents collectively called “the Gonzales plaintiffs.”

In addition, the NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and Mexican American Legislative Caucus have joined LULAC in two additional suits against Abbott that call the maps unconstitutional and “intentionally discriminatory.”

Abbott’s office defended the maps. Andrew Mahaleris, the governor’s press secretary, said they allow “more Texans to vote for the candidate of their choice,” noting that Hispanic Texans are increasingly moving away from Democrats.

A 2021 suit filed by LULAC over the maps drawn after the 2020 census is still pending in court.

House passes bill requiring sirens in some flood-prone areas

Flood sirens will be required in areas identified by the Texas Water Development Board under a Senate bill approved by the House last week. Under the measure, TWDB would have to identify areas that have a history of severe flooding. In those areas, either the county or city would be required to install and regularly test warning sirens, The Dallas Morning News reported. 

SB3 allocates $50 million over the next two years to help cities and counties pay for the sirens, but they must submit a proposal to receive funding. The move comes after the July 4 Hill Country floods killed at least 137 people, including 27 campers and staff members at Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River.

“We must rely on proven technology like outdoor warning systems,” said state Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown.

Certain foreign nationals now banned from buying land in Texas

As of Sept. 1, people with ties to China, Iran, North Korea or Russia have been banned from buying most Texas property, including farmland, homes and commercial property, the Texas Standard reported. People in the state on student or work visas from those countries may buy a single home to live in but are barred from purchasing additional properties. 

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, authored the bill and called it “the strongest protection national security bill of any state passed.”

If a person violates the law, they could face a state jail felony and fines. 

Two Chinese nationals living in Texas filed suit in July, arguing the ban violates constitutional protections.

“It’s discriminating against Chinese people, it’s discriminating against immigrants,” said Justin Sadowsky, legal director at the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance and attorney for the plaintiffs.

The suit was dismissed by a federal judge in August, but the plaintiffs have taken the case to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

New proposed ban on THC has stalled

A bill to ban hemp-derived THC products in the state has stalled with the state’s top two officials at loggerheads over the issue. The Houston Chronicle reported that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is still pushing a ban after Abbott vetoed a similar bill in the regular session. Abbott called the first special session after vetoing the THC ban, arguing instead for a more regulated approach.

“The regulated market would be very comprehensive,” Abbott said. “It would regulate it at the farming-based level, the wholesale level, the distributor and the retailer.”

A total ban would affect more than 8,500 businesses across the state that sell hemp-derived products, some of which contain amounts of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

While Patrick and Abbott have largely agreed in the past on major issues, that is not the case with the THC ban. Patrick said this is “probably the biggest one we’ve ever disagreed on, particularly openly.”

East Texas water export delayed by study

An attempt by a Dallas investor to export East Texas groundwater likely will be delayed at least two years after lawmakers approved a water development board study of the plan’s effects. The Chronicle reported state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, authored the bill after investor Kyle Bass applied for exploratory permits for wells that could pump more groundwater in Anderson and Henderson counties than was now available.

The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer spans East Texas from Louisiana to Mexico, supplying many towns in that region with groundwater. The bill requires TWDB to determine how much groundwater can be pumped “in perpetuity” without affecting the local groundwater district’s 50-year plan. 

Harris has also filed legislation to overturn the rule of capture. That rule has historically allowed landowners to pump however much groundwater is below their property, even if it negatively affects their neighbors. He said he intends to address the rule of capture during the 2027 session.

House OKs making Ivermectin available without prescription

The House last week passed a bill that would make ivermectin, used primarily to treat livestock for parasites but sometimes prescribed to humans, available to Texans without a prescription. The Tribune reported the vote came after a lively debate along party lines. Its sponsor, state Rep. Joanne Shofner, R-Nacogdoches, argued her bill championed medical freedom. 

The drug gained popularity during the pandemic as a treatment for COVID-19 before a vaccine was available. Prior to the pandemic, it had been used as a treatment for humans carrying certain tropical or subtropical parasites. 

If signed into law, ivermectin could be dispensed without a prescription at pharmacies, similarly to how cold and cough medicines like pseudoephedrine are given.

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