5 Days Left in the Second Special Session of the 87th Legislature
New Texas Laws Go Into Effect Today
A total of 666 new Texas laws that were passed during the 87th Legislative Session in May go into effect today. Here are some that might affect you.
Beer and Wine Sales on Sundays–Sunday brunch just got a little saucier. House Bill 1518 lets you buy beer and wine at 10 a.m. on Sundays. You used to have to wait until noon. Liquor sales are still off-limits on Sundays.
Permitless carry: House Bill 1927 allows Texans ages 21 and older to carry handguns without training or a license as long as they are not legally prevented from doing so.
Medical marijuana expansion: People with any form of cancer or post-traumatic stress disorder now have access to low-THC cannabis for medical purposes. HB 1535 is an expansion of the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows people with conditions such as epilepsy and autism to access medical marijuana.
For a full list of the 666 bills effective today, click here.
Bill Changing Voting Laws Headed to Gov. Abbott
Three months after House Democrats first broke quorum to stall a previous version of a voting reform bill, the House and Senate Tuesday signed off on the final version of Senate Bill 1, which would tighten the state’s voting rules. The bill is now headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.
Changes to the Texas election process in SB 1 include:
• A ban on drive-thru voting
• New regulations for early voting hours, including a ban on 24-hour voting
• A ban on the distribution of mail-in ballot applications
• New ID requirements for voting by mail
• A correction process for mail-in voting
• Enhancing poll watcher protections
• Establishing monthly citizenship checks
• Creating new rules for voter assistance
And the Special Election Winner Is…
The Special Election to fill the vacant seat in House District 10 was held yesterday.
Brian Harrison (R) and John Wray (R) will be headed to a runoff. Harrison had a big showing on Election Day after getting endorsed by Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday, finishing clearly ahead of Wray overall, 41% to 36%.
Only in Austin…
We don’t know about you, but we’re counting down the minutes until this Saturday’s first UT Football game, not to mention as much college football as we can stand starting this weekend.
To help fill your fall calendar, here are the game schedules for some favorite Texas schools, including UT, Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, Texas A&M, SMU, and the University of Houston. Go Team!