Overview

• The Texas Legislature convened a 30-day special session on July 21 at Governor Abbott’s request to tackle 18 agenda items across disaster response, hemp-derived THC rules and congressional map changes.
• Four flood-response measures call for expanded early warning systems, strengthened emergency communications, dedicated relief funding for Hill Country communities and streamlined natural disaster recovery protocols.
• After vetoing SB3 in June, Governor Abbott has instructed lawmakers to draft regulations on hemp-derived THC products and ban their sale to anyone under 21.
• A mid-decade redistricting effort is driven by a July 7 DOJ letter alleging unconstitutional racial gerrymanders in four majority-minority districts and by President Trump’s push for up to five additional Republican seats.
• Organizers of a “Focus on Flooding, Not Redistricting” rally plan to gather outside the Governor’s Mansion to demand that legislators concentrate on disaster relief before redrawing congressional boundaries.