Thank the maker! The Lege finished up its 140 day session today. Their next session will be in 2017. As bad as it was, it could have been a whole lot worse.
More below
The Republicans in the Texas House and Senate were able to get two gun bills through.
The first bill will allow people that have a concealed handgun permit to open carry. An amendment preventing law enforcement officials from asking to see a person's concealed carry permit was stripped from the bill. The second bill will allow concealed carry by students aged 21 and over on public university campuses (you have to be older than 21 to have CHL in Texas). An amendment allowing universities to designate "gun-free zones" on campus was added. Voting on both bills followed partisan lines. Most Republicans voted for both bills. Democrats voted against both bills.
Only one of the anti-marriage equality bills that were brought up made it through the session. The bill that passed was the one that decreed that pastors could not be sued for refusing to marry a same sex couple. With that one exception all others died. These include the bill that would have banned public officials from issuing licenses to same sex couples.
The war on Texas women continued. Restrictions on minors seeking abortions were made more onerous.
Local control took a hit. State law takes precedence over local law. So, Denton's ban on tracking is toast.
None of the anti-immigration bills passed. This means that the "Texas Dream Act" - in-state tuition for undocumented people in the state - lives.
Epilepsy patients in Texas can now use cannabis oils.
No bills on school vouchers made it through.
Voters will be asked to consider dedicating $2.5 billion of the state sales tax to the highway fund beginning in 2017.
Truancy was decriminalized. Lawmakers agreed to stop sending students who skip school to adult court, where they could face jail time.
Last, but not least, Texas became the tenth state to pass a bill declaring the National Day of the Cowboy to be observed in late July, each year.