Good morning, 

Yesterday, I asked readers to grade the Texas Legislature. Today, you'll find the report card.

This is the Texas Minute for Tuesday, June 3, 2025.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Legislature Adjourns—Now the Governor Has the Last Word

• Monday marked the conclusion of the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature, with 1,200 pieces of legislation sent to the governor for action. Brandon Waltens explains what is coming next.
      
• At the moment, it is not likely that Gov. Greg. Abbott will call a special session. If he does, however, one issue appears most likely to be the focus: efforts to strengthen bail reform measures aimed at keeping violent repeat offenders and illegal aliens accused of violent crimes behind bars. Those measures were killed in the House, as they did not gain enough Democrat support to garner the necessary two-thirds vote.
       
• Under state law, the governor has 20 days after final adjournment to veto any bills that have landed on his desk. That means the governor has until June 22 to act. If he takes no action by then, those bills automatically become law.

Lawmakers Reach Deal on Immigration Enforcement 

• A high-profile immigration enforcement measure is now headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after both chambers approved a compromise hammered out in conference committee over the last week.
     
• Senate Bill 8, a top priority of the Republican Party of Texas and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, requires all Texas sheriffs who operate or contract to operate a jail to pursue formal cooperation agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
             
• Under the final language, counties must enter into any of the three ICE partnership models allowed under federal law—the task force model, jail enforcement model, or the warrant service model.
      
• The measure also creates a grant program of between $80,000 and $140,000, depending on a county's population, to help cover the cost of implementing an agreement with ICE. These funds can be used for officer compensation, reporting requirements, equipment, training, and detention-related expenses not reimbursed by the federal government.

RELATED LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Tinderholt Announces Retirement From Texas House

Six-term incumbent from Arlington said his decision to step away was about making room for the next generation and returning home to his family.

Texas Supreme Court To Decide if State Judges Have Freedom of Religion

• The Supreme Court of Texas and federal courts are considering whether Texas judges can refuse to officiate same-sex weddings. Travis Morgan reviews the case of a McLennan County Justice of the Peace.
       
• It revolves around a public warning issued to Dianne Hensley by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. While she would perform marriage ceremonies for heterosexual couples, Hensley referred same-sex couples to a local minister who offered them a discount.
      
• The commission claimed that by doing this, Hensley had violated the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.
       
• Hensley’s lawsuit claims the commission’s interpretation is incorrect and violates her rights under the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act. That state law declares, “a government agency may not substantially burden a person’s free exercise of religion.”
       
• Meanwhile, Jack County Judge Brian Umphress is challenging the commission’s ruling against Hensley in federal court, contending it is unconstitutional. His case hinges on the possibility he could be targeted by the commission next.

TEA Extends Control of Houston ISD Until 2027

• Joseph Trimmer reports the Houston Independent School District will remain under the control of the Texas Education Agency through at least June 1, 2027. The TEA took control of Houston ISD in 2023 after years of chronic student underperformance and governance failures. 
      
• The state replaced the elected school board, appointed a new superintendent, and implemented a series of aggressive reforms. Since the takeover, Houston ISD has reduced the number of D and F-rated campuses from 121 in 2023 to 41 in 2024, according to preliminary reporting.

RELATED EDUCATION NEWS

• Uresti reportedly met the girl when she was a fifth grade student at Kriewald Road School of the Arts, an elementary school in Southwest Independent School District, where he was a substitute teacher.
      

• A Southwest ISD spokeswoman confirmed to Texas Scorecard that Uresti was allowed to resign in October 2024 while he was under investigation for “inappropriate behavior” with students.

Quote-Unquote

"Nothing is easier than spending the public money. It does not appear to belong to anybody. The temptation is overwhelming to bestow it on somebody."

– Calvin Coolidge​

Y'All Answered

Yesterday marked the end of the Texas Legislature's constitutionally defined regular session. We asked readers to grade the session's results overall, by assigning a school-style grade of A, B, C, or F.

Here's how readers explained the grades they gave.

• “They did not follow directions, or complete the tasks given them.” – Diane Galando
     

• “Their feeble attempts toward ‘property tax reform’ never addresses the soaring property appraisals driving our tax increases.” – Jude Schexnyder
      

• “I give it a C- because they failed to deliver on property tax relief, spent WAY more money than they should have, and failed to restore the AG's powers to prosecute election crimes. Maybe my C- was too generous.” – Earl Carter
     

• “I almost gave the Legislature an 'F' but ended with a 'C' due to foreign ownership of Texas land being banned.” – DeeDee Winter
     

• “We pack the House and Senate with professed “conservatives”, then watch them pull the same crap every session.” – Walt Hall
      

• “The budget is excessive. There was little property tax relief. Medicaid should not go to ANY illegal aliens.” – J. Scott Skinner
    

• “Didn’t lower my taxes and the elections are not secure.” – Joyce Rees.  
     

• “Solidly an F, primarily due to a House that was, yet again, torpedoed by RINOs. The House did almost none of the high-priority work they were sent to Austin to accomplish. While the Senate made some progress, how could they let the budget balloon like that? Both chambers need a little DOGE backbone.” – Jeff Houghton
       

• “The Senate did ok, but the House needs to be revamped.” – Lisa Escolas
      

• “If this session was a real project at a real company, then the entire lot of legislators would receive a written warning for ‘failure to accomplish clearly set goals.’” – Chris Carey
      

• “Until dramatic property tax reform is enacted and the loss of my home is no longer an issue, my legislators have failed me miserably. Texas carries a multi-billion dollar surplus so there is no reason to ignore tax reform.” – Dana Kay
      

• “I gave this 89th Legislative Session an F because both the House and Senate did not fully fulfill the 8 Texas GOP Legislative Priorities.” – Denise Lunski
       

• “My overall grade of ‘C’ is mainly due to the pitiful performance of the Texas House. The Senate gets an A- or B+, but it’s time for people to engage at the primary level and get rid of the RINOs in the House.” – Mark Henley
       

• “The legislature always goes down to the line.  Spending more and giving back to Texans as little as possible!” – Donna de Socarraz
      

• “Not as bad as I had expected with RINO’s like Will Metcalf, Cecil Bell, Dade Phelan and Dustin Burrows in the House conspiring with democrats to eliminate conservative legislation, but I am disappointed in the puny property tax relief and enormous state spending budget that was passed.” – Malcom Rae
       

• “Grade: F. The 89th Texas Legislature failed Texans by prioritizing the interests of well-funded lobbyists over the needs of everyday citizens.” – Melissa Rowell
      

• “The House flunked but the senate got a B+.” – Jack Pendergraph
      

• “Property taxes needed to have been eliminated!” – Debra Davis
      

• “They over-tax us, fail to give us a refund, then spend it to subsidize an industry that makes millions of dollars to ‘entertain’ us.” – Steve Sullivan
        

• “Based on end results alone, I gave the session a C. But if we were judging overall behavior it would definitely be an F.” – Fran Rhodes
      

• “The 89th Texas Senate deserves a C+ where the House deserves an F.” – Susan Valliant
       

• “We elect those who say they are conservatives, but the delays, votes and general distain shown towards the voters prove them false.” – B.D. Marshall
       

• “I give them a C. They took too long to get started and guaranteed they wouldn't finish strong, so they didn’t.” – Charlene Roberson
      

• “I don’t think I have ever seen the 'smoke and mirrors' machine worked so hard. We have a lot of (D)s in (R) cloaks in Austin.” – David Monson

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