Senate Bill 18 faces an uphill battle at the Texas House, where Speaker Dade Phelan has expressed concerns with completely eliminating the commonplace job protection.

After redistricting, the state constitution requires senators to draw lots to determine which half of the chamber will have four-year terms and which will have two-year terms. This keeps Senate district elections staggered every two years for the rest of the decade.

During a Texas Tribune event, Democratic state Reps. Joe Moody and Claudia Ordaz Perez and state Sen. César Blanco said the Uvalde school shooting and the overturning of Roe v. Wade demand action in the Texas Legislature.

Legislative leaders overseeing the Texas Military Department say they are looking into reports of suicides, habitual pay problems and poor working conditions on Gov. Greg Abbott's highly touted border mission.

The Legislature passed a bill allowing Texans to carry handguns without a license or training — an expansion of gun rights so divisive Republican leaders in previous years refused to touch it.

The renewed commitment from Republican leaders to protect gun owners comes as the first Texas legislative session is underway since 2019’s mass shootings in El Paso and Midland-Odessa. Credit: Callie Ricmond for The Texas TribuneTexas Republican leaders are responding to the recent back-to-back mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado with commitments to protect gun ownership in the state. The political winds have completely shifted since the Texas shootings, and Democrats now control Congress and the Oval Office. Biden, a longtime supporter of gun control laws, reinvigorated the decades-long battle surrounding federal gun laws this week when he called for an assault weapons ban and stronger background checks for gun purchases. "The Biden Administration has declared war on the entire law-abiding shooting community," said Andi Turner, legislative director for the Texas State Rifle Association.

The health of constituents and the local economy, especially for small businesses, are the Senate’s largest focuses, Gutierrez said. He said he wants to zoom in on benefits for small businesses, but different Texas communities may require different solutions. Following guidelines is necessary so everyone can meet their goals within the 140 days of session, Springer said. “We tamped down the pageantry around the beginning of the session,” Blanco said. This conversation was presented by Lone Star College and supported by DoorDash, Texas Association of School Business Officials, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and TEXAS 2036.

César Blanco, Roland Gutierrez and Drew Springer join The Texas Tribune for a live event on Jan. 19. Join The Texas Tribune at noon Central Jan. 19 for an interview with three new members of the Texas Senate: César Blanco, D-El Paso; Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio; and Drew Springer, R-Muenster. Blanco, D-El Paso, represents Senate District 29 in El Paso. Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, represents Senate District 19 in San Antonio. Though donors and corporate sponsors underwrite Texas Tribune events, they play no role in determining the content, panelists or line of questioning.