A provision to the law allows military service members and veterans to step into the classroom for three years to teach career and technology classes. But not many of them have been hired through the change.

The law bans those convicted of animal cruelty, including those involved with dogfighting, from owning any kind of animal for five years after their first criminal offense.

Originally pitched as an effort to restrict children from seeing certain drag shows, the House and Senate agreed on a version of the bill that could still ensnare LGBTQ performers.

The bill no longer targets drag performers, but LGBTQ advocates say the legislation’s vague language could still be used to criminalize such shows.

Rural school leaders in Texas have been able to stave off the legislative priority of some of the state’s most prominent Republicans. But private school officials hope this year will be different.

Advocates say discontent with public schools’ pandemic rules and teachings on race and gender identity have helped raise support for school choice to an all-time high.

As of Wednesday, there were no known cases of absent Democrats being arrested, and the chamber was still shy of the 100 members it needs for a quorum to conduct official business. That is despite its Aug. 10 vote to proceed with the arrests.

The legislation — which required voter approval — would have brought a monumental expansion of gambling to Texas, which has some of the most restrictive gaming laws in the country.

Six years ago, Collin County was so solidly Republican that many of its representatives in Austin and Washington didn’t even draw Democratic opponents. Collin County was among the first Texas counties this week to exceed its 2016 turnout, and 62% of its voters had already voted as of Wednesday. “Collin County voters are smart,” Taylor said. At the same time, Democrats also see opportunity in injecting the president into the Texas House races in Collin County. “What’s happening in Collin County is what’s happening all across the country,” Leach said.

Taken together, the reports point to a wildly competitive battle for control of the lower chamber, where Democrats are nine seats away from the majority. Republicans held $9.9 million cash on hand across the 34 districts, while Democrats had $6.2 million. Furthermore, in the four open seats that Democrats are trying to flip, all the GOP nominees were outraised. The money race was most stark in House District 138 in Houston, one of Democrats' best pickup opportunities. The Republican State Leadership Committee, the main national GOP group focused on state legislative races, is also playing big in Texas.