On October 2, 1835, fighting began between Mexican soldiers and the Texas militia at Gonzales,
officially starting the Texas Revolution. American colonist at Gonzales had refused a request by
the Mexican government to surrender a small cannon that had been given to the settlement years
earlier to defend against Indian raids. When the settlers declined the request, Mexican soldiers
were dispatched to retrieve it. The iconic “Come and Take it” flag was raised above the cannon
during the battle, and the moniker was adopted by the Texian rebels.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Nederland teacher honored by National Geographic contest
Nederland High School physics teacher Wendy Lapeyrolerie was recognized as a national runner
up in a National Geographic essay contest, one of seven teachers recognized nationwide. The
“Meet a National Geographic Explorer” contest required participants to submit a 500 word essay
describing the importance of bringing the world into the classroom and how it impacts students
and connects them to real world content. Because of her great work, her students will have the
opportunity to receive a virtual presentation from National Geographic Explorer Malaika Vaz.
Vaz is a filmmaker, conservationist, and the CEO of Untamed Planet, a production company
that’s made films for National Geographic, BBC, and PBS. She was named to Forbes 30 Under
30, among other honors. Congratulations on a job well done to Wendy Lapeyrolerie!

2. Second special session ends
Early this month, both chambers of the Legislature adjourned the second called special session
this year. By the end of the session, the Legislature passed a number of measures, including new
camp safety measures and flood funding, new congressional maps, a bill to reform standardized
testing in schools, among other measures. There were 20 bills in total that passed both chambers
and were signed by the governor, making the second special session very productive given the
limited number of days.

3. DETCOG begins broadband assessment with public meetings
The Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) is hosting public meetings to initiate
an action plan to bring broadband access to the region. This stems from a US Department of
Agriculture Rural Development Broadband Technical Assistance Program award received by
DETCOG. The study will begin with an online survey, followed by three in-person public
meetings and an additional virtual public meeting. To take the survey, follow this link:
https://www.detcog.gov/broadband. The virtual meeting will take place Monday, September 29
from 1:30 pm to 3pm. The meeting will be available over Zoom and information on how to
access the meeting is available on DETCOG’s website.

4. Governor Abbott issues executive order regarding THC
This month, Governor Abbott issued an executive order directing various state agencies to
further restrict access to hemp-derived products after the Legislature failed to come to an
agreement on further regulation during the special sessions. The order directs the Texas
Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to
initiate rulemaking to prohibit the sale of hemp-derived products to minors and require age
verification at the point of sale. It also directs DSHS to revise testing requirements to ensure tests
measure the total THC content of products to get an accurate reflection of how much THC is
actually in a product and ensure it is below the legal threshold. The order also requires TABC,
DSHS, and other relevant state agencies to conduct a study on further regulatory action and how
it could be implemented.

5. Changes for hunting season 2025-2026
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) wants hunters to be aware of changes made
before heading into the field this hunting season. Starting this season, TPWD is offering fully
digital license options for all recreational hunting, fishing, and combination license and tag types.
Additionally, legislation passed during the 89 th regular session streamlines the process for non-
resident hunter licenses. Now there are only two options: Non-resident General Hunting license,
for hunting any legal bird or game animal, and Non-resident Special 5-Day Small Game/Exotic
Hunting license, for non-residents looking to harvest exotic animals, small game birds, non-game
animals, fur-bearing animals, squirrels, or javelinas. TPWD is also initiating changes for season
date changes for mule deer season, quail season, and migratory game bird season. For more
information, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/.

This month the Legislature began our Second Called Special Session. We again have 30 days to complete the items on the Governor’s call.

Here are five things happening around your state:

1. Redistricting maps pass both chambers, head to Governor

This week, both the House and the Senate officially passed House Bill 4, which updates the US Congressional maps in Texas. These new maps reflect Texans’ voting preferences. The new maps rework districts in East Texas so that there are five members of congress representing the region rather than the current seven. The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk for final approval. If signed, the maps will go into effect on the 91st day after the last day of the special legislative session. To learn more about the new maps and see what they look like, including if your representative has changed, visit https://redistricting.capitol.texas.gov.

2. Various flood recovery measures pass, Legislature honors victims

Last week, both the House and Senate passed legislation relating to flood mitigation, response, and recovery while honoring the victims of the Fourth of July floods and their families. The Senate Disaster Preparedness Committee held a hearing on legislation and invited the families of victims to testify about their experiences. Families of the 27 victims at Camp Mystic recounted the aftermath of their horrific ordeal and advocated for changes to state policy around summer camp safety.

Senate Bill 1 by Senator Charles Perry would ensure that summer camps cannot build cabins or house campers within a floodplain. It also requires camps establish emergency procedures for a variety of events including a lost camper, fire, flood, severe injury, or death. Those procedures must be part of a mandatory safety orientation before each camp session begins. Further, each camp must be equipped with a radio capable of providing real-time weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service and install an emergency warning system at the camp that is capable of alerting campers and counselors to an emergency.

3. Legal defense for human trafficking victims passes Legislature

Senate Bill 11, by Senator Tan Parker, passed both chambers this week and is headed to the Governor’s desk. The bill would provide an affirmative defense for human and sex trafficking victims who commit a crime under force, fraud, or coercion from their trafficker. Under current law, young victims can be prosecuted for crimes they assisted in or committed with or for their trafficker. Often traffickers will force their victims to commit these crimes. When a victim has a criminal record, it can make it even harder for them to leave their trafficker. This will help victims of human trafficking leave their abusers without a criminal record and ensure they can take the next steps to a new life.

4. New laws go into effect September 1

September 1 is the day that most of the bills passed by the Legislature go into effect. While over a thousand bills were passed, around 750 will go into effect over the weekend. Here are some of the new laws to be aware of:

• Senate Bill 7 – This bill, by Senator Charles Perry, creates a framework for funding water projects throughout the state through the Texas Water Development Board. It accompanies a constitutional amendment voters will have the opportunity to vote on this fall to allocate $1 billion each year for 20 years to the Texas Water Fund to combat the state’s looming water crisis.
• Senate Bill 17 – This bill, by Senator Lois Kolkhorst, will ban governments, companies, and individuals who reside in China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran from owning land or property in Texas. US citizens or permanent residents are not part of the ban.
• Senate Bill 835 – This bill, by Senator Angela Paxton, bans the use of nondisclosure agreements in sexual assault and human trafficking cases. It also voids existing nondisclosure agreements in those cases. The bill, named “Trey’s Law,” is named for Trey Carlock, who died by suicide in 2019 after signing an NDA related to abuse he suffered as a child by a camp counselor.

5. New World Screwworm protection facility announced

The US Department of Agriculture announced a $750 million investment to build a facility in Edinburg, Texas to combat the spread of the New World screwworm. The facility will sterilize New World screwworm flies and prevent their reproduction. There are no facilities in the US that currently produce sterile screwworm flies, instead relying on facilities in Panama for the flies. The new facility will be able to produce 300 million sterile flies per week.