Throughout the month of August, The Texas Tribune featured 31 ways Texans' lives changed as of Sept. 1, the date when most bills passed by the Legislature — including the dramatically reduced state budget — became law. We explained the changes and introduced you to some of the people who will have to enforce or live with these new statutes. We know this is just a sampling. In all, lawmakers passed more than 5,000 pieces of legislation. The governor signed 1,458 bills. By the numbers, 607 bills took effect immediately, 673 become law on Sept. 1, and 21 are scheduled to be enforced on the first day of the new year. Gov. Rick Perry vetoed 24 bills.
As part of the Tribune's ongoing effort to explain the continuing effects of the 2011 regular and special sessions, we encourage you to engage with us and be part of our future coverage. Are you a state worker? A student or parent? A Medicaid recipient? A taxpayer? Tell us how the decisions made by lawmakers this session will affect you or someone else you know. We've created a few ways for you to share your story. We may contact you for a follow-up report.
Thousands of Texas Teachers Losing Jobs
Feral Hog Hunting Takes Flight In Texas
Exonerated Texans Receive Compensation
Less Financial Aid for Texas Students
Budget Cuts Final Straw for Air Ambulance
Some Lose Developmental Disabilities Funding
East Texas Hospital Will Downgrade Its Trauma Center
Texas Students Switch to STAAR Testing
Protective Orders Expanded to Cover More Texans
UT SW Loses $31 M in State Support
Texas Abortion Sonogram Law Takes Effect
Driver's License Policies Become Law
Textbook Affordability Measures Kick In
Texas Lawmakers Give Extra Support to Anti-Abortion Clinics
Texas Family Planning Funding Slashed
Guns and Ammo Allowed In Vehicles on Company Parking Lots
TWIA's Claims Process Gets a Makeover
Noodling for Catfish Now Legal in Texas
Central Unit Closing Marks Sugar Land's Transformation
Lawmakers Help Charter Schools Build, Expand Facilities
Lawmakers Refuse to Lift Cap for New Charters
State Cuts Mean Fewer Residency Slots in Texas
Prison Schools Lose Classes, Teachers
Stringent Voter ID Law Means Changes at Texas Polls
Texas Requires Online Retailers to Collect Sales Taxes
Hours, Services at Texas State Parks Cut Back
State Won't Fund Growing Demand for HIV Medicine
Tort Reform Bill Gives High Court New Powers
State Cuts Nursing Education Funding
Border Security Funding Will Increase Over the Next Biennium
Texas Nursing Homes Brace for Higher Costs, Sicker Patients
The Texas Tribune is pleased to provide the opportunity for you to share your observations about this story. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask that you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or wandering away from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of the Tribune, and your real name will be displayed. Thanks for taking time to offer your thoughts.
Comments (7)
Debra Haas
Last night was back to school night at my daughter's HS. One of the many (negative) impacts of the session is larger class sizes. Several of her teachers told parents that this year's classes would be the biggest ever. Not because of more students - but because there are few teachers. This is just the beginning of the impact that will be felt by schools, students and parents - we have an entire biennium ahead of us.
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
After months of dealing w/incompetents @ THHServices, I'm sure the cuts to nursing homes are kicking in. An Alzheimer patient w/Tex.Medicaid is suddenly disqualified for no reason, ergo, months of trying to get her re-qualified & the nursing home's payments suspended. It's a Kafka nightmare!
Margaret Lalk via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Child Protective Services has eliminated the adoption unit in the Brazos County region, as well as cutting back on services to children in foster care and their families. I work with these children and families; their road to a stable, normal life will become more difficult.
Judy Ann Brownlee via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Texas Retired Teachers have not got a cost of living raise in over ten years, yet the cost of health insurance has gone up and will sky rocket, I understand, under Obama Care.
patricia bird
Teachers losing jobs, prisons losing classes/teachers, hours of State Parks cuts, cuts to nursing education, higher costs for nursing care, family planning funds slashed, less financial aid for students, developmentally disabled have funding cuts, air ambulance funds cuts - but thank god they found time to intrude in women's rights and voter suppression laws...amazing, this group wants government out of our lives so they intrude where they are not wanted, but when their job is to protect the most venerable, they cut and slash those programs....makes one want to cringe that anyone, primarily our governor, wants to brag about his accomplishments in TX
Sam Reeves
Our budget will be cut so that anything I want for my room will just about have to come out of my pocket. I don't understand why the legislature did cut out the new STARR test either. Lord only knows how much we pay Pearson to write these tests that do nothing and prove nothing except how much more stress they can put on teachers, students, and administrators. And then TEA posts a letter saying that since their are fewer exemplary schools, education in Texas is better if I didn't misread it. What sense does that make?
Betty Haynes
For the 10th year, the Texas Legislature did not help my life. For the 10th year, it refused to fund the Teacher Retirement System so that I and the thousands of annuitants could get a cost of living raise. We have lost almost 30% of purchasing power since 2001, the last year we were given a COLA.