TXCSS Advocacy Resources

 TXCSS Bill Tracker

89th Texas Legislative Session: How to use the TXCSS Bill Tracker

The Advocacy Committee has created this bill tracker to help our members follow legislation introduced during the 89th Texas Legislative Session, which began in January 2025, that may impact social studies education in the state. This tracker will be updated regularly as new bills are proposed in the House and Senate. Since the deadline for filing bills is March 14, we will continue adding new legislation to the tracker until then. We will also update any bills that move through committees and to floor vote. If you would like to receive regular emailed “blasts” about specific bills from TXCSS, please sign up here.

How to Identify and Track Bills of Interest 

Determine which bills you want to follow, based on your interests or concerns. We recommend you set up personalized alerts on the Texas Legislature Online if you want to receive automatic alerts that will let you know what new bills are being proposed within a specific category (such as Curriculum) or you want to follow specific bills. Make sure as you follow this process, you are searching for bills in the 89th Legislative Session (89R).

Set up Alerts 

You can do that through the following steps: 

1. Go to Texas Legislature Online (TLO) to search for bills by keywords, bill numbers, or sponsors. You can also track bills and set up personalized alerts for updates. 

2. Create an account so you can save searches or alerts. 

3. Select My TLO and on the drop down, select “Alerts.”

4. Select the subject(s) you would like to add to your alerts. These alerts will send emails daily if any bills have been filed or have moved within the specific subjects you’ve identified. 

Alternatively, if you want to track specific bills that you identified on our bill tracker, you can type the number of a specific bill in the “Bills” tab and receive email alerts only for the bills you want to follow.  When searching for a bill number, make certain to add SB or HB with the corresponding number. 

Save Your Searches

1. If you don’t want to receive automated emails, but want to save searches related to specific subject areas, so that you don’t have to type in a new search every time, click on “Search” on the navigation bar. Click on “Bill Search.” 

2. Enter your search criteria:

3. You can select the specific subjects you want to follow, as we showed above when setting up alerts, or which committees that bills will be referred to:

• House: Public Education and/or Higher Education
• Senate: Education K-16

Monitor Committee Hearings

Once you’ve set up your alerts or saved your searches, stay vigilant! Some bills will die in committee, and some will move quickly. The best opportunity for advocacy is to contact your representatives directly and to submit testimony when bills are heard in committee. You can submit testimony in person at the Capitol or online. 

TXCSS will also try to let members know if a bill we are following will hit the committees and we’ll send out email alerts. If you would like to receive email alerts from TXCSS about bills we are specifically following, please fill out this form. 

In order to stay up to date on Committee actions, we recommend that you do the following: 

• Check Committee Schedules:
  Bills are often discussed in committee hearings before advancing. You can view schedules on the TLO under the "Committee" section.

• House Committee Hearings: https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/MeetingsHouse.aspx

• Senate Committee Hearings: https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/MeetingsSenate.aspx

• Watch Hearings:
  Many committee hearings are live streamed or archived on the Texas Legislature's video page or the Senate's equivalent site.

Submit Public Comment

Identify Opportunities:
Reach out directly to the office of your representatives to share your opinion on proposed legislation. You can also submit public comments during committee hearings. Notices often specify whether written or verbal testimony is allowed and how to submit comments.

• Submit Online or In-Person:
  For some bills, you can submit comments online through the TLO website. To submit testimony, you will need to register online: https://house.texas.gov/committees/witness-registration.
  

• Prepare Testimony:
  Whether written or oral, keep your testimony concise, factual, and respectful. Focus on how the bill directly affects you or your community.

Tips for Effective Engagement

Follow the TXCSS Bill Tracker for a curated list of bills affecting Social Studies. 

• Sign up for the TXCSS “Bill Blast” email. 

• Stay respectful and professional in all communications with representatives.

• Follow up after hearings or testimony to reinforce your stance.