Texas legislature passes over 1,000 bills, but several conservative priorities fall short at deadline

Despite a historically productive session in which the Texas Legislature passed more than 1,000 bills, several high-profile conservative priorities failed to cross the finish line before constitutional deadlines expired this week — most notably, legislation targeting public libraries and social media use by minors.

Both chambers faced a critical midnight deadline Wednesday to pass bills on third reading, with only the option of a rarely granted four-fifths vote to extend action beyond the constitutional limit. Several contentious or lower-priority bills, including some long-pushed by Republican lawmakers and grassroots activists, expired amid procedural delays and intra-chamber timing issues.

Library Content and Drag Event Bills Die in Final Hours

Among the most notable failures was House Bill 3225, sponsored by Rep. Daniel Alders (R-Tyler), which sought to ban "sexually explicit" books from being available to children in public libraries. The bill had sparked fierce debate in the House earlier this month but ultimately passed with a 93–37 vote, even drawing limited Democratic support. However, in the Senate, the measure stalled when Democrats refused to join Republicans in suspending the Constitution to meet the looming deadline.

“I just met with the Lieutenant Governor and Senator Hughes on HB 3225, and the Democrats in the Senate have been working overtime to kill not only my bill but other significant GOP priority bills as the clock is running out,” Alders wrote on social media Wednesday night.

Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George quickly called on supporters to pressure senators, while conservative activists like Christin Bentley and JoAnn Fleming harshly criticized Senate leadership for allowing the bill to lapse. Fleming’s email blast, titled “The Senate Betrays Children,” captured the tone of frustration from the party’s activist base.

Senate Procedural Misstep Costs GOP Priorities

The demise of HB 3225 and other bills can be traced in part to a procedural decision by the Senate late Tuesday night. After adjourning its session rather than simply recessing — a move that reset the chamber’s calendar day — the Senate lost critical flexibility to advance bills before the midnight deadline.

Because Republicans do not hold a four-fifths supermajority, they were unable to unilaterally suspend constitutional rules to move forward. This parliamentary bottleneck left several bills stranded, including HB 186 by Rep. Jared Patterson (R-Frisco), which would have banned minors from using social media platforms. Patterson described the failure of the bill as “by far the biggest disappointment of [his] career.”

Another casualty was Senate Bill 18, a controversial proposal to prohibit municipal libraries from hosting drag events — a bill that had been hotly debated by conservative legislators and activists under the banner of “protecting Texas kids.”

Senate Fails to Act on Abortion Pill Mailing Ban

In an unusual misstep, a Senate bill that would have prohibited the mailing of abortion pills into Texas died earlier in the week. Though the legislation had been fast-tracked out of committee, it never received a report to the Senate Calendars Committee and quietly expired.

The misfire caught many by surprise given Republicans’ dominance in the chamber and their ability to fast-track legislation through rules suspensions. But even that power couldn’t prevent the loss of bills once the clock ran out.

Productivity and Tensions Mark Session

Despite these headline-grabbing failures, the 2025 session marked a productive period for the Texas Legislature. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Beaumont) have forged a notably more cooperative relationship than in past sessions, allowing more than 1,000 bills to pass — a significant accomplishment compared to previous years marked by gridlock and infighting.

Still, the defeat of priority legislation is a sobering reminder of the constraints imposed by the state constitution’s legislative calendar. Many of the fallen bills cannot be reconsidered until the next regular session in 2027 unless Governor Greg Abbott calls a special session, which he has not yet indicated he will do.

In the meantime, conservative activists are recalibrating. While they celebrated wins on property taxes, school choice, and border enforcement, the failure to secure bills like HB 3225 and HB 186 has become a rallying cry for the next election cycle and legislative session.

As Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), sponsor of HB 3225 in the Senate, reflected: “We’ve passed so many strong conservative GOP priorities this session... I hate that HB 3225 did not make it by tonight’s deadline. As the sponsor, it was my responsibility to get it passed.”

With the session now adjourned sine die, Texas lawmakers return to their districts — some celebrating, others regrouping, and all facing constituents eager to know why certain high-profile promises remain unfulfilled.