Texas 2025 Legislative Session: Will Your Bill Cross the Finish Line?

On September 1, 2025, hundreds of new Texas laws will go into effect.* What are the chances a bill you’re interested in will make it through the gauntlet?

The adage that "it’s easier to kill a bill than pass one" may be truer than ever in 2025.

Looking at statistics from the Texas Legislative Reference Library, I examined how bill introduction and passage rates during regular sessions have evolved since I began working around the Capitol in 1985.

That year, 4,021 House and Senate bills were introduced, and 979 passed into law. In 2023, more than twice as many bills were introduced and 1,169 were enacted.

Over the last twenty sessions, while the number of bills filed has steadily increased, the actual number of bills enacted has remained remarkably consistent.

Between 1985 and 1993, an average of 4,434 bills were introduced each session. However, from 2015 to 2023, that average increased to 7,044 bills (including a record 8,046 House and Senate bills in 2023).

Meanwhile, the Texas Legislature has passed an average of about 1,266 bills per session. Over the 20 sessions, that equates to a passage rate of 22.4%.  However, if only the past five sessions are considered, the passage rate drops to about 17%.  In 2023, 14.5% of filed bills passed into law.  

Many observers believe that 2025 will be even tougher for passing bills.

That’s good news if you're playing defense, but what if you're trying to get a bill passed?

Competition for attention has intensified, and with the clock always ticking, there are only so many bills that can be set for committee hearings or make it to the floor.

Getting started early, working with strong bill authors, developing clear messaging, and leveraging the power of coalitions will be more important than ever.

Notes:

*Nearly two-thirds of the bills passed during the last three regular legislative sessions took effect on September 1 of that year. About one-third were effective immediately, and the rest had staggered dates.

These numbers don’t include concurrent, joint, or simple resolutions. They also don’t account for bills that passed both houses but were vetoed.