Panola County Conservatives – Texas

Meetings are held the first Thursday of each month. Meet & greet at 6:00 p.m. and program at 6:30

in the Community Room between Circle M Cafe & Master’s Blend, 1122 W Panola Street, Carthage, TX

Legislative Process

  • The Legislative Process is long, as this diagram shows. That is a good thing!
  • More details about the process via video recap (< 6 minutes).
  • Know what gimmicks can be played when legislators discuss what they have done or not done concerning legislation.

89th Texas Legislature (regular session) January 14 to June 2, 2025:

  • countdown clock here
  • Governor Abbott’s priorities here
  • What are your priorities for this session? Take our poll here. 
  • 12 November, filing of bills began
  • 7 December, House Republican Caucus’ Vote
  • 14 January, 1st day – Session convened
  • 14 March, 60th day – deadline for bill filing
    • Committee hearings begin on 15 March
  • 2 June, Sine Die – last day of the 89th Legislature (regular session)

Texas Legislature Online (TOL), here, is where we, the citizens, can find the status on bills, read the full text of bills, track votes on bills, and so much more. Create a TLO account and get alerts about specific bills of your choosing, read the complete text of a bill, watch a committee meeting live, submit public comments, etc..

  • An overview of how to follow a bill using the TLO, is here.
  • An overview of how to engage with the Texas Legislature is here.
  • Comment/Testify on proposed bills – fill in the bill number or click the arrow to see a list of active hearings
  • What bills your representative and senator have filed? Easily view this information on Texas Legislature Online. In the middle of the home page at the top under “Search Legislation,” select “Word/Phrase”, type your representative’s name in the box, and press “Go.”  This takes you to a list of each bill filed by that representative or senator and a description.

2024 RPT

  • Platform and Resolutions found here
  • Legislative Priorities for the 89th Legislative Session (24-25) are detailed here; summarized as Border Enforcement, Secure Texas Elections, Stop Sexualizing Texas’ Kids, No Democrat Chairs, Ban Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying; Secure the Electric Grid, Texas is Not for Sale, End Federal Overreach.
  • Handy summary sheet of the legislative priorities here

Other Texas Resources:

Grassroots America We the People are based in Tyler and host monthly educational programs generally on Tuesday evenings. They provide many venues for grassroots involvement, engagement, and education.

Huffines Liberty Foundation seeks to advance the cause of liberty, prosperity, and virtue in the State of Texas.

Patriot Academy: Restoring America’s Biblical and Constitutional Foundations of Freedom. Located in Dripping Springs, Texas, they host a multitude of on-site and virtual learning events.

Texans for Fiscal Responsibility provide a wealth of educational information about the taxation process. They also publish an annual Fiscal Responsibility Index that “grades” our Texas lawmakers’ voting records on key fiscal issues. Use their “Vote Notices” to track items of key financial impact.

Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) seeks to educate policymakers and the Texas public policy debate with academically sound research and outreach on all issues related to the defense of liberty, personal responsibility, and free enterprise.

True Texas Project seeks to educate and motivate citizen engagement in all levels of the government.