GOP-authored policing and surveillance bills crash and burn as Texas legislative session closes

More bills have bit the dust as the current session of the Texas Legislature grinds to a close, among them Republican-backed proposals that activists warned would have hindered public dissent and diminished police accountability.

Senate Bill 2595, which would have criminalized wearing a mask at a protest, is officially dead because it ran out of time to be considered for a floor vote during the 89th Session of the Texas Legislature, records show.

Free-speech advocates sounded the alarm about SB 2595, warning that drones, facial-recognition software and mass surveillance are increasingly used in policing, potentially straining the right to peacefully assemble. In recent years, some protesters have taken to wearing masks to counteract potential surveillance and identification.

House Bill 2486 — which would have made it harder to obtain police disciplinary records and conduct police oversight — also died as the final grains of sand fell through the hourglass. Additionally, the bill would have enabled jails to seal records on prisoner deaths, suggesting those such as the fatal beating of inmate Francisco Bazan — allegedly enabled by a Bexar County jailer — might never have seen the light of day.

The session will conclude June 2, prompting a mad dash to get bills passed before deadline. Time is already up, not just for the aforementioned bills, but for a number of proposals that were never scheduled for a vote.

Others that died this week include voter-suppression measure Senate Bill 16, the Texas version of the federal SAVE Act, which would have required proof of citizenship at the voting booth, potentially disenfranchising Texas women who changed their names in marriage along with anyone unable to obtain their birth certificate or passport.

Also DOA is Senate Bill 2880, the most restrictive abortion proposal the Lege put forth this session. That legislation would have criminalized abortion pills, abortion travel funds and even providing information about abortion online.

Still more bills ran out of time as Democratic lawmakers slowed down progress with procedural maneuvers employed during the waning days of the session.

Roughly 200 bills in the GOP-controlled Lege failed to clear a May 16 hurdle for preliminary House approval, the Texas Tribune reports. The body had until May 24 to advance Senate bills out of committee and until May 27 to consider them on the floor.

Despite the calendar casualties, the Republican majority has already scored high-profile victories with bills that will drastically affect Texans’ lives.

Those include a measure that will require state documents to reflect someone’s assigned gender at birth, which could impede trans Texans’ ability to travel and obtain benefits, among other concerns. A bill banning THC-containing hemp products also threatens an $8 billion industry as it awaits signature on Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk.

Even so, in a state where progressive victories are few, some progressive activists filmed themselves popping champagne on Instagram in apparent celebration of legislative gridlock as a means of harm reduction.

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This article appears in May 14-27, 2025.