Texas lawmakers file about 1,520 bills in week one as Democrats push their agenda

Texas lawmakers filed roughly 1,520 bills in the first week of filing for the 2027 legislative session, Newsweek reported. Democrats outpaced Republicans 2-to-1 in early filings ¹. The rush comes a week after Democrats swept statewide offices and won control of the Texas House ¹.

Bill filing opened Monday, Nov. 9. By 5 p.m. that day, more than 1,260 bills were already in, the Texas Tribune reported ². The Legislature convenes Jan. 12, and filing closes March 12 ².

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Health care, schools and costs lead the list

Newsweek said Democrats' early bills center on five goals: expanding health care access, raising education spending, rolling back some recent Republican policies, addressing data centers and lowering costs for families ¹.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat from Laredo, filed 67 bills Monday. For the fourth time, she filed a bill to expand Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, under the Affordable Care Act ¹. Supporters say expansion could cover about 1 million to 1.4 million more Texans and bring in up to $10 billion a year in federal money. Texas is the largest state that has not expanded the program ¹.

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Education drew the most bills. About 15 would repeal or sharply scale back the state's $1 billion school voucher program, which was enacted in 2025 under Republican leadership ¹. Other bills would raise per-student funding, tie state aid to inflation and expand free pre-K ¹. One would raise the basic school funding amount to $7,500, the Tribune reported ².

Like health care, education is a right, not a privilege,

Data centers, immigration and a Senate roadblock

Democrats and Republicans both filed bills on data centers, which use large amounts of electricity and water ¹. Zaffirini's bills would require large data centers to report their water use and would end local tax incentives for them ¹².

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Democrats also went after border and immigration policy. Their bills would repeal mandatory local partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), audit the multibillion-dollar Operation Lone Star border program and limit border-wall construction in state parks ¹. Other bills would ban Flock license-plate-reader cameras and repeal the state abortion ban ¹².

Republicans are not backing down. Their bills would eliminate property taxes, make English the state's official language, bar taxpayer-funded lobbying and restrict social media use by minors ¹. Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, filed the property tax bill, according to the Tribune ².

The biggest obstacle for Democrats is the Senate, which Republicans still control ². Karma Chávez, a University of Texas at Austin professor, put it this way: "Without the Senate, it's going to be really hard to pass any laws that reverse some of these things." ¹

Much of the filing is not new. About 888 of the measures are reintroductions of bills from the 2025 session ¹. Rep. John Bucy, an Austin Democrat, said "The House and the Senate need to find compromise to get things done for the people of Texas." ²

That matters because the early bills show what Democrats intend to run on once the session starts. Matt Worthington, who built a legislative tracker, said voters want results: "The folks that are elected have to deliver." ¹

The Record

1. Nov 9, 2026Bill filing opened for the 2027 Texas legislative session; more than 1,260 bills were filed by 5 p.m. ²
2. Nov 14, 2026Newsweek reports roughly 1,520 bills filed in the first week, with Democrats ahead 2-to-1 ¹
3. Jan 12, 2027The 90th Texas Legislature is scheduled to convene ²

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<h2>Texas lawmakers file about 1,520 bills in week one as Democrats push their agenda</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/texas-lawmakers-file-about-1-520-bills-in-week-one-as-democrats-push-their-agenda">The GOP Files</a> on Saturday, November 14, 2026.</em></p> <p>Texas lawmakers filed roughly 1,520 bills in the first week of filing for the 2027 legislative session, Newsweek reported. Democrats outpaced Republicans 2-to-1 in early filings . The rush comes a week after Democrats swept statewide offices and won control of the Texas House .</p> <p>Bill filing opened Monday, Nov. 9. By 5 p.m. that day, more than 1,260 bills were already in, the Texas Tribune reported . The Legislature convenes Jan. 12, and filing closes March 12 .</p> <h2>Health care, schools and costs lead the list</h2> <p>Newsweek said Democrats&#39; early bills center on five goals: expanding health care access, raising education spending, rolling back some recent Republican policies, addressing data centers and lowering costs for families .</p> <p>Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Democrat from Laredo, filed 67 bills Monday. For the fourth time, she filed a bill to expand Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, under the Affordable Care Act . Supporters say expansion could cover about 1 million to 1.4 million more Texans and bring in up to $10 billion a year in federal money. Texas is the largest state that has not expanded the program .</p> <p>Education drew the most bills. About 15 would repeal or sharply scale back the state&#39;s $1 billion school voucher program, which was enacted in 2025 under Republican leadership . Other bills would raise per-student funding, tie state aid to inflation and expand free pre-K . One would raise the basic school funding amount to $7,500, the Tribune reported .</p> <blockquote><p>Like health care, education is a right, not a privilege,</p><p>&mdash; Judith Zaffirini, state senator, D-Texas</p></blockquote> <h2>Data centers, immigration and a Senate roadblock</h2> <p>Democrats and Republicans both filed bills on data centers, which use large amounts of electricity and water . Zaffirini&#39;s bills would require large data centers to report their water use and would end local tax incentives for them .</p> <p>Democrats also went after border and immigration policy. Their bills would repeal mandatory local partnerships with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), audit the multibillion-dollar Operation Lone Star border program and limit border-wall construction in state parks . Other bills would ban Flock license-plate-reader cameras and repeal the state abortion ban .</p> <p>Republicans are not backing down. Their bills would eliminate property taxes, make English the state&#39;s official language, bar taxpayer-funded lobbying and restrict social media use by minors . Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican, filed the property tax bill, according to the Tribune .</p> <p>The biggest obstacle for Democrats is the Senate, which Republicans still control . Karma Chávez, a University of Texas at Austin professor, put it this way: &quot;Without the Senate, it&#39;s going to be really hard to pass any laws that reverse some of these things.&quot;</p> <p>Much of the filing is not new. About 888 of the measures are reintroductions of bills from the 2025 session . Rep. John Bucy, an Austin Democrat, said &quot;The House and the Senate need to find compromise to get things done for the people of Texas.&quot;</p> <p>That matters because the early bills show what Democrats intend to run on once the session starts. Matt Worthington, who built a legislative tracker, said voters want results: &quot;The folks that are elected have to deliver.&quot;</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/texas-lawmakers-file-about-1-520-bills-in-week-one-as-democrats-push-their-agenda">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/texas-lawmakers-file-about-1-520-bills-in-week-one-as-democrats-push-their-agenda.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “Blue Wave Reaches Texas Capitol as Democrats Launch Legislative Blitz” (2026-11-14). newsweek.com/blue-wave-reaches-texas-capitol-as-democrats-la
2. Texas Tribune, “Texas Legislature 90th session bill filing begins” (2026-11-09). texastribune.org/2026/11/09/texas-legislature-90th-session-b

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