“Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban, saying state and local governments don’t have the resources for regulations” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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The Texas Senate is doubling down with its attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up another showdown with the House, where lawmakers are more amenable to regulating the substance than eliminating it from recreational use.

Senate Bill 5 by Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, would create a blanket ban on products containing any “detectable amount of any cannabinoid” other than cannabidiol and cannabigerol, better known as CBD and CBG, non-intoxicating components of cannabis. This bill would eliminate the majority of hemp products, including those that are legal under the federal definition.

The bill would make the manufacturing, delivering or possessing with the intent to provide consumable hemp products a third-degree felony offense, as well as create misdemeanor offenses for providing consumable hemp by courier, delivery, or mail service. Possession of hemp products will be considered a misdemeanor offense. However, a person caught illegally possessing the products for the first time will not face charges under the bill. The bill passed the Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously on Tuesday and advanced to the full chamber.

Perry said that the state has tried to regulate hemp, but it’s not being enforced.

“We will regulate it by banning it because we have tried regulation,” said a visibly frustrated Perry during Tuesday’s hearing on the bill.

Gov. Greg Abbott has asked lawmakers to prioritize hemp regulatory issues during the 30-day special session that started on Monday. SB 5 is essentially a revival of Senate Bill 3 from this year’s regular legislative session, which lawmakers passed but Abbott vetoed.

Abbott in his veto urged lawmakers to instead regulate hemp sales similarly to liquor sales, by prohibiting sales near places frequented by children, and prohibiting sales to anyone under the age of 21, with strict penalties for any retailer that fails to comply. The hemp industry has largely been amenable to these restrictions.

Although reports circulated during the hearing on Tuesday suggesting that Abbott had suddenly changed his mind and wants a full ban, his press secretary Andrew Mahaleris said the governor supports a ban for those under 21, with a full ban on “extraordinarily dangerous synthetic products.”

“Adults should be able to access heavily regulated, nonintoxicating levels of hemp, and there should be strict legal enforcement of hemp that exceeds 3.0 milligrams total THC per serving,” he said in the statement. “The Governor will continue working with the legislature to establish a framework that meets those goals.”

Abbott’s veto came after immense pushback from hemp supporters, including veterans and chronically ill people, who said hemp has been a cheaper and more accessible alternative to the medical marijuana program. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was a large supporter of a THC ban, lambasted the veto as an attempt to legalize adult-use cannabis.

During the hearing, several senators took the opportunity to take shots at pro-hemp supporters, accusing them of using veterans as a battering ram to protect an “illegal market.”

“It’s just slimy and dishonest,” said Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood.

Hall and others started to question and encourage law enforcement to begin arresting hemp consumers and retailers without the passage of SB 5, since this was an illegal market.

Steve Dye, Allen police chief who has pro-actively cracked down on hemp in his city, said not many police chiefs want to go after hemp due to potential lawsuits and not many district attorneys want to prosecute these substances, but he believes a ban will force many businesses to close, making it easier to control hemp.

“It would take decades, in our opinion, and millions of millions of dollars to hire and train agents to understand chemistry, potency threshold, lab testing and labeling compliance, and they will never be able to keep pace with the retailers, wholesalers and shippers,” Dye said.

Other lawmakers called hemp products “gas station heroin,” suggested that the Uvalde shooter might have had mental problems due to marijuana usage, called retailers “modern day trap-houses,” and indicated that THC might cause dementia in older people.

“It’s especially concerning given your recent investment in the dementia institute of Texas. It’d be counterproductive to fund dementia prevention while also expanding access to products that may increase dementia risk,” said Lindy McGee, a member of the Texas Pediatric Society.

Perry, throughout the hearing, emphasized that he needed a strong showing of support to implement this ban, suggesting police chiefs encourage school district leaders to support the effort and encourage other groups to talk about the damage caused by THC in hopes of reaching Abbott.

Perry’s call comes after months of massive response from THC supporters about the damages a ban would do to the economy and to ailing Texans, many of whom signed up to speak on Tuesday.

Ramona Harding, a Navy veteran, told lawmakers about how she was raped while in the service, leading to her drug and alcohol addiction. After her two brothers died from alcohol poisoning, her family and medical professionals recommended she move to hemp, and she says it’s the only thing keeping her alive.

“If you pass this, I don’t know what I am going to do. I promised my husband I wouldn’t kill myself,” she said.

Other veterans accused lawmakers of betraying their conservative values and dismissing polls that show a majority of Texans don’t want a ban.

“This is turning Texas into a nanny state,” said Mitch Fuller, a representative for Texas VFW. “This is about the alcohol lobby and the pharmaceutical lobby. You want to talk about poison. Pharmaceuticals are the poison.”

Farmers, lawyers, retailers, parents, real estate agents, and others testified before lawmakers, taking exception to how they have been described by Perry and others. They said a ban restricts the freedoms of Texans and goes against the spirit of the state.

“We followed every rule, food grade standards, lab testing, licensing and more, and now we are being accused of targeting children, working with cartels, and being terrorists,” said John Elmore, a hemp farmer in Texas. “As a Texan, I never expected this level of misdirection from people we were supposed to trust.”

Some hemp advocates resigned themselves to the prospect of another ugly fight this special session.

“I am not here with any naivety. I know I am not going to change your minds,” said Zach Crow, an attorney who represents businesses operating in hemp and cannabis markets. “But marijuana and cannabis are not the boogieman you are making it out to be. My clients don’t sell THC to children, period, and we would like to see those people in jail.”

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/texas-thc-senate-ban-abbott-hemp/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

The post Texas Senate committee doubles down on THC ban appeared first on feeds.texastribune.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Right

The article reflects a center-right perspective, primarily presenting the viewpoints of Republican Texas lawmakers advocating for a strong ban on hemp-derived THC products. The language and framing emphasize law-and-order concerns, public health risks, and conservative values such as regulation and control of substances perceived as harmful. Although it includes voices opposing the ban—such as hemp advocates, veterans, and industry representatives—the overall tone leans toward supporting stricter regulation and criminal penalties. The coverage also highlights the political dynamics within the Texas GOP and Governor Abbott’s more moderate regulatory stance, indicating a nuanced but predominantly conservative framing.

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The post Ozzy Osbourne dies weeks after farewell show appeared first on www.kxan.com

“Texas Republicans, including Gov. Abbott, were reluctant to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Then Trump got involved.” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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WASHINGTON — Before he called lawmakers back to Austin to redraw Texas’ congressional maps, Gov. Greg Abbott was initially resistant to the plan pushed by President Donald Trump’s political team to pick up new GOP seats through a rare mid-decade redistricting, according to two people who have spoken to Abbott and the White House about the behind-the-scenes discussions.

The majority of Texas’ GOP congressional delegation was also wary of the idea, with many members concerned that Republican map-drawers could miscalculate and spread their voters too thin — thus putting their jobs in jeopardy — while trying to flip Democratic seats, six people involved in internal delegation discussions told The Texas Tribune.

Abbott told House Republicans from Texas that he was reluctant to take up the issue in Austin, where state lawmakers approve the new lines, if it would pit him against the delegation. In discussions with Abbott’s office, White House staffers attempted to assuage his worries but were unsuccessful, according to two people with direct knowledge of the developments.

Then, Trump placed a call to Abbott during which they discussed redistricting. The governor subsequently agreed to put it on his agenda for the special session, according to two people who spoke with White House officials about the call, one of whom also discussed the matter with Abbott’s office.

Trump’s involvement underscores the immense power he holds over Texas Republicans and shows how far the president will go to protect his Washington trifecta that has handed him sweeping legislative wins, even if that means irritating those who are voting to approve his agenda in Congress.

If Republicans lose control of the House in next year’s midterms, Trump’s agenda would be stalled and his remaining two lame-duck years in the White House would likely be replete with Democratic-led investigations.

The details of the redistricting dynamics were relayed through almost a dozen people, many of whom were granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations that could have legal implications. Any new map passed by the Legislature would almost certainly be challenged in court.

A person familiar with Abbott’s thinking said it was “inaccurate” to characterize the governor as being reluctant to pursue redistricting, but declined to provide any additional details.

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Abbott, declined to comment on Abbott’s conversations with Trump and other Republicans about redistricting but said the governor “looks forward to the legislature addressing important topics such as flood relief and property tax cuts, along with other critical issues, during this special session.”

On July 9, Abbott announced the agenda for the special session that began Monday, laying out an 18-item to-do list that included a rare mid-decade makeover of the state’s congressional maps. The district lines are typically redrawn once a decade, to account for population changes in the U.S. census, though there is nothing barring lawmakers from crafting new maps in the intervening years.

In private delegation meetings, most Texas members actively opposed the idea. Others said redistricting was inevitable once it received Trump’s backing, and they should try to work with the White House to draw the maps in their favor. A few stayed silent on the issue or did not actively participate.

Their opposition was communicated to the White House, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, but it appears they were ignored. Multiple Texas congressional staffers told The Texas Tribune that some Republicans did not receive notice of Abbott’s decision to go ahead with redistricting before he announced it publicly.

Most of the 25 Republicans in Texas’ congressional delegation have stayed publicly mum. Seven of them declined to comment for this article.

With Abbott on board and the special session announced, Trump held a call last week with the Texas GOP members and declared his political team intended to flip an ambitious five seats with the new map, according to three people familiar with the call.

The message was clear among the delegation: there was no stopping the president and they should get on board.

“I believe that you got to give President Trump the respect,” Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, said. “If we can redraw Texas and it fits within all the confines of law and everything, well, then let’s get ’er done.”

Abbott justified the redistricting by saying it was needed to address “constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice” about the current maps, which were drawn in 2021 and are the subject of an ongoing court challenge.

The concerns were raised in a DOJ letter dated two days before Abbott announced the special session, in which Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon argued that four of Texas’ Democratic-controlled districts were unconstitutional and should be redrawn on the grounds of racial gerrymandering.

Since the special session agenda was unveiled, Democrats have been calling the letter a fig leaf that provides political cover for the partisan motivation behind the redistricting effort.

News of Texas’ redistricting has also set off a cascade of events that may have national implications.

For weeks, House Democratic leadership, rank-and-file members and representatives for blue state governors have been meeting to discuss retaliatory redistricting, The Texas Tribune previously reported. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has become more outspoken about doing so in his state in recent days, laying out several paths to circumvent the state’s independent redistricting commission.

Members of the California congressional delegation met with Jeffries last week. The group was largely in favor of redistricting to give Democrats another five to seven seats, according to two House Democrats who were in attendance.

Paul Mitchell, an expert in redistricting who has met with Newsom’s team in recent weeks, thinks that California could easily squeeze four Democratic seats out of the state.

“California has a much better hand, because we are starting from the partisan-neutral map,” Mitchell said, referring to the independent commission that approved the current lines.

In Texas, the maps are drawn by the Republican-dominated Legislature and have already been crafted to favor the GOP, giving them less wiggle room to send additional party members to Washington. In California, on the other hand, the independent commission has not as aggressively optimized the maps in favor of Democrats, giving a partisan-motivated body more freedom to shape the lines in favor of their party.

The boldness of the new Texas map — and whether Trump targets additional states, a possibility he suggested last week — could dictate how much political support Newsom and other blue state leaders could expect to get for a retaliatory redistricting effort, Mitchell said. The more aggressive Republicans are, the more justification there is for Democrats to respond in kind.

Texas Democrats could also flee the state, depriving the Legislature of the quorum it needs to approve new maps. But doing so would incur fines, and Attorney General Ken Paxton has threatened to use law enforcement to compel the attendance of absent lawmakers.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s campaign arm for House races nationwide, has promised to wield its multimillion-dollar war chest against any Republicans who find themselves vulnerable under a new Texas map.

The DCCC has also pledged a six-figure sum for a public opinion campaign aimed at dissuading Texas Republicans from going through with the redistricting plan, according to a staffer with knowledge of the charge.

The lineup for The Texas Tribune Festival continues to grow! Be there when all-star leaders, innovators and newsmakers take the stage in downtown Austin, Nov. 13–15. The newest additions include comedian, actor and writer John Mulaney; Dallas mayor Eric Johnson; U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota; New York Media Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher; and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso. Get your tickets today!

TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/texas-redistricting-abbott-republicans-resistant-trump/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

The post Gov. Abbott was reluctant to do congressional redistricting appeared first on feeds.texastribune.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article provides a factual and balanced overview of the Texas redistricting process, detailing actions by Republican leaders including Gov. Greg Abbott and former President Donald Trump, while also presenting responses from Democrats and the potential political ramifications. The language is neutral and informative, with no evident editorializing or partisan framing, focusing on internal political dynamics and legal concerns without favoring either side. The report includes voices and perspectives from multiple stakeholders, which contributes to its centrist presentation.