Government relations update: Day 13 of 2026 session, about 500 bill concepts introduced; education proposals to watch

A government relations representative (Speaker 2) briefed the Austin Public School Board of Education on Jan. 26 about the early progression of the 2026 state legislative session, saying the session was on day 13 and that the legislature had moved past initial benchmarks into hearings.

"So we are, today was day 13 of the 2026 session," Speaker 2 said, and noted that the early milestones — the end of bill introduction, the governor's State of the State address, and the state judiciary address — had occurred. Speaker 2 told the board the session is now moving into the "meat" of hearings.

Speaker 2 said roughly 500 new concepts had been introduced this session: "we had about 500 new concepts introduced this session," and explained that legislators vary in how many bills they sponsor, with most introducing a small number while some reach statutory limits. The presenter said a subset of those concepts is likely to draw attention in education policy; Speaker 2 said fewer "invasive" education bills have been introduced than in some prior sessions but that several proposals merit close monitoring. The transcript also includes a reference to what Speaker 2 described as a "communism bill" as an example of more controversial legislation beginning to be noticed.

Speaker 2 framed the update as an early briefing to alert the board to the volume and variety of bills that could affect district interests; the update did not include specific bill numbers or recommended official board positions in the available segments. The board discussion in the provided transcript ends with the update in progress and no formal direction or vote recorded on legislative strategy.