The Texas Legislature will wrap up the 89th Regular Session on June 2nd, 2025. This day is often called "sine die," a Latin term that means "without day." It refers to the final adjournment of a session of a legislative body because they don’t set a date to meet next. 

If you’re fuzzy on the details of what happens when a session ends, today’s post is a brief primer on what to expect going forward. 

Keep an eye out for our post on legislative recaps later this summer! Once the dust settles, we’ll include a roundup of summaries about the 89th Regular Session from newspapers, state agencies, nonprofits, and other organizations.

End of Session Deadlines

The Texas House and Senate spend the last few weeks of the session trying to close out any remaining legislation. Both chambers must follow specific deadlines set in the House and Senate rules. 

The Legislative Reference Library has a helpful calendar that breaks down the last few weeks’ deadlines. You can find the corresponding House and Senate rules online. 

The Governor's Approval

Bills passed by both chambers are signed by the leaders of the House and Senate. 

The bills are then sent to the Governor for approval. The Governor has the option to sign or veto each bill.  If the Governor does not veto the bill or sign it within a certain period of time, Article 4, Section 14 of the Texas Constitution says it will become law anyway. 

For this session, Governor Greg Abbott has until June 22nd to sign or veto any bills sent to him within the last ten days of the session. You can track bills that have been vetoed by Governor Abbott on the Texas Legislature Online website. 

The Legislature can override a veto by a two-thirds vote from both chambers. This option is also covered by Article 4, Section 14 of the Texas Constitution.

Special Sessions

Article 3, Section 40 of the Texas Constitution says the Governor can call a special session to address any new or unfinished business. 

In a special session, the Legislature can only pass bills on the topics identified by the Governor. These special sessions are limited to 30 days or less, but the Governor has the option to call as many sessions as needed.

Finding New Legislation

You can keep up with new legislation on the General Reports section of Texas Legislature Online. Browse lists of bills in different categories: 

By status, including bills: 

• passed by the House and Senate 
• signed by the Governor 
• vetoed by the Governor 
• filed without the Governor's signature 

By effective date, including bills effective: 

• immediately 
• within 90 days 
• on September 1st, 2025 
• on January 1st, 2026 

Got a question about the session or a particular bill? You can reach out to the Legislative Reference Library’s bill status hotline or contact their reference librarians.  

We’re also available via phone and email to help you with your research!