AUSTIN (KXAN)–The 89th Texas Legislative Session concluded with 31 new state representatives completing their first 140 days in office, representing more than 20% of the House chamber.
Among these freshman lawmakers were Republican Don McLaughlin of District 80 in south Texas and Democrat Lauren Ashley Simmons of District 146 in the Houston area. Each brought distinct backgrounds and legislative priorities to Austin. The freshman class emerged from elections that shifted the House composition to 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats, with Republicans gaining two additional seats.
McLaughlin, who previously served as mayor of Uvalde during the tragic 2022 school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers, focused his legislative efforts on improving law enforcement response protocols. His signature legislation, the Uvalde Strong Act, passed both chambers and awaits Gov. Greg Abbott’s signature.
“What I see in this bill, more than anything, is if an agency shows up, all these agencies have been training together, supposed to be meeting together now, so if the first agency on the scene does nothing, the second agency immediately knows what to do, then we won’t have that chaos and that indecision that we saw that day at Uvalde,” McLaughlin said in an interview with KXAN’s Will DuPree shortly after the session ended.
The legislation would mandate annual training exercises between school districts and law enforcement agencies, require crisis response policies and establish reporting requirements for active shooter incidents.
McLaughlin acknowledged the painful necessity behind his legislation. “It’s very meaningful. I’m ecstatic over but same token, I’m sad that we had to pass a law like this,” he said.
On the Democratic side, Simmons was recognized by her colleagues as Freshman of the Year within the House Democratic Caucus. Despite serving in the minority party, she successfully advanced multiple pieces of legislation, with at least 11 bills bearing her name awaiting the governor’s signature and five additional measures she co-authored or co-sponsored set to become law.
Her most personal legislative achievement was House Bill 107, which would establish a Sickle Cell Disease Registry in Texas. The measure represents a personal fight for the Houston Democrat.
“My daughter has sickle cell disease. That was a bill I watched very closely. I was in tears when it did not become law, but I just couldn’t. I had no idea that I would be in the legislature, and I would be that person that was able to bring that bill back,” Simmons said in an interview with KXAN’s Will Dupree.
The legislation represents a second attempt after a similar measure was vetoed by Abbott in 2023. Simmons worked to address the governor’s previous concerns while maintaining the bill’s core purpose.
“We made sure that we address the concerns that came from the governor’s office, and so we are very confident with those you know, updates to that bill,” she said.
Both lawmakers expressed exhaustion but satisfaction with their first legislative experience. McLaughlin highlighted additional accomplishments including judicial pay raises, bail reform measures and infrastructure improvements for economically distressed border communities in his district.
“You know, I think it was good. I think we had a really good session. You know, did we please everybody? Probably not, but I think we got a lot of good things done for the state of Texas in this session,” McLaughlin said.
Simmons emphasized the magnitude of conducting state business for Texas, the nation’s second-largest state by both population and economy, within the constraints of a biennial 140-day session.
“Being able to see how much work we’re able to do, all the things that we’re able to do for not just our individual districts that we represent, but for the millions of people in this state. It’s such an honor. It’s a heavy task. It’s a heavy lift,” she said.
The freshman class faced the challenge of learning legislative procedures while advancing their policy priorities. Simmons noted the complexity of the process, saying she “gained a lot of respect for the process when you see just how many ways a bill can die.”
As the session concluded, both representatives expressed commitment to continued advocacy for their constituents. McLaughlin indicated he would closely monitor the governor’s action on the Uvalde Strong Act, while Simmons vowed to maintain her opposition to the state takeover of Houston Independent School District, which was extended through 2027.