Drug Tests, Texting Bans On 1st Day Of Bill Filing
AUSTIN (AP) -- Drug testing for welfare recipients and another crack at a statewide texting-while-driving ban are among bills lawmakers are filing ahead of the first legislative session under Gov.-elect Greg Abbott.
Most of nearly 300 bills submitted Monday won't survive the new 140-day session that begins in January. But the proposals offer a glimpse into a new Legislature that was dramatically reshaped by last week's elections.
Abbott has yet to lay out his own legislative priorities but has pledged to make open carry legal. He's also said he wouldn't object to repealing the so-called Texas DREAM Act that gives in-state tuition rates to students who are in the country illegally.
One proposal would require drug testing for welfare recipients. That comes two years after Texas passed a similar mandate for unemployment benefits.
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