Dan Patrick

The Select Committees on Civil Discourse and Freedom of Speech in Higher Education were formed days after Kirk's assassination on a Utah college campus. Members assembled Thursday in Austin for their first meeting to assess state free speech laws.

At President Trump's direction, Gov. Greg Abbott authorized the deployment of hundreds of troops to Illinois to "safeguard" U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The 5th Circuit last year overturned its previous ruling that allowed racial groups to band together to challenge voting maps, laying the groundwork for Texas' mid-decade redistricting.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Camp Mystic leaders would be invited to testify before the committees, as part of what Speaker Dustin Burrows said would be a "comprehensive and thorough review."

Gov. Greg Abbott called for a student to be expelled for celebrating Kirk's death. Legal experts say the student's speech is likely constitutionally protected.

Texas A&M University's president is stepping down after facing criticism over a classroom video that showed a student objecting to a children's literature lesson about gender, which led to the professor's firing.

Texas' governor issued an executive order Wednesday mandating age restrictions on consumable hemp products containing THC. This comes after Abbott's veto earlier this year of legislation that would have banned the products outright.

If this summer's special sessions were a midterm exam on disaster preparation, Texas lawmakers would probably get an A. But their final grade will depend on how changes are actually implemented — and how quickly that happens.

The committees were made to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk and come as university faculty have come under online scrutiny.

On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott released his official proclamation announcing a special legislative session. Texas lawmakers will be back in Austin starting on July 21. The session, which originally looked like it would focus on regulating THC, now includes several emergency preparedness topics.