The 89th Texas legislative session begins on Jan. 14 with a still-unresolved race for speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

State Reps. David Cook, R-Mansfield and Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, are considered the frontrunners for speaker, but speculation continues as to whether other candidates will throw their hats into the ring.

The Republican caucus is split between those who oppose appointing any Democrat to chair a House committee and those who contend it’s essential to work across the aisle to get the state’s business done in a biennial five-month session. Historically, a few chairmanships have gone to members of the minority party.

In the wake of the November elections, the makeup of the 150-member Texas House is 87 Republicans and 63 Democrats.

School vouchers will again be on the legislative plate since they are a top priority for Gov. Greg Abbott. His efforts to pass what are also called Education Savings Accounts failed numerous attempts in 2023, including several special sessions.

Legislative watchers predict more bills aimed at property tax relief but geared more toward business owners, since those passed in the 2023 session were primarily aimed at homeowners.

Another issue that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has prioritized is banning the sale of all THC products in Texas. Since the state legalized the growth of hemp, some stores have begun selling products containing previously illegal levels of THC, the compound that gives marijuana its “high.”

GOP bills seek to regulate wind, solar and battery Several Republican lawmakers have filed bills to increase government oversight over renewable energy projects, The Dallas Morning News reported. Proposals include requiring property buffers between the projects and neighboring properties. Another bill would require environmental fees and studies for any new renewable projects.

The News reported that wind, solar and batteries account for about 46% of electric generation capacity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which controls nearly all of the state’s power grid.

“Currently, renewable energy facilities do not have statewide guidelines for permitting and decommissioning, leading to variations in how the installations are installed,” said state Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco and sponsor of one of the bills.

FBI probes reported threats against SpaceX The FBI is investigating reported threats made against SpaceX’s Starbase Facility near Brownsville, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The bureau’s San Antonio office confirmed that it is investigating “possible bomb threats in South Texas in recent weeks.”

“While we are working to carefully vet and investigate the information we have received, we want to reiterate that the safety and security of the American people is the FBI’s highest concern,” the bureau said in a statement late last week.

A frequent camper near the launch site reported five male passengers in a vehicle talked of blowing up a SpaceX space vehicle.

The probe comes as the company is working toward a planned test flight on Jan. 10 of its second-generation Starship.

The company has come under fire in recent months for its environmental record. Several Rio Grande Valley groups have sued the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for allowing SpaceX to discharge wastewater from its launch platform without a permit.

Texas losing its clout in Congress this session

There are fewer Texans in leadership in Congress in the session that just began, largely because of retirements of several GOP members, the Houston Chronicle reported.

U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who led the powerful Appropriations Committee, and U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Pilot Point, who led the Rules Committee and was the second-ranked Republican on the Commerce Committee, both retired from Congress this year.

Eighteen of the 25 Texas Republicans in the House have been there for three full terms or fewer. Another incumbent, Michael McCaul, R-Austin, is no longer heading the House Foreign Affairs Committee because of term limits.

State starts 2025 with 2.9 million business entities

Texas rang in the New Year with more than 2.9 million business entities actively registered with the secretary of state’s office to conduct business here. That is up more than 125,000 from a year ago, according to Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson.

“The economic climate in Texas continues to be strong as entrepreneurs grow and create businesses in our state and more out-of-state entities want to expand to Texas,” Nelson said.

That number includes both businesses incorporated in Texas and out-of-state companies conducting business here.

State’s citrus industry on the brink of disaster

The state’s citrus industry is reeling after a pair of natural disasters — the deadly winter storm of February 2021 and a severe drought, The Texas Tribune reported. Nearly four years after that winter storm, production levels have not recovered.

The state’s citrus industry is located entirely in the Valley and has an economic impact of more than $300 million annually.

“We are not a large physical footprint anymore, but we still pack enough economic punch,” said Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual, a nonprofit trade association that represents the interests of commercial citrus growers.

Farmers in the Valley largely depend on surface water from the Rio Grande. A mature citrus tree needs between 40 and 50 inches of water a year, according to the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center. About half of that amount must be supplied by irrigation.

Drought conditions and Mexico falling behind on delivering water under a 1944 treaty are blamed for the drop in citrus production.

Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. gborders@texaspress.com