New Texas Laws
This is a breakdown of major laws passed by the 2025 Texas Legislature, what each law does, and when it takes effect.
Abortion-Pill Enforcement: Texas House Bill 7
Under HB 7, private citizens, not the state, can sue anyone who manufactures, distributes, mails, or provides abortion-inducing drugs into or from Texas. People who take the pills themselves, including after miscarriage, are explicitly exempt. Plaintiffs who are related to the fetus may receive at least $100,000 in damages. If a plaintiff is unrelated, they receive 10 percent of the damages, with the remainder required to go to a charity. The law goes into effect on December 4, 2025.
Education Overhaul: Texas House Bill 8 Phases Out STAAR Test
HB 8 rewrites the state’s assessment system. The STAAR test will be replaced starting with the 2027–28 school year by a new assessment system called the Student Success Tool. This includes shorter, more frequent assessments at the beginning, middle, and end of the year. Some changes begin in the 2025–26 school year. For example, STAAR can now be administered on Mondays, and new procedures address test-anxiety mitigation and improved results notification to parents. Full implementation of the new testing program is scheduled for 2027–28.
Public-Facility Access and Gender Definitions: Texas Senate Bill 8
SB 8 regulates use of restrooms, locker rooms, and similar sex-segregated facilities in public buildings by requiring usage based on sex assigned at birth. Violations by government entities or public institutions may result in fines. The law goes into effect December 4, 2025.
Verified 2025 Laws
As of December 2025, the following are definitively part of the legislative changes for Texas:
- HB 7 allows private suits over abortion-pill provision.
- HB 8 ends STAAR and replaces it with a multi-assessment system starting in 2027–28.
- SB 8 restricts public-facility access based on sex assigned at birth for bathrooms, locker rooms, and other public facilities.
These laws reflect real, publicly documented changes adopted in the 2025 session.
Not Verified: What the Public Record Does Not Confirm
There is no credible evidence that laws were passed establishing a statewide Dementia Research Institute, broad-scale overhauls of policing rules, sweeping new protections for trafficking victims, major changes to business taxation, comprehensive eviction reforms, or mandatory cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration enforcement as part of the 2025 legislative session. Proposed bills in these areas did not become law.
Conclusion
The 2025 legislative session in Texas produced major changes around abortion-pill enforcement, public-school testing, and transgender access to public facilities. Many previously reported sweeping policy changes, including business tax reforms, policing changes, or new research institutes, are not supported by the official public record. Reporting should focus on laws that are verified and clearly distinguish any unverified claims.
