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With the release of the Texas House interim charges for the 89th Legislature, Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) has outlined a clear roadmap for legislative priorities ahead of the 90th Legislative Session. which begins in January 2027.
The charges direct committees to study key policy areas, monitor implementation of legislation passed in 2025, and develop recommendations for future action. While interim charges are often viewed as procedural, they serve as one of the most important signals of what lawmakers intend to prioritize when they return to Austin.
In announcing the charges, Speaker Burrows emphasized both continuity and forward-looking policy development, noting that the House “remains engaged in thoughtful policymaking and oversight as our state continues to grow and advance,” and that the charges are intended to “identify fraud, waste, and abuse and safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
That framing is important. It suggests that the House is not just preparing new policy proposals, but also positioning itself as an oversight body focused on implementation, accountability, and efficiency.
Find the Full List of House Interim Charges here
New Select Committees Reflect Targeted Policy Priorities in Texas
Alongside the interim charges, Speaker Burrows announced the creation of three new select committees focused on governmental oversight, health care affordability, and general aviation.
The emphasis on oversight and affordability aligns with broader concerns about government spending, regulatory growth, and rising costs in key sectors like health care. Meanwhile, the inclusion of aviation reflects continued attention to infrastructure and economic development in a rapidly growing state.
Taken together, these additions reinforce a broader theme present throughout the interim charges: targeted intervention in areas where existing policy frameworks are either insufficient or under strain.
Property Taxes and Local Spending
Property taxes remain one of the most prominent issues in the interim charges. The House Ways and Means Committee is directed to examine additional methods of tax relief, including compression strategies and homestead exemptions. At the same time, lawmakers are being asked to scrutinize local government spending and debt practices. This includes evaluating the use of certificates of obligation and other mechanisms that can increase taxpayer burdens outside traditional legislative oversight.
Notably, the House’s approach as reflected in these charges appears to align more closely with Governor Greg Abbott’s (R) emphasis on structural reform through compression and long-term tax relief, rather than relying primarily on appraisal caps or temporary relief mechanisms.
This stands in contrast to the approach favored by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) in the Senate, which has leaned more heavily on homestead exemptions and appraisal limitations. As a result, the Senate increasingly finds itself on a different track from both the House and the Governor when it comes to long-term property tax policy.
This dynamic is important heading into the next session. If sustained, it suggests that the primary debate in 2027 may continue to be not whether to deliver property tax relief, but how to structure it. Whether lawmakers prioritize structural compression or continue relying on exemptions and caps will determine whether relief is durable or temporary.
This dual focus on tax relief and spending restraint in the House also aligns closely with the Texas Liberty Compact’s emphasis on limiting local government growth while pursuing meaningful, structural reform.
Texas Education Policy and School Choice Remain in Focus
Education policy continues to occupy a central role in the interim charges, particularly with respect to the implementation of major legislation passed during the 89th Legislative Session related to school funding and the creation of a new school choice program via education savings accounts (ESAs).
The Public Education Committee is tasked with reviewing school finance reforms and the rollout of the state’s ESA program, while also examining academic outcomes, teacher workforce challenges, and student performance.
Although the charges do not explicitly call for expansion of school choice, the continued focus on ESA implementation ensures that the issue will remain active throughout the interim.
This creates a clear opportunity to revisit questions surrounding program scope, funding limitations, and long-term sustainability. From a policy perspective, this is where the conversation around truly universal school choice, something that our Texas Liberty Compact calls for, is likely to continue.
Water Supply and Infrastructure
Water policy emerges as one of the most detailed areas of study in the interim charges, reflecting the growing strain placed on Texas resources by rapid population and economic growth.
Committees are directed to examine groundwater management, regional planning, and new water supply strategies, as well as funding mechanisms tied to recent constitutional amendments. One particularly notable inclusion is the directive to study data center water usage. This highlights a growing tension between economic development and resource constraints, especially in water-stressed regions of the state.
These discussions will play a significant role in determining how Texas balances growth with long-term sustainability, particularly within a framework that respects private property rights and limits unnecessary regulatory expansion.
Energy Policy and Grid Reliability
Energy policy continues to be a major focus, with interim charges covering topics such as hydrogen production, carbon capture, and grid reliability.
In addition, lawmakers are directed to study the impact of large-scale energy users like data centers, including how increased demand affects infrastructure planning and grid stability. These issues reflect Texas’s position as both an energy leader and a rapidly evolving technology hub. The challenge for policymakers will be balancing innovation and investment with reliability and affordability.
This is an area where the principles of free enterprise will be tested against increasing pressure for government involvement in planning and coordination.
Government Efficiency and Regulation
Several committees have been tasked with examining government efficiency, regulatory processes, and agency authority. This includes efforts to identify fraud, waste, and abuse, as well as broader reviews of occupational licensing and administrative procedures. The goal appears to be reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens while improving accountability across state agencies.
Notably, the House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight has also been directed to review the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA), including which entities are subject to it, how effectively it provides transparency, and whether current exemptions from public disclosure remain justified.
This is a significant inclusion. The TPIA has long been one of the primary tools available to the public, journalists, and watchdog organizations to hold government accountable. Any effort to revisit its scope or exemptions carries major implications, both for transparency and for how state and local governments operate.
From a policy standpoint, this creates an opportunity to strengthen transparency and ensure taxpayer-funded entities remain accountable to the public, both of which are priorities included in our Texas Liberty Compact. At the same time, it raises important questions about how lawmakers balance open government with administrative burden and privacy concerns.
Beyond transparency and oversight, the interim charges also touch on a more foundational question of state authority. The House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight has been directed to study the constitutional and statutory implications of potentially adding contiguous counties from New Mexico into Texas.
While that may seem far-fetched at first glance, it reflects a broader willingness among Texas lawmakers to engage with questions of state sovereignty and jurisdiction. This follows recent discussion surrounding a proposal in Lea County, New Mexico, where local officials explored a pathway for counties to secede from their state and potentially join Texas.
As previously noted, while the likelihood of such a scenario materializing remains low, the fact that Texas House leadership is willing to formally study the issue signals something more important. It underscores a growing interest in the role states play in defining their own political and economic futures within the federal system.
From a policy perspective, this is less about redrawing borders and more about reaffirming the principle that states are not merely administrative arms of the federal government, but sovereign entities with meaningful authority over their governance, economic structure, and regulatory environment.
Key Takeaways from Texas House Interim Charges 2026
The interim charges provide a clear picture of the policy landscape heading into the next legislative session.
Property tax reform remains unresolved and will continue to dominate legislative debate. Education policy, particularly school choice implementation, remains a key area of focus. Water and energy challenges highlight the pressures of growth, while new select committees signal an increased emphasis on accountability and cost containment.
Importantly, many of these priorities align with broader structural reforms outlined in the Texas Liberty Compact. From limiting government growth to increasing transparency and expanding economic opportunity, the interim provides multiple pathways for advancing those principles.
What It Means for 2027
The release of the Texas House interim charges is more than a routine step in the legislative process. It is a preview of the next session.
By directing committees to study specific issues and develop recommendations, House leadership is shaping the policy agenda well before lawmakers reconvene.
For those tracking Texas policy, the message is clear. The groundwork for the 90th Legislative Session is already being laid, and the debates that unfold over the coming months will determine what ultimately reaches the House floor in 2027.
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