JUDY WOODRUFF: The past legislative
session in Texas focused on key

conservative priorities, from restricting
abortion to addressing transgender rights.

The Lone Star State is now
focused on a voting bill

that would tighten election laws,
after missing an opportunity to
get it passed late last month.

We check in now with our political
reporter, Dan Bush. He is in Austin.

Dan Bush, hello there.

So, Texas has just ended its
regular legislative session.
And, as we have said, they have

looked at a number of conservative
priorities. Tell us what is
getting the most attention.

DANIEL BUSH: Well, Judy, the
big issue was voting rights.

Republicans have legislation that would
do a number of things. It would limit drop

boxes for ballots. It
would limit vote by mail.

It would also do -- allow
partisan poll watchers to monitor
polling places around the state.

In addition, it would restrict
voting for some hours on the weekend.

Now, Republicans argue that
all of these measures are
necessary coming after the last

election in order to increase
transparency, to reduce voter
fraud. Democrats, however,

they argue that this is
essentially voter suppression.

Let's hear from one state senator now.

STATE SEN. CAROL ALVARADO (D-TX): Well,

it's it's Jim Crow 2.0. I mean, I
can't say it any plainer than that.

It's voter suppression, and it's
targeting Harris County right
here where we are, I think because

we broke a lot of records,
I mean, tremendous turnout;

1.68 million people voted in Harris
County, largest voting turnout.

And I think that is what has concerned
people on the other side of the aisle.

DANIEL BUSH: That was a
Democrat back in Houston, Judy.

And it is important to note that
this legislation has not yet passed,

but several lawmakers told me
that they expect Governor Abbott,
a Republican, to convene a

special session a little
later this summer, where these
measures are going to become law.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And so, Dan, tell us what
more the legislature has been focused on,

and how does it fit in
with the national picture?

DANIEL BUSH: So, the legislature got very
busy the last couple of months here at the

state Capitol right behind me in Austin,
a bunch of issues that came to the fore,

one was related to gun ownership.

The state passed a law allowing Texans
to carry handguns without a permit, so

loosening restrictions
on gun ownership. Another

had to do with abortion. The state
passed a fetal heartbeat law,

one of the most restrictive in
the country, which would make
abortion, which now has made abortion

illegal in the state of Texas
six weeks into pregnancy, even
in the case of rape and incest.

And when you pull back and
look at the national picture,
what you see here is Texas

joining a number of states,
Georgia, Arizona, others, where
Republican-controlled state

legislatures are doing everything they
can to enact a conservative agenda,

at a time when, in Washington,
D.C., Democrats are in charge.

They are trying to do, frankly, quite
the opposite. Democrats are trying to

pass legislation right now in the Congress
to, for example, strengthen voting rights.

But here at the state level, Judy, Texas

and other legislatures around
the country are moving forward
with these conservative items.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Right. So important for
us to keep an eye on what is happening

in these state legislatures, where
so much of the action has now moved.

Dan Bush reporting for us from Austin.

Dan, thank you.