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

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conservative priorities, from restricting 
abortion to addressing transgender rights.

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The Lone Star State is now 
focused on a voting bill

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

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

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Dan Bush, hello there.

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

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

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

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

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boxes for ballots. It 
would limit vote by mail.

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

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

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

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

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they argue that this is 
essentially voter suppression.

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Let's hear from one state senator now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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and how does it fit in 
with the national picture?

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

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

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one was related to gun ownership.

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

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loosening restrictions 
on gun ownership. Another

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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But here at the state level, Judy, Texas

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

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

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

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Dan Bush reporting for us from Austin.

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Dan, thank you.