TEMPLE, Texas — November 14 was the first day state legislators could file bills before the January legislative session starts.
On that day, more than 800 bills were filed covering a wide range of topics.
Bills concerning gun laws, abortion, transgender rights, voting rights all made the list. Most bills don't make it into law, but it's still worth noting what is up for discussion.
Locally, Rep. Hugh Shine filed five bills. Three of which focused on property tax laws. Billy White, the Chief Tax Appraiser for Bell County says Shine makes it a point to try and limit taxes for the people if possible.
"I've discussed many things with Shine and I know that most of his what he's doing is trying to do things to help the taxpayers in our county," White said. "To help not have as much tax when possible and I know that he's willing to do what is needed to be able to do it."
The lawmakers will also have quite a bit of money to work with this year. A whopping $27 million is at their disposal. It's considered an unprecedented amount of money compared to what they normally deal with.
The number of bills filed as we creep towards the new year is expected to go well over a thousand.
Shine's proposed property taxes are aimed at easing the tax burden on residents and encouraging business to operate more efficiently.
The hot button issue will certainly be abortion though, as multiple bills with opposite stances regarding responsibility to pay for an abortion and the right to get an abortion out of state will be up for debate.