Austin, TX – The 89th Texas Legislature concludes its regular session, MOVE Texas reflects on youth-led advocacy efforts at the Capitol this session. From defeating voter suppression legislation to elevating issues like online voter registration, we made it clear that young people in Texas will not stand by. Below is a letter of reflection and gratitude to supporters, capturing what was won, what was lost, and what’s next in the fight for a more just and representative Texas.
Dear MOVE Texas members,
As the 89th Texas Legislature comes to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect, celebrate, and recommit. This session, young Texans once again proved what’s possible when we organize. While lawmakers tried to silence us and push extremist policies, we made them listen. Together, we built power, applied sustained public pressure, and turned moments into a movement that refuses to back down.
Our top priority was defeating Senate Bill 16, a dangerous voter suppression bill that would have required documented proof of citizenship to register to vote. Thanks to months of hard work by you, our dedicated supporters, and coalition partners, SB 16 was quietly squashed by Texas lawmakers. Together, we mobilized 250+ public comments, 150+ in-person visits with lawmakers, 419 dropped cards and testimonies, and more.
We also pushed back hard against Senate Bill 2880, an extreme attempt to criminalize sharing abortion information and supporting out-of-state care. Our widespread resistance led to major changes in the bill that ultimately stopped its progress in committee.
Hundreds of you joined us at the 2025 Youth Capitol Takeover, where we organized in full force, flooded the South Steps, and met face-to-face with lawmakers. We demanded to be heard on the issues that matter most and made it clear that young people won’t sit on the sidelines.
And while House Bill 311 couldn’t move forward, it marked the first public hearing for Online Voter Registration in over a decade — MOVE Texas was on the ground to spotlight young people’s unyielding effort to bring our state’s system to the modern age. Even when lawmakers cut off public testimony to silence our voices, we held a People’s Hearing of our own. We showed them what real democracy looks like.
But not every fight was won. From the wildly unpopular – school vouchers (Senate Bill 2) and the THC ban (Senate Bill 3), to the extremely harmful – turning local law enforcement into ICE agents (Senate Bill 8) and strictly defining gender as male and female (House Bill 229). These losses are just as important as the wins — they remind us exactly why we must keep showing up, building power, and fighting for the future that young Texans deserve.
In the end, this session reaffirmed what we already knew: extremist policies are not popular policies. Public opposition, especially from young people, reshaped or stopped some of the most harmful proposals of the session. Even when the votes didn’t go our way, we showed up, we made noise, and we built our power.
To dig deeper into what happened this session and what’s next, we hope you will join us at our upcoming virtual end-of-session recap:
- Statewide Recap (Virtual): https://www.mobilize.us/movetexas/event/796385/
Because we’re not done. This session may be over, but the fight continues. Our movement is growing, and young Texans are leading the charge.
With gratitude and joy,
The MOVE Texas team
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About MOVE Texas
MOVE Texas Civic Fund is a grassroots, nonpartisan nonprofit organization that builds the power of young Texans through civic engagement, leadership development, and issue advocacy.
