2023 in Texas
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Incumbents
State government
- Governor: Greg Abbott (R)
- Lieutenant Governor: Dan Patrick (R)
- Attorney General: Ken Paxton (R) (suspended May 27 to September 16)
- Comptroller: Glenn Hegar (R)
- Land Commissioner: George P. Bush (R) (until January 10), Dawn Buckingham (R) (since January 10)
- Agriculture Commissioner: Sid Miller (R)
- Railroad Commissioners: Christi Craddick (R), Wayne Christian (R), and Jim Wright (R)
City governments
- Mayor of Houston: Sylvester Turner (D)
- Mayor of San Antonio: Ron Nirenberg (I)
- Mayor of Dallas: Eric Johnson (R)
- Mayor of Austin: Steve Adler (D)
- Mayor of Fort Worth: Mattie Parker (R)
- Mayor of El Paso: Oscar Leeser (D)
- Mayor of Arlington: Jim Ross (N/A)
- Mayor of Corpus Christi: Paulette Guajardo (D)
- Mayor of Plano: John B. Muns (R)
- Mayor of Lubbock: Trey Payne (R)
Elections
Elections were held on November 7, 2023.[1] The only statewide election was a vote on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. A special election took place to fill the vacancy from Texas's 2nd House of Representatives district,[2] which was followed by a runoff on January 30, 2024.[3] In addition, Texas counties, cities, and school and other special districts had local elections and other ballot issues, such as bond proposals.
Events
- January 10 – The 88th Texas Legislature convenes at noon (CST) following the 2022 Texas elections.[4]
- January 24 – A large and intense EF3 tornado tears through the Houston metropolitan area, which causes the National Weather Service in Houston to issue their first tornado emergency.[5][6]
- March 6 – State representative Bryan Slaton introduces the Texas Independence Referendum Act which, if passed, would call for a state referendum on the secession of Texas from the United States.[7][8] The bill would later fail to get out of committee before the end of the regular session.
- April 1 – Federal judge Robert L. Pitman orders that twelve books containing LGBT and racial content which were banned by Llano County school officials must be returned to school shelves.[9]
- April 18 – 18-year-old Payton Washington is shot and critically wounded in an H-E-B parking lot after a friend mistakenly opened the door to the wrong vehicle in the wake of similar incidents in Missouri, New York, and North Carolina.[10]
- April 20
- SpaceX's Starship rocket, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, launches for the first time in a test flight from SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica. It explodes four minutes after launch.[11]
- The Texas Senate passes a bill that would require that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every classroom of every public school.[12][13][14] The bill would later fail to pass the Texas House of Representatives.[15][16][17]
- April 28 – A shooting occurs in Cleveland killing five, and the suspect is caught after four days.[18]
- May 6 – Nine people are killed, including the perpetrator, after a mass shooting at a mall in Allen.[19]
- May 7 – Eight people are killed after a vehicle drives into pedestrians outside a migrant center in Brownsville.[20]
- May 9 – The Texas House of Representatives votes unanimously to expel Bryan Slaton from House District 2 following an investigation that determined he had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with an aide.[21]
- May 27 – In a 121-23 vote, the Texas House of Representatives votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton, the third impeachment in the state's history.[22][23]
- May 29 – The 88th Texas Legislature adjourns, and its 1st special session convenes.[4]
- June 27 – The 1st special session of the 88th Texas Legislature adjourns, and its 2nd special session convenes.[4]
- August 22 – Tropical Storm Harold makes landfall in South Texas, causing flash flooding, power outages, and tornado warnings.[24]
- August 28 – Katy Independent School District board members, in a 4–3 vote, enact a four-page gender identity policy, including a requirement for district employees to inform parents if a student requests the use of different pronouns or identifies as transgender.[25]
- October 6 – Jonathan Stickland, former Republican Texas politician and president of the Defend Texas Liberty PAC, meets with white nationalist Nick Fuentes for several hours.[26] Stickland was later replaced as president of the PAC following the meeting.[27][28][29]
- October 9 – The 3rd special session of the 88th Texas Legislature convenes.[4]
- November 7
- The 2023 Texas elections are held. Voters approve 13 out of 14 amendments in the constitutional amendment election.[30] A special election is held to fill the vacancy in Texas's 2nd House of Representatives district,[2] which will be followed by a runoff on January 30, 2024.[3]
- The 4th special session of the 88th Texas Legislature convenes.[4]
- December 18 – Abbott signs Texas Senate Bill 4 into law. The bill allows state officials to arrest and deport migrants who enter the state illegally.