Texas lawmakers left Austin having accomplished a lot but with urgent work pending on public safety, disaster readiness, education, and emerging technology during the 2nd special session. Senator Tan Parker says the moment is a test of whether the legislature can advance its priorities, including new protections for trafficking survivors, post-flood reforms for summer camps, and changes to school testing and AI governance.
Senator Parker represents Senate District 12 and serves as vice chair of the Criminal Justice and Veterans Affairs committees, as well as chair of the Republican Caucus. “Leading the Republican caucus is a tremendous honor on our major priorities,” he says. “Nothing is more important to me than making sure our veterans know we love them and take care of them better than any other state in the country.”
He calls Senate Bill 11—an affirmative defense for human-trafficking victims—the culmination of 20 years of work. “The affirmative defense really turns things upside down,” he says. “It allows us to go after the true perpetrators of crime. We will see an increased number of prosecutions of traffickers, while recognizing that individuals who have been trafficked are true victims.”
The shift arrives early in the process. “These incredibly courageous survivors can now get help on the front end before a prosecution ever occurs,” Parker says. He traces his interest to Jenna’s Law. “That is the first bill of its kind in America to work to end child sexual abuse. We get that into about 34 or 35 states, and then it becomes federal law at the end of last year.” According to him, the stakes remain raw. “Trafficking knows no boundaries,” he says. “Traffickers target young kids, girls and boys, as young as three and four years old. I am aware of cases of babies, infants. It is the most disgusting and demonic activity you can imagine.”
Senate Bill 11 ultimately passed the House and Senate and was sent to the Governor on August 28 to become law.
Summer floods that took young lives drive another legislative priority focused on prevention and preparedness. “We should never allow a camp to operate in a floodplain overnight ever again,” Parker says. Daytime activities near water continue under strict safeguards, but cabins must move. “If a camp has cabins in the floodplain, they will have to relocate them,” he says. The state commits significant resources. “We are putting a couple hundred million dollars of Texas taxpayer money in,” Parker says. “Fifty million dollars is for siren technology and $24 million for new weather technology that will detect microbursts.”
He says training and coordination is important. “We need more first responders with fast-water rescue skills, and we establish a new training center to build those capabilities,” he says. “We also set a line of succession so that when a disaster happens, everyone knows who is in charge.” He also says the Department of State Health Services will approve each camp’s plan and maintain disaster plans on file, along with the Texas Department of Emergency Management.
On education, Parker says STAAR testing is not enough. “The historical STAAR test with one snapshot is not sufficient. We move to multiple, lighter tests over the year with a much faster turnaround. Parents and teachers will know quickly where a child struggles, and they can engage with tutoring or instruction to close the loop. We want accountability while avoiding anxiety that stifles learning. We should not force teaching to a test that robs teachers of flexibility.”
House Bill which would replace the STAAR test for a series of smaller tests throughout the year that Parker describes passed both chambers and was sent to the Governor on September 4.
Texas also wrote early rules of the road for artificial intelligence. Parker co-chairs the state’s AI task force and authored a governance framework for state and local agencies. “AI is a tool to improve human performance,” he says. “Humans must remain in the loop for decisions that affect people’s lives.” He draws a bright line on abuse. “We will go after bad actors who use AI to harm vulnerable populations,” he says. “If someone creates a fake that exploits children, we will put those entities behind bars.” However, Parker says the policy avoids throttling innovation. “AI is the modern space race,” he says. “We want entrepreneurs to drive new ideas, and I think we get the regulatory framework right so America can lead and win.”
Power and water needs for data centers are large, according to Parker. “One AI data center can basically use the amount of energy of a city of a million people,” he says. “We pursue practical approaches that protect the grid and encourage centers to be more self-sufficient, while advancing next-generation solutions like small modular reactors.”