>>Scroll through the gallery to see the key players in the ongoing Texas legislative session and the state's long history with the issue of abortion.">
1 of 33 Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, is making a point about legislation that restricts women's access to healthcare and abortions by proposing to fine men $100 when they masturbate. Alongside the penalty for wasting semen not resulting in a pregnancy, Farrar's bill would require a "medically unnecessary digital rectal exam" before any man undergoes a vasectomy or can be prescribed Viagra.
Though no one seems to be able to clearly define exactly what a sanctuary city is, or how many there are in Texas, Senate leaders are intent on banning them, bolstered by Trump's tough stance on illegal immigration. Despite lukewarm support in the House, Abbott has listed this issue 
as a priority.
The issue of requiring photo IDs to vote in Texas has been in the courts almost since it first was OK'd by lawmakers in 2011, and an attempt to bolster the existing controversial law again will face heated opposition from advocates who say it intentionally suppresses Latino and African-American voting. With the GOP in control of both legislative chambers, the chances of passage look good.
Among this year's bills are those to increase criminal penalties for buying and selling fetal tissue and to ban partial-birth abortions, as well as one to prohibit insurance coverage for abortions
The "Texas Privacy Act" would bar Texans from going in public-building restrooms that don't match the gender on their birth certificate. While conservative Republican supporters insist it's not akin to North Carolina's highly controversial law, opponents - including business groups that say it would cost the state $8.5 billion in lost business - are not buying it. Look for a fight in the Senate and a likely roadblock in the House.
As has been common in recent years, Republican lawmakers have offered several abortion-related bills, most aimed at limiting the procedure.
Whatever the fix, it will be costly, a tab that will affect the strained budget. Some lawmakers have suggested the state use some of its Rainy Day Fund to pay for a permanent fix.
After more than two decades of reforms designed to curb chronic, systemic problems, state officials have designated this issue a top priority, perhaps even an emergency that would allow expedited legislative action
After a messy attempt at ethics reform two years ago, even though Abbott had made the issue a priority, the Legislature this year will get another shot at plugging loopholes in current campaign-finance and ethics laws that are big enough to drive a truck through. Asking the Legislature to impose new limits on its ethical behavior has historically proven akin to trying to thread an elephant through a needle. Expect a lot of talk, but most likely little significant reform short of some scandal.
This issue will be just as contentious between conservatives who say it will let parents get around failing schools and the public-school lobby, which insists it is just a ruse to kill public education. Call it school choice or vouchers, the pitch to pass this legislation will focus on giving parents the option to put their children in the school they believe is best for them.
Texans pay the sixth-highest property taxes in the nation, so who could hate legislation that would cut those taxes? Start with counties and cities and school districts and local taxing entities that are forced to up their rates to keep up with growing populations and needs. The result, according to legislative leaders, is likely to be a cut in taxes that is unlikely to provide real relief to taxpayers in a year when the state budget will be tight.
