On September 1, a slew of new laws will go into effect across Texas after they were passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott .

Legislation due to come into effect includes a ban on local government funding for out-of-state abortions, property tax cuts, a ban on cell phones in schools, and a requirement that each classroom display a copy of the Ten Commandments.

Why It Matters

Texas is dominated by the Republican Party, which controls both chambers of the state legislature as well as the governor's office, giving the GOP considerable leeway over the state.

However, Republicans don't have it all their own way, and Texas House Democrats recently left the state en masse to break quorum, blocking a redistributing bill that would likely give t

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