Did y’all know that a bill that restricts which bathrooms transgender people can use in some public buildings is set to take effect tomorrow?

Senate Bill 8, which mandates that trans people use the bathroom based on their sex assigned at birth, passed the state House in August and the Senate in September. Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law on Sept. 22.

It applies to multiple-occupancy facilities in public buildings operated by state or local governments, as well as public schools and colleges. The law also requires people incarcerated in state prisons to be housed according to their sex assigned at birth and bans trans women from domestic violence shelters for women.

The restrictions do not apply to privately-owned buildings and businesses, such as restaurants. The law doesn’t include any guidance on how institutions should enforce it. But it includes steep penalties—a $25,000 fine for a first offense and $125,000 for subsequent offenses.

Passage of bills like this truly hurts my heart; I think it’s horrific that a minority group that is already heavily discriminated against has to deal with even more scrutiny.

If you want to share your thoughts with the lawmakers behind the bill, their contact information is below.

Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), Mayes.Middleton@senate.texas.gov

Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), Paul.Bettencourt@senate.texas.gov

Brian Birdwell (R-Granbury), Brian.Birdwell@senate.texas.gov

Angela Paxton (R-McKinney), Angela.Paxton@senate.texas.gov

Bryan Hughes (R-Tyler), Bryan.Hughes@senate.texas.gov

One more thing: I’m talking with readers this week to learn how our newsletters are landing—what’s useful, what’s frustrating, and what you want more of. If you’ve got thoughts, I’d love to hear them. Sign up for a quick feedback interview here.

I got some great responses from y’all the last time I highlighted a BARC Empty the Shelters event, so I wanted to share that the animal shelter is putting on another one this month!

Until Dec. 15, the shelter will reduce adoption fees with help from BISSELL Pet Foundation. Located at 3300 Carr St., adoptions are available Monday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Adoption fees include spay/neuter surgery, dewormer, age-appropriate vaccinations, rabies vaccination, flea prevention, a pet microchip, and a one-year pet registration with the City of Houston, according to BARC.

Missy, female, brown-and-black German shepherd mix. (Courtesy of BARC)

Maggy, female, brown tabby domestic shorthair mix. (Courtesy of BARC)

Spunk, male, brindle & white Staffordshire bull terrier mix. (Courtesy of BARC)

Here’s what the fees will look like during this event:

🐶 $50 for puppies four months or younger

🐕 $20 for dogs five months and older and puppies

🐈 $10 for all cats and kittens

Who could resist those adorable faces?? I’m trying to remind myself that I do not need a pet right now, but it’s pretty tough when scrolling through the website.

Are you considering adopting?

🗳 Early voting has started for two different races: City of Houston Council Member, At-Large Position 4 and Houston City College, Trustee, District II. (Click2Houston)

🐓 A Houston-area rooster-fighting ring was discovered by authorities over the weekend, and ended in four people being detained. (Houston Public Media)

🍋 A family in Fort Worth has been raising money for victims of Hurricane Harvey through a lemonade stand for the past eight years. (Fort Worth Report)

🍽 Only one Texas restaurant grabbed a spot on Esquire’s list of the best new American restaurants of 2025: Houston-based ChopnBlok. (Houston Chronicle)

By The Texas Tribune, Stephen Simpson and Terri Langford

In their latest effort to boost camp oversight in the wake of the deadly July 4 floods, Texas officials have proposed hiking annual licensing fees for operators by thousands of dollars and slashing the number of camp representatives on a statewide committee that advises on industry regulations.

On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services, which regulates camps, posted a slate of new rules to the Texas Register that would go into effect next year, and among them are proposals that would increase camp licensing fees based on size and type of camps.

Currently, the start-up licensing fee is $250 for any day camp and $750 for any residential camp, such as an overnight summer camp. The yearly renewal fee currently ranges from $52 to $155 for day camps and $103 to $464 for residential camps.

The initial licensing fee for a day youth camp with 99 or fewer campers per year is expected to climb to $950 and can reach $3,500 for those with 5,000 or more. The initial licensing fee is even steeper for residential youth camps, increasing to $2,150 for camps with 99 or fewer campers and to $21,000 for those with 10,000 or more campers.

Annual renewal fees would range from $750 to $19,500, depending on the size and type of camp.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Sierra Rozen with stories from The Texas Tribune. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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