The 85th Texas Legislature began on January 10, 2017. All members of the House and Senate were elected in the general election held on November 8, 2016.
On February 22, 2018 a jury found Carlos Uresti guilty on 11 federal felony charges relating to his alleged involvement in a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He resigned four months after he was convicted due to pressure from his Democratic colleagues.
On October 12, 2018 Pete Flores was sworn in after winning the Texas Senate District 19 special election and special election run off to fill in the vacant seat for Carlos Uresti.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Texas Senate Bill 4, which bans sanctuary cities, into law on May 7, 2017.