The flash floods that killed at least 135 people in Texas' Hill Country was the main topic during the opening of a special legislative session in the state on Monday.

Just weeks after the governor vetoed a bill banning products containing THC, state senators revived it in the special session, filing nearly identical legislation and passing it unanimously out of committee with a 10-0 vote on Tuesday.

Abortion and gender identity made the agenda. So did flies and standardized testing. We’re aiming to raise $6,000 by August 10, so we can deepen our reporting on the critical stories unfolding right now: grassroots protests, immigration, politics and more.