Legislative Services

By the Numbers

With just 17 days remaining in the 89th Legislature, the field of possible new laws continues to narrow. A key deadline occurred Thursday when the session reached Day 122, which marked the last day a House bill or House joint resolution could be passed on second reading. Of the 5,700 House bills filed, 996 have passed and been sent to the Senate. Representatives filed 208 proposed constitutional amendments; 18 have been adopted.

Last Wednesday, May 7, 1,444 bills and joint resolutions had passed either the House or the Senate. As of this morning, that number had swelled to 1,979.

One week ago, 115 bills had reached the governor’s desk; no joint resolutions had cleared both chambers and been set for a November referendum (joint resolutions bypass the governor and go directly to voters); 261 bills have now navigated both chambers. House Joint Resolution 98 by Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton) has the distinction of being the first, and to this point only, joint resolution approved by both the House and the Senate.

Last week, only five bills had been signed into law and none had been vetoed. Since then, 30 more have gained final approval, bringing the total to 35 new laws. Gov. Greg Abbott has yet to veto a bill.

In recent years, lawmakers have passed somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 new laws or proposed constitutional amendments. So far, the 89th Legislature has created 30 new laws, proposed one new constitutional amendment, sent 261 bills to the governor, and has 1,918 viable bills still before them.

County Bills to Governor’s Desk

The following bills that directly impact county operations successfully navigated both chambers and await action by the governor.

House Bill 5534 by Rep. Terry M. Wilson (R-Georgetown) – Relating to the electronic posting of notices and agendas for meetings of the commissioners court of a county.

Senate Bill 1173 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) – Relating to the amount of an expenditure made by certain political subdivisions for which a competitive procurement method may be required.

HB 1109 by Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston) – Relating to an exemption from certain motor fuel taxes for counties in this state.

Counties and the State Budget

House and Senate budget conferees are working to reconcile their chamber’s budgets to send to the governor for final approval. This reference document compares selected budget items of interest to counties. For more information, please contact Zelma Smith.

Legislative Directory Available

TAC’s Legislative Directory for the 89th Legislature is still available for order. The directory includes contact information for legislative leaders, committees, county official associations and TAC’s Legislative Services team.

Order free your copies here.

Grant Opportunities

TAC highlights state and federal grant opportunities on its continuously updated Grant Opportunities webpage. TAC also maintains a listserv community to foster discussion between county officials on available grants. To join the listserv or share a grant success story, please contact Zelma Smith.

Week in Review is a collaborative column from TAC Legislative Services.