Legislative Services

By the Numbers

Only nine days remain for the 89th Legislature. Tuesday is the last day for the House to consider a Senate bill or joint resolution on second reading. Wednesday is the last day for the Senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions. The five days that follow prior to the 140th and final day of the session on June 2 are reserved for reconciling House and Senate versions of passed legislation and for making nonsubstantive correctives. See these and other key legislative dates here.

One week ago, 1,979 bills and joint resolutions had passed either the House or the Senate. Late yesterday afternoon, the count stood at 2,094.

The number of bills that have cleared both chambers has more than doubled in the past week, from 261 to 528. For any of those bills that were amended, the author may accept the second chamber’s changes or make a motion to appoint a conference committee to reconcile the differences. Most of those 528 bills will reach the governor’s desk, at which point he can sign them into law or veto them.

Last week, House Joint Resolution 98 by Rep. Cody Vasut (R-Angleton) was the lone proposed constitutional amendment approved by both the House and the Senate. One more has made its way through since: HJR 34 by Rep. Ryan Guillen (R-Rio Grande City). Joint resolutions bypass the governor and go directly to voters at the next general election.

Last week, only 35 bills had been signed into law and none had been vetoed. Since then, 79 more have gained final approval, bringing the total to 104 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 104 new laws, proposed two new constitutional amendments, and sent 413 bills to the governor.

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 1261 by Rep. Charles Cunningham (R-Humble) – Relating to the disposition of abandoned or unclaimed property seized by a peace officer.

Senate Bill 503 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) – Relating to the establishment of an electronic registry of livestock marks and brands.

SB 561 by Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) – Relating to the requirement that a veterans county service office report to the commissioners court or a designated county executive official.

SB 897 by Sen. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso) – Relating to the administration of a grant program to support community mental health programs assisting veterans and their families.

See Bills on the Move for other county related bills still under consideration by the Legislature.

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.