Legislative Services

By the Numbers

March 14 marked Day 60 of the 140-day legislative session, the last day lawmakers could file most bills. A few exceptions permit late filing: appropriations, local bills, emergency matters or legislation receiving a four-fifths majority vote.

At this time last week, a total of 8,998 bills and joint resolutions were filed by the 89th Legislature. Since then, four bills met the exception criteria, bringing the total to 9,002. All four were filed under the local exception and took the total number of House Bills to an even 5,700.

Last Wednesday, April 30, 1,132 bills and joint resolutions had passed either the House or the Senate. One week later, 1,444 crossed the aisle.

Two weeks ago, just four bills and zero joint resolutions had passed the Legislature. One week ago, 54 bills had reached the Governor’s desk. As of this writing, there are still zero joint resolutions set for a November referendum (joint resolutions bypass the Governor and go directly to voters); 115 bills have now navigated both chambers.

Last week, only a single bill had been signed into law and none had been vetoed. Four more gained final approval since then, bringing the total to five 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 constitutional amendments. Long days and nights will likely see the 89th Legislature reach a similar total, as far off as that might seem with the current count at five.

The deluge needed to reach that expected mark gained strength when the House announced that it would work through Mother’s Day weekend, with calendars scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday.

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.