Quick Takes
- Deadlines in the House and Senate loom, 14 days left in the Legislative Session.
- Priority Legislation moving through House and Senate.
- North Texas legislator expelled from the House.
State Report
There are only two weeks remaining in the regular session of the 88th Texas Legislature. The House and Senate have advanced more than 240 bills and resolutions to Governor Greg Abbott, with hundreds more expected to reach his desk prior to the final day of session, May 29th. However, thousands of proposals will fail to advance due to end of session deadlines applying to House and Senate activity through their respective rules. The first major deadline passed last Thursday, with the House taking up its final House calendar with House bills and House joint resolutions. The lower chamber worked until midnight when a point of order was sustained under House Rules that the time for consideration of House bills on second reading had expired. This was followed by the final House Local & Consent Calendar with consent House bills last Friday. Today is the first day bills and resolutions on the Senate Notice of Intent Calendar can be considered the first day they are posted; up until now, bills and resolutions were not eligible until their second posting.
Many of the bills identified as priorities by the Republican leadership are still making their way through the legislative process, including House Bill 1, the 2024-2025 state budget. The conference committee on House Bill 1 continues to meet daily, and the bill is expected to return to the floor in each chamber next week. Other issues, including property tax relief, property tax abatement agreements for school districts, education savings accounts, border security, and school safety-related proposals, remain unresolved along with other top priorities. Although late Friday and over the weekend, there were some developments on property tax relief and education savings accounts; new language may be advanced this week on those issues. Senate Bill 14, prohibition of gender modification treatments for certain children, passed the House Friday evening following two previously unsuccessful attempts by the House sponsor and supporters to bring it before the full House for a vote. It will be before the House on third reading today before returning to the Senate.
The Texas House unanimously approved House Resolution 1542 last Tuesday, which expelled Representative Bryan Slaton from the Texas House of Representatives following an investigation and report by the General Investigating Committee into allegations of sexual misconduct with an aide in his office. Although Mr. Slaton resigned the day prior, General Investigating Committee Chairman Andy Murr moved forward with the resolution to ensure his termination from the body was immediate. Following the adoption of the resolution, the House stood at ease for a few minutes while the newly expelled member’s desk on the House floor was cleared, his nameplate was removed from the voting board in the House chamber, and the locks on his office were changed. Governor Abbott has not announced plans to call for a special election to fill the vacancy in House District 2 at this time.
The Senate convenes at 12 pm today, while the House will meet at 1 pm. The House Calendar has been scheduled through Tuesday. Last Friday, Speaker Dade Phelan announced the tentative schedule for the House this week and did not mention the House meeting next weekend. However, the House and Senate will both be working the following weekend as major calendar deadlines apply in both bodies the final few days of the legislative session. The Senate Notice of Intent Calendar and other daily business can be found here. Committee hearings are scheduled in the House and Senate this week although additional committee meetings will likely be announced throughout the week with little notice as permitted under their respective rules.
For questions regarding the legislative session, please reach out to Patrick Brophey.
