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88th Texas Legislature | NTC State Report
Monday, April 24, 2023
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Quick Takes
- HB 1 conference committee members appointed
- Deadlines are approaching for bill hearings
- House and Senate priorities advance in each chamber
State Report
The Senate unanimously passed its version of the budget last Monday, and by Thursday afternoon, a conference committee for HB 1 was appointed by Speaker Dade Phelan and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. House conferees include Greg Bonnen (chair), Mary Gonzalez, Jacey Jetton, Gary VanDeaver, and Armando Walle. Senate conferees are Joan Huffman (chair), Brandon Creighton, Lois Kolkhorst, Robert Nichols, and Charles Schwertner. The conference committee members will spend the next several weeks negotiating the differences between the House and Senate before returning to their respective chambers with the final budget for approval and finally advancing it to Governor Greg Abbott. The Senate also requested a conference committee on SB 30, the supplemental appropriations bill. The same conferees for HB 1 were appointed to the Senate conference committee for SB 30; House conferees for SB 30 are expected to be appointed today.
Although there are a large number of bills scheduled to be heard in House and Senate committees this week, the volume of bills has dropped off considerably compared to the past two weeks. This coincides with the final month of session approaching and the imminent application of end of session deadlines impacting activity in the House and Senate. The first major deadline is two weeks from today, May 8th, which is the last day for House committees to report House bills and House resolutions. However, several House committees are no longer conducting meetings to consider House bills with public testimony. Instead, they are convening for formal meetings to consider pending business only.
Meanwhile, priority legislation and other significant bills were voted from each chamber last week, although the dueling property tax relief proposals continue to be stalled for the time being. The House spent a substantial portion of last Tuesday debating HB 2127, the Texas Regulatory Consistency Act, by Representative Dustin Burrows. This bill would prohibit cities and counties from adopting, enforcing, or maintaining certain ordinances, orders, or rules unless expressly authorized by another statute. It ultimately passed 92-55, with all Republican members present voting for it, along with a handful of Democrats. The Senate quickly referred the bill to Business & Commerce upon receiving it last Thursday. The Senate companion bill, SB 814 by Senator Brandon Creighton, was heard in Business & Commerce and left pending earlier this month. The House also passed HB 12 by Representative Toni Rose last week. This bill would extend Medicaid coverage for eligible women to twelve months postpartum. HB 12 is a continuation of efforts by the 87th Legislature which approved a bill to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to six months. Last Wednesday, the House approved HB 900 by a margin of 95-52. This bill, by Representative Jared Patterson, would prohibit certain sexually relevant material and books from public school libraries. Across the building, the Senate advanced several higher education-related priorities, including SB 17 and SB 18, a pair of Creighton bills. SB 17 prohibits higher education institutions from establishing or maintaining a diversity, equity, and inclusion office, among other provisions, while SB 18 eliminates the practice of tenure for higher education faculty. Both bills passed along party lines, 19-12.
The House Calendar has been scheduled through Wednesday, and a Local & Consent Calendar has been scheduled for Friday morning. The Senate is not expected to convene Friday, but many senators are likely to remain in Austin next weekend for the events surrounding Senator Kelly Hancock’s Governor for a Day celebration that benefits Donate Life Texas.
For questions regarding the legislative session, please reach out to Patrick Brophey.
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