Quick Takes
- The 88th Texas Legislature Convenes on Tuesday, January 10th at noon
- Governor Abbott Appoints Former State Senator Jane Nelson as Texas Secretary of State
- Comptroller's Budget Estimate due out today
- Bill filings we are tracking
- Help Texas Legislative Lingo
State Report
The 88th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature is set to convene at noon on Tuesday, January 10th. During this time, thirty-one senators and 150 representatives will simultaneously be sworn into office. Lawmakers in both chambers are expected to meet later in the week to consider and adopt rules that will govern the processes of each body for the biennium.
Meanwhile, the House will be busy with its first order of business following the swearing-in of its members: the election of the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Current Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan, is expected to be reelected by the House for a second term. However, Representative Tony Tinderholt (HD 94 - Arlington) is expected to challenge Speaker Phelan for the House leadership position.
On Thursday, January 5th, Governor Greg Abbott officially appointed State Senator Jane Nelson as the 115th Texas Secretary of State. Two days later, Nelson was sworn in by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht. Later this week, she will preside over the election for Speaker. She succeeds John Scott who resigned from the position in December of 2022.
Prior to the legislature convening, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar will release an updated Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) to the 88th Texas Legislature later today, Monday, January 9th. The BRE report to lawmakers will provide details on the amount of revenue available to spend for the 2024-2025 state budget. He is expected to announce a budget surplus in excess of the $27 billion he previously forecasted in a revised revenue estimate issued last July.
Additionally, the Sunset Advisory Commission, led by Senator Charles Schwertner and Representative Justin Holland, is scheduled to meet Wednesday, January 11th at 11 am to cast final votes on commission recommendations to the 88th Texas Legislature for the twenty-one agencies under review during the current cycle. In addition to Representative Holland, members of the commission from the North Texas delegation include Senator Nathan Johnson (SD 16 – Dallas), Senator Angela Paxton (SD 8 – McKinney), and Senator Drew Springer (SD 30 – Muenster) along with Representative Keith Bell (HD 4 – Forney) and Representative Craig Goldman (HD 97 – Fort Worth).
Through Friday, January 6th, House members pre-filed more than 1,170 bills while Senate members pre-filed in excess of 335 bills. Prefiling commenced November 14th, and the filing of most legislation will continue through Friday, March 10th which also represents the 60th day of the legislative session. The first twenty bills in the House and the first thirty bills in the Senate have been reserved by leadership and typically will represent their priorities. The general appropriations bill will be HB 1 and SB 1. However, the budget bill ultimately passed by lawmakers will be HB 1 following the tradition of alternating that budget bill number between the House and Senate. NTC will monitor and track all legislation that aligns with our regional priorities throughout the legislative session.
Lastly, we would like to provide you with a quick reference document containing some Legislative Lingo to help as a primer for session. Click here for a list of terms that will be helpful for government relations pros and the average observer alike. Thank you to Karen Regan and the Texas Star Alliance for sharing these.
For questions regarding the legislative session, please reach out to Patrick Brophey.
