Quick Takes
- House passes budget, inculding anti-voucher amendment.
- HB 15, mental health funding, up for a vote of the full house.
- HB 5, Texas Jobs & Security Act, set for hearing in House Ways & Means.
State Report
The House returns to the floor at 2:00 pm today while the Senate takes an extended holiday weekend and will return Tuesday at 11:00 am. House and Senate committees have scheduled meetings throughout the week. Additionally, it is common at this point in the session for committees to convene for a formal meeting which is frequently used to vote on pending legislation before a committee. Public testimony is not permitted in a formal meeting, and they often occur at a member's desk upon adjournment or in a room outside the legislative chambers.
The Texas House of Representatives completed the second reading debate and approval of the 2024-2025 budget in less than ten hours Thursday. Members pre-filed nearly 400 amendments to the budget, and seventy-one were adopted during the approval process. One of the more controversial amendments, a "prohibition on the use of appropriated money for school vouchers or other similar programs," was amended onto the bill by a vote of 86-52, with eleven members registering as present not voting. Legislative approval of education savings accounts has been a major priority this session for Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. While the House debated the issue through the proposed budget amendment, the Senate passed SB 8, which would establish an education savings account program for qualified students. House members ultimately approved a two-year budget totaling $302.6 billion, including $136.9 billion in general revenue. Budget allocations include money for property tax relief, state employee pay raises, border security, and public education. Ten votes were cast against the budget's final passage, including eight Democrats and two Republicans. HB 1 will be referred to the Senate Finance Committee this week. Finance Chairman Joan Huffman will schedule the bill for a hearing and substitute the Senate version of the budget that will be presented to the full Senate in the next few weeks.
The House Calendar has been scheduled for today and tomorrow, with additional calendars for Wednesday and Thursday to be scheduled upon the meeting and approval of the House Calendars committee. The House will take up HB 15 by Representative Senfronia Thompson today. Increased access to mental health care is a legislative priority for the NTC. This bill establishes the Mental Health and Brain Research Institute of Texas to support research on mental health and brain-related health and diseases. It is contingent on funding through HB 1 and is also part of Speaker Dade Phelan's package of legislative priorities.
At 10:00 am, the House Ways & Means committee will meet. During the hearing, the committee will consider another NTC-priority bill: House Bill 5 by Rep. Todd Hunter. HB 5, the Texas Jobs & Security Act, would create a tax incentive program that will recruit businesses to the state, enhance investment in our local communities and schools, and create meaningful job opportunities for Texans. The NTC's Regional Chamber Coalition has submitted written testimony in favor of HB 5. You can contact Ways & Means committee members to communicate your support for the tax abatement program HERE.
The Senate Committee on Administration will meet Tuesday to set the second Local and Uncontested Calendar of the session for Wednesday of this week. April 15th is the first day of this session senators may place up to five bills or resolutions on the Senate Notice of Intent Calendar. Additional calendar rules for both chambers will start to apply over the next several weeks.
In recent sessions, the legislature has passed a sunset safety net bill that is intended to provide a back-up plan for any state agency whose individual sunset bill does not pass the full legislature. The sunset safety net bill will continue the relevant agencies for two additional years, and updates the list of agencies that will be reviewed in the next biennium. HB 1620 by Representative Justin Holland, Vice Chairman of the Sunset Advisory Commission, is the sunset safety net bill for the current legislature. It was voted from the House State Affairs committee last week and will be considered by the House Calendars committee soon.
For questions regarding the legislative session, please reach out to Patrick Brophey.
