AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 88th legislative session has been a busy five months. The Texas Senate and House of Representatives filed more than 8,000 bills and 11,600 resolutions. As of Saturday afternoon, only 1073 bills and 3,827 resolutions have passed.
Wednesday was the last day for both chambers to consider bills passed by their counterparts.
With days before the end of the session (Sine Die), which bills have moved on to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for him to potentially sign into law?
Changed bills pending review
A bill passed in one chamber can change, whether through amendments or committee substitutions, as it moves through the other. In order for a bill to advance to the governor’s desk, the chamber that originally filed the bill has to approve those changes; if they don’t, a conference committee is formed for further debate on it.
Senate Bill 12, once called the “Drag Ban Bill,” was substituted by the House State Affairs committee to remove language related to gender expression and drag performances. The Senate has yet to approve this significant change to the bill.
But the most critical bill for Texas is HB 1 — the state’s budget. It is currently in a conference committee.
KXAN is tracking the following changed bills that need approval:
Process for the state to remove “rogue” district attorneys (HB 17)
Closing the “Dead Suspect Loophole” (HB 30)
Ban on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in schools (HB 890)
An end to mandatory vehicle inspection (HB 3297)
Limits what customers spend on electric “performance credits” (SB 7)
Changes to Texas Retirement System contributions and benefits (SB 10)
Ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices at public universities (SB 17)
Ban on tenure in higher education (SB 18)
Nursing home accountability and transparency (SB 1629)
Both chambers have until May 29 to consider these changes.
Bills on the way
As of Saturday afternoon, 821 bills have been sent from the Legislature to the governor:
HB 2127, approved by the Senate, strips Texas cities of the authority to establish local ordinances related to the State’s agriculture, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources and occupation codes. This would mean municipal governments would only have a chance every two years to submit desired changes through the state legislative process.
SB 14, a ban on transition-related health care for minors, advanced to the governor on May 19. Abbott said in a May 18 interview with Fox News that he will sign the bill.
Here are some of the other bills heading to the governor:
Murder charges can be brought for fentanyl poisoning (HB 6)
Regulation of “sexually explicit materials” in public schools (HB 900)
Schools much teach students about fentanyl abuse and risks (HB 3908)
Ban on transgender athletes (SB 15)
Tax exemption for diapers, wound dressings and menstrual products (SB 379)
Medical billing transparency (SB 490)
Veterinarian Board reform (SB 1414)
Bills already signed
As of Saturday afternoon, Abbott has signed 198 bills. Most of the bills signed by Abbott will go into effect Sept. 1.
The current rate of bill survivability is 13.3%. Of the ones passed, the governor has signed 20.6%.
Here are some of the bills signed into law:
Extra fees for electric vehicles (SB 505)
Regulation for labeling meat alternatives (SB 664)
Crime to remove or disable court-mandated ankle monitors (SB 1004)
Protections for domestic violence victims (SB 1325) (effective immediately)
A list of bills signed by the governor as of Saturday afternoon is below:
Abbott has vetoed two bills so far; SB 1615, which would have entered Texas into an interstate compact for cosmetology licensure, and HB 279, which he said was “largely duplicative” of a Senate bill that he signed.
According to The Texas Tribune, Abbott said he would veto SB 8, a bill to create a school voucher system, if it failed to “expand the scope of school choice.”
Did we miss a bill that you’d like an update on? Let us know at ReportIt@kxan.com.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The 88th legislative session has been a busy five months. The Texas Senate and House of Representatives filed more than 8,000 bills and 11,600 resolutions. As of Saturday afternoon, only 1073 bills and 3,827 resolutions have passed.
Wednesday was the last day for both chambers to consider bills passed by their counterparts.
With days before the end of the session (Sine Die), which bills have moved on to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for him to potentially sign into law?
Changed bills pending review
A bill passed in one chamber can change, whether through amendments or committee substitutions, as it moves through the other. In order for a bill to advance to the governor’s desk, the chamber that originally filed the bill has to approve those changes; if they don’t, a conference committee is formed for further debate on it.
Senate Bill 12, once called the “Drag Ban Bill,” was substituted by the House State Affairs committee to remove language related to gender expression and drag performances. The Senate has yet to approve this significant change to the bill.
But the most critical bill for Texas is HB 1 — the state’s budget. It is currently in a conference committee.
KXAN is tracking the following changed bills that need approval:
Process for the state to remove “rogue” district attorneys (HB 17)
Closing the “Dead Suspect Loophole” (HB 30)
Ban on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in schools (HB 890)
An end to mandatory vehicle inspection (HB 3297)
Limits what customers spend on electric “performance credits” (SB 7)
Changes to Texas Retirement System contributions and benefits (SB 10)
Ban on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices at public universities (SB 17)
Ban on tenure in higher education (SB 18)
Nursing home accountability and transparency (SB 1629)
Both chambers have until May 29 to consider these changes.
Bills on the way
As of Saturday afternoon, 821 bills have been sent from the Legislature to the governor:
HB 2127, approved by the Senate, strips Texas cities of the authority to establish local ordinances related to the State’s agriculture, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources and occupation codes. This would mean municipal governments would only have a chance every two years to submit desired changes through the state legislative process.
SB 14, a ban on transition-related health care for minors, advanced to the governor on May 19. Abbott said in a May 18 interview with Fox News that he will sign the bill.
Here are some of the other bills heading to the governor:
Murder charges can be brought for fentanyl poisoning (HB 6)
Regulation of “sexually explicit materials” in public schools (HB 900)
Schools much teach students about fentanyl abuse and risks (HB 3908)
Ban on transgender athletes (SB 15)
Tax exemption for diapers, wound dressings and menstrual products (SB 379)
Medical billing transparency (SB 490)
Veterinarian Board reform (SB 1414)
Bills already signed
As of Saturday afternoon, Abbott has signed 198 bills. Most of the bills signed by Abbott will go into effect Sept. 1.
The current rate of bill survivability is 13.3%. Of the ones passed, the governor has signed 20.6%.
Here are some of the bills signed into law:
Extra fees for electric vehicles (SB 505)
Regulation for labeling meat alternatives (SB 664)
Crime to remove or disable court-mandated ankle monitors (SB 1004)
Protections for domestic violence victims (SB 1325) (effective immediately)
A list of bills signed by the governor as of Saturday afternoon is below:
Abbott has vetoed two bills so far; SB 1615, which would have entered Texas into an interstate compact for cosmetology licensure, and HB 279, which he said was “largely duplicative” of a Senate bill that he signed.
According to The Texas Tribune, Abbott said he would veto SB 8, a bill to create a school voucher system, if it failed to “expand the scope of school choice.”
Did we miss a bill that you’d like an update on? Let us know at ReportIt@kxan.com.