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New Report: Sunset Commission Final Results, 2014-15

Jul 20

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Sunset review, Legislative process

The Sunset Commission’s last report of the 2014–2015 cycle, Final Results of Sunset Reviews, is now available on the Sunset Advisory Commission's website. 
 
"This comprehensive report briefly summarizes the final results of each Sunset review, including both legislative actions and nonstatutory management directives. Despite the failure of four bills, the 84th Legislature adopted 72 percent of the Commission’s 185 recommendations through Sunset legislation or other related legislation. The legislation is estimated to have a positive fiscal impact of some $38 million."
- Ken Levine, Director of the Sunset Advisory Commission
 
A diagram of how the Sunset process works is available via the Sunset Advisory Commission's website.  
 
 
 
 
 
Cover image by Pixabay user gsbarber.
 

This entry was posted on July 20, 2015 at 3:22 PM and has received 2555 views. Print this entry.

Signed Copies of Bills from the 84th R.S.

Jul 15

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Legislative process

Signed copies of bills from the 84th and 83rd Legislatures, with session law chapter numbers, are made available online on the Secretary of State's Bills and Resolutions page.
 
You can determine whether a bill sent to the Governor was signed or filed without signature by checking the bill in the Texas Legislature Online. If the bill passed but was filed without signature, you will see the action "Filed without the Governor's signature."
 
Signed copies from the 78th - 83rd Legislatures are available online at the University of North Texas Laws and Resolutions Archive.
 
For questions about bill/chapter numbers for bills from the 84th R.S., please contact the Secretary of State's office at (512) 463-5561.
 

This entry was posted on July 15, 2015 at 2:30 PM and has received 1201 views. Print this entry.

Bill Effective Dates, 84th Legislature

Jul 7

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Legislative process

On September 1, 2015 provisions of 704 bills passed during the regular session of the 84th Legislature will take effect.
 
Additionally, sections of bills passed during the 83rd Legislature and 82nd 1st C.S. in 2011 will take effect on September 1.
 
To keep up with new laws throughout the year, check the Library's list of bill effective dates.
 

This entry was posted on July 7, 2015 at 8:08 AM and has received 2142 views. Print this entry.

Bill Effective Dates

Jun 26

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Legislative process

The library reviews the text of all bills that become law to determine their effective dates, and enters the information into the Texas Legislature Online (TLO). To find the effective date of a bill, lookup the bill in TLO and check the "Last action" field in the history window. In some cases, different sections of a bill may have different effective dates, in which case additional remarks will be given to provide the information.
 
For House and Senate bills from the 84th Regular Session (2015), the two largest groupings are:
  • Effective immediately: 500
  • Effective on 9/1/15: 678
There are also 4 bills from the 83rd Regular Session (2013) that become effective 9/1/2015.
 
The library compiles a more detailed list of bills and their effective dates following each regular and called session. The list is made available on the library's website once it is complete.

This entry was posted on June 26, 2015 at 10:35 AM and has received 1579 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics for the 84th R.S.

Jun 23

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

June 21 was the last day the Governor could sign, veto, or allow to become law without his signature bills presented to him less than 10 days (not counting Sundays) prior to final adjournment of the 84th Regular Session.

 

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 23 at 11:15 a.m.

  • To see how these statistics have changed since last week, please view our blog post from June 17. 
  • To learn about session law chapter numbers and copies of signed bills, please view our blog post from June 10.

 

House and Senate Bills
Filed 6,276
Sent to the Governor 1,323
Signed by the Governor 1,117
Signed by the Governor w/line-item veto 2
Vetoed by the Governor 41
Filed without the Governor's signature 163
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 200
Filed with the Secretary of State 7
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 174
Filed with the Secretary of State 15
Sent to the Governor 85
Signed by the Governor 84
Vetoed by the Governor 1

 

This entry was posted on June 23, 2015 at 1:58 PM and has received 1787 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics, June 17th

Jun 17

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

June 21 is the last day the Governor can sign, veto, or allow to become law without his signature bills presented to him less than 10 days (not counting Sundays) prior to final adjournment of the 84th Regular Session.

 

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 17 at 9:15 a.m. To see how these statistics have changed since last week, and to learn about session law chapter numbers and copies of signed bills, please view our blog post from June 10.

 

House and Senate Bills
Filed 6,276
Sent to the Governor 1,323
Signed by the Governor 587
Vetoed by the Governor 4
Filed without the Governor's signature 60
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 200
Filed with the Secretary of State 7
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 174
Filed with the Secretary of State 15
Sent to the Governor 85
Signed by the Governor 46
Vetoed by the Governor 1

 

This entry was posted on June 17, 2015 at 10:42 AM and has received 1112 views. Print this entry.

84th R.S. Bill Statistics and FAQs

Jun 10

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

House and Senate Bills
Filed 6,276
Sent to the Governor 1,323
Signed by the Governor 355
Vetoed by the Governor 4
Filed without the Governor's signature 20
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 200
Filed with the Secretary of State 7
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 174
Filed with the Secretary of State 15
Sent to the Governor 85
Signed by the Governor 33
Vetoed by the Governor 1

 

What happens now?

The 84th Regular Session ended June 1, 2015. Bills that passed both the House and the Senate were sent to the Governor for him to sign, veto, or allow to become law without his signature. Joint Resolutions that passed both chambers of the Legislature were filed with the Secretary of State, and will be on the ballot for the November 3, 2015 election.

 

How much time does the Governor have to act on a bill?

If a bill is sent to the Governor during the legislative session, the Governor has 10 days (not counting Sundays) to sign the bill or return the bill to the Legislature with objection. If after 10 days the bill is not returned to the Legislature by the Governor with objections or he has not yet signed it, the bill becomes law as if the Governor had signed it.

 

If the Legislature has adjourned sine die, or if the bill is presented to the Governor less than 10 days (not counting Sundays) prior to final adjournment, the Governor has 20 days (counting Sundays) after the final day of the session to sign or veto the bill. If neither action is taken, the bill becomes law without the Governor's signature (Texas Const. art. IV, § 14).

 

Sunday, June 21, is the 20th day following final adjournment of the 84th Regular Session. It is the last day the Governor can sign or veto  bills passed during the 84th Regular Session. To view veto proclamations issued by Governor Abbott for the 84th Regular Session, please visit the library's Vetoed Bills page.

 

Bill Effective Dates

The library reviews the text of all bills that become law to determine their effective dates, and enters the information into the Texas Legislature Online. To find the effective date of a bill, check the "Last action" field on the bill's main page. In some cases, different sections of a bill may have different effective dates, in which case remarks will be given to provide the information.

 

In addition to updating the Texas Legislature Online with effective date information, the library compiles a list of bills and their effective dates following each regular and called session. The list is made available on the library's website once it is complete.

 

Signed Copies of Bills

Bills that the Governor signed or allowed to become law without his signature are sent to the Secretary of State's office, where they are made available online on the Bills and Resolutions page.

 

You can determine whether a bill sent to the Governor was signed or filed without signature by checking the bill in the Texas Legislature Online. If the bill passed but was filed without signature, you will see the action "Filed without the Governor's signature."

 

Session Law Chapter Numbers

The Secretary of State's Bills and Resolutions page also lists the session law chapter number that is assigned to each bill that has become law. The session laws contain the text of all bills passed into law during a particular legislative session. Chapter numbers are used primarily for citing a bill in a legislative history annotation.

This entry was posted on June 10, 2015 at 4:53 PM and has received 2983 views. Print this entry.

Conference Committee Reports and Bill Statistics

May 29

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

The 84th Regular Session ends Monday, June 1. As the end of session nears, House and Senate members are meeting in conference committees to resolve differences between their versions of bills. For information on the conference committee process, please see How a Bill Becomes Law and Guide to Texas Legislative Information.

 

To see a list of bills still in conference committee, please click here. The members of a bill's conference committee are listed in Texas Legislature Online, and can be viewed by searching on the bill. For instructions on searching in TLO, please see the TLO Help section.

 

The below chart provides a snapshot of bill statistics as of 11:30 am today.

 

 

 

This entry was posted on May 29, 2015 at 12:46 PM and has received 1467 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics, 133rd Legislative Day

May 26

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

Bill statistics comparing the 133rd legislative day of the 84th and the 83rd Regular Sessions are below. For information about what happens to a bill after it passes, please see our Legislative FAQ page. We've also calculated bill statistics for earlier points in the 84th Regular Session.

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on May 26, 2015 at 1:32 PM and has received 1356 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines

May 20

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, 84th Session, Legislative process

As the 84th Legislature draws to a close, a series of end-of-session deadlines begins to take effect. Below is a list of deadlines that occur next week:

  • Monday, May 25: Deadline for house to distribute last House Local and Consent Calendar with senate bills.
  • Tuesday, May 26: Last day for house to consider senate bills and joint resolutions, other than local and consent, on second reading on House Daily or Supplemental Calendar.
  • Wednesday, May 27: Last day for house to consider local and consent senate bills on second and third reading and all senate bills or joint resolutions on third reading on House Supplemental Calendar. Last day for senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions on second or third reading.
  • Thursday, May 28: Midnight deadline for house to distribute senate amendments.
  • Friday, May 29: Last day for house to act on senate amendments. Midnight deadline for senate to print and distribute senate copies of conference committee reports on tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills. Last day for senate committees to report all bills and joint resolutions.
  • Saturday, May 30: Midnight deadline for house to distribute house copies of all conference committee reports. Midnight deadline for senate to print and distribute senate copies of all conference committee reports on bills other than those on tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment and all house amendments to senate bills and joint resolutions that did not go to a conference committee.
  • Sunday, May 31: Last day for house to adopt conference committee reports or discharge house conferees and concur in Senate Amendments. Last day for senate to adopt conference committee reports or concur in house amendments.
  • Monday, June 1: Last day of 84th Regular Session; corrections only in house and senate.

House and Senate calendars are available on the Texas Legislature Online, and Senate agendas are available in hard copy from the library (Rm. 2N.3). 

 

Bill statistics for the period of Nov. 10, 2014 - May 19, 2015 are below. For information about what happens to a bill after it passes, please see our Legislative FAQ page.

 

  House Bills (HB) & Joint Resolutions (HJR) Senate Bills (SB) & Joint Resolutions (SJR)
Filed  4,340 2,136
Reported out of committee 1,953 857
Passed by chamber of origin 1,162 717
Referred to committee in opposite chamber 1,107 709
Reported out of committee in opposite chamber 369 478
Passed opposite chamber 121 201
Sent to the Governor (bills only) 84 96
Signed by the Governor (bills only) 3 42

 

This entry was posted on May 20, 2015 at 10:09 AM and has received 1213 views. Print this entry.

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