In Texas, the House Rules (Rule 8, Section 7) and the Senate Rules (Rule 7.04(a)) allow legislators to prefile bills "beginning the first Monday after the general election preceding the next regular legislative session."

Prefiling for the 89th Texas Legislature began on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. A total of 1,511 bills and resolutions were filed in the House and Senate on November 12, a record number for the first day of the prefiling period.

Below are statistics comparing all bills and resolutions filed during the prefiling period for the 71st Legislature (1989) to the 89th Legislature (2025).

For a general overview of bill prefiling, see our previous blog post, Bill Prefiling FAQs.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025, is the first day of the 89th Texas Legislature.

Friday, March 14, 2025, is the deadline for the unrestricted filing of bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and emergency matters submitted by the governor.

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Sunday, June 18, 2023, is the last day the governor can sign or veto an enrolled bill. If neither action is taken, the bill becomes law without his signature.

88th Legislature, R.S., Statistics

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 5, 2023, at 10:50 a.m.

Previous bill statistics posts:

• What's Next? Post-Session FAQ and Bill Statistics, 88th R.S.
• Bill Statistics, 133rd Day, 88th R.S.
• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 15, 2023
• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 8, 2023
• Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 1, 2023

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The 88th Regular Session ends Monday, May 29, 2023. As the end of session draws near, the following information on conference committees may be helpful.

What is a conference committee?

From the Texas Legislative Glossary (Texas Legislative Council), a conference committee is “A committee composed of five members from each chamber appointed by the respective presiding officers to resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions of a measure when the originating chamber refuses to concur in the changes made by the opposite chamber.”

See also The Legislative Process in Texas (Texas Legislative Council, 2023) for more information on the conference committee process.

How do I know if a bill goes to conference committee?

The bill history or "Actions" list indicates if a bill goes to conference committee. In the list of actions, look for "House appoints conferees" or "Senate appoints conferees." These actions indicate that each chamber has agreed to go to conference committee and has appointed members to the committee. Bill histories can be viewed in Texas Legislature Online on the "History" and "Actions" pages of a bill.

 

How can I see who was appointed to a particular conference committee?

Conference committee appointees are entered into the Texas Legislature Online system as they are appointed and will be listed on the "History" page of the bill.

 

When do conference committees meet and are they open to the public?

Formal meeting notices are not always published for conference committee meetings and the meetings generally are not recorded. House Rules, Rule 13, Chapter C, §§ 6-13 and Senate Rules, Article XII address conference committee procedures.

How can I view conference committee reports?

After a conference committee has reached an agreement, a report is submitted to both chambers for approval or disapproval. The report must be accepted by at least three conferees from each chamber and must contain the agreed upon text of the bill, a side-by-side analysis (Ex. HB 5, 87th R.S.) comparing the text of the compromise bill to both the House and the Senate versions, and the signatures of the conferees who approved the report.

Conference committee reports can be found on the Legislative Reference Library website by clicking on "Legislation" on the navigation bar and then "Conference Committee Reports" in the drop-down menu.

 

 

Conference committee reports are also available on the "Text" page of a bill in Texas Legislature Online.

 

What if the conference committee wants to add language to the bill that is not included in either the House or Senate versions?

To add language to the bill that is not included in either the House or Senate versions, the conference committee obtains approval to suspend the language limitation found in the House and Senate rules by passing simple resolutions delineating the information they would like to include. In the bill history of the bill that went to conference committee, look for the actions "House adopts resolution to go outside bounds" and/or "Senate adopts resolution to go outside bounds." See HB 5 (87th R.S.) as an example. HR 1868 (87th R.S.) and SR 516 (87th R.S.) were adopted to add additional language to the conference committee report.

What happens if the conference committee report is not accepted by either chamber?

It may be returned to the same conference committee for further deliberation or the appointment of a new committee may be requested. If an agreement is not reached, the bill will not become law.

If the conference committee report is adopted by both chambers, the bill is enrolled, signed by the presiding officers, and sent to the governor.

What are the deadlines for conference committees?

According to the 88th Legislature, Regular Session Deadlines for Action under House and Senate Rules:

Friday, May 26:

• Before midnight—House copies of conference committee report (CCR) on the general appropriations bill must be distributed (48-hour layout).
• Before midnight—Senate copies of CCRs on tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills must be distributed (48-hour layout).

Saturday, May 27:

• Before midnight—House copies of CCRs on joint resolutions and bills other than the general appropriations bill must be distributed (24-hour layout).
• Before midnight—Senate copies of CCRs on joint resolutions and bills other than tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills must be distributed (24-hour layout).

Sunday, May 28:

• Last day for House to adopt CCRs or discharge House conferees and concur in Senate amendments.
• Last day for Senate to concur in House amendments or adopt CCRs.

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What are the key legislative dates and deadlines for the upcoming 88th Regular Session? Most official deadlines will be set when the House and Senate adopt rules after session begins, but until then, take a look at the date and deadline provisions listed below that are already available in the Texas Constitution and Statutes, the House and Senate Rules, and the perpetual calendar in the Texas Legislative Council Drafting Manual.

Legislative Dates and Deadlines:

Tuesday, November 8, 2022: General election for federal, state, and county officers. [Texas Election Code, Section 41.001]

Monday, November 14, 2022: Bill prefiling begins. [House Rule 8, Section 7 and Senate Rule 7.04]

Tuesday, January 10, 2023: 88th Legislature convenes at noon. [Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 5; Texas Government Code, Section 301.001]

Friday, March 10, 2023: 60-day bill filing deadline. [Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 5]

Monday, May 29, 2023: Adjournment sine die. [Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 24]

Sunday, June 18, 2023: Post-session 20-day deadline for Governor to sign or veto. [Texas Constitution, Article IV, Section 14]

Effective Dates: Time of Taking Effect of Laws. [Texas Constitution, Article III, Section 39]

Table can also be viewed in the Texas Legislative Council Drafting Manual.

Important legislative dates and deadlines are also listed in the publications Dates of Interest and Deadlines for Action Under House & Senate Rules (End of Session Deadlines), which are published each session by the Texas Legislative Council (TLC). These publications are available on the Texas Legislature Online homepage in the Legislative Process section and will be updated as the 88th Regular Session progresses.




The Library provides access to these publications, including ones from previous sessions, on our Texas Legislative Session Deadlines Calendar page.

As of today, October 12, 2022, there are:

• 27 days until the general election on November 8, 2022
• 33 days until bill prefiling begins on November 14, 2022
• 90 days until the first day of the 88th Legislature on January 10, 2023

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87th Legislature, 3rd Called Session Statistics

November 8 was the last day for the Governor to sign or veto enrolled bills from the 87th Legislature, 3rd Called Session.

The following bill statistics were calculated on November 9, 2021, at 8:05 a.m. 

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87th Legislature, 3rd Called Session Statistics

The 87th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, adjourned Sine Die on October 19, 2021. The last day for the Governor to sign or veto bills is Monday, November 8.

The following bill statistics were calculated on October 21, 2021, at 8:15 a.m.

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The Texas Constitution is changed through amendments, which are proposed by the Texas Legislature and accepted or rejected by the voters. A constitutional amendment is initially considered by the legislature in the form of a joint resolution.

On November 2, 2021, Texas voters will have a chance to consider eight constitutional amendments proposed during the 87th Legislature, Regular Session. This year's proposed amendments cover a wide range of topics, including taxation, candidates for judicial office, and more.

For background and analysis of the proposed amendments that will appear on the election ballot, see the House Research Organization's Constitutional Amendments Proposed for November 2021 Ballot, and the Texas Legislative Council's Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments.

Since the current Texas Constitution was adopted in 1876, voters have approved 507 amendments. For information on how to search for proposed and adopted amendments from other sessions, see our Constitutional Amendments webpage.

Amendments Proposed for the November 2, 2021, ballot by the 87th Legislature

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87th Legislature, 2nd Called Session Statistics

The following bill statistics were calculated on September 23, 2021.

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87th Legislature, 2nd Called Session Statistics

The following bill statistics were calculated on August 31, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. The numbers will continue to change as the special session progresses.

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Looking for signed copies of bills? Here are some tips.
 

• Signed Copies of Bills
  • 87th Legislative Session
  • 83rd — 86th Legislative Sessions
  • 78th — 86th Legislative Sessions
  • Prior to the 78th Legislative Session

Signed Copies of Bills

The signing deadline for the 87th Regular Session was Sunday, June 20.

Instructions on how to locate signed copies of bills and concurrent resolutions are available on the Legislative Reference Library (LRL) website. Click on the Signed copies of bills link located in the drop-down menu of the Legislation tab on our homepage.




87th Legislative Session

Bills and concurrent resolutions from the 87th Legislative Session that the governor signed were sent to the Secretary of State's office. These bills are available on the Bills and Resolutions page of the Secretary of State's website. Click on legislative bills on the drop-down menu under the Forms & Other Services tab.

 

On the Bills and Resolution page, use the drop-down menu to select one of the following types of bills: House Bills, House Concurrent Resolutions, House Joint Resolutions, Senate Bills, Senate Concurrent Resolutions, or Senate Joint Resolutions.

 

Using the Bill Lookup option on the Texas Legislature Online (TLO), you can find out whether a bill was signed by the governor or filed without the governor's signature by checking the Actions table. If a bill passed but was filed without the governor's signature, you will see the action, "Filed without the governor's signature." Bills filed without the governor's signature are also sent to the Secretary of State with the signatures of Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.


On TLO, you can also view lists of bills based on a specific action by the governor.

1. On TLO's homepage, click on the "Reports" link under Additional searches.

 

2. The "General Reports" section has three lists of bills by the governor's action.

 

83rd — 86th Legislative Sessions

Signed copies of bills and concurrent resolutions enacted during the 83rd through the 86th Legislative Sessions (2013—2019) are available through the Legislative Archive System on the library's website.

For example, to obtain a signed copy of HB 36, 86th R.S. (2019), look for the "Signed legislation" link on the History page of the bill file.




78th — 86th Legislative Sessions

The University of North Texas Libraries provides access to images of signed copies of bills from the 78th throught the 86th Regular Sessions (2003—2019) in their Texas Laws and Resolutions Archive in The Portal to Texas History.


Prior to the 78th Legislative Session

Copies of signed bills older than the 78th Regular Session (2003) are available through the Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC). Digitized copies of signed bills from the 1st through the 18th Legislative Sessions (1846—1883) are available in TSLAC's Texas Digital Archive. Please call (512) 463-5480 for more information about accessing copies of signed bills.

 

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