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End-of-Session Comparison, 86th Legislature

Jul 2

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

Interested in how the final results of the 86th Legislature's regular session compares to the past few sessions? See the charts below to compare and contrast.

 

To see past bill statistics and other session information, see previous blog posts on the legislative process.

 

This entry was posted on July 2, 2019 at 12:43 PM and has received 1424 views. Print this entry.

Locating Bill Effective Dates on TLO

Jun 24

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 Texas Legislature Online (TLO). To find the effective date of a bill, look up 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 86th Regular Session (2019), the two largest groupings are:

  • Effective immediately: 473
  • Effective on 9/1/19: 820

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 24, 2019 at 1:21 PM and has received 1605 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics after Signing/Veto Period, 86th Legislature

Jun 17

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

Sunday, June 16 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 86th Regular Session.

 

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 17 at 1 p.m.

  • To see how these statistics have changed since last week, please view our blog post from June 12 and June 10.
  • To learn about session law chapter numbers and copies of signed bills, please view our blog post from June 5.

 

House and Senate Bills
Filed 7,324
Sent to the Governor 1,429
Signed by the Governor 1,229
Vetoed by the Governor 56
Filed without the Governor's signature 144
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 217
Filed with the Secretary of State 10
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 254
Filed with the Secretary of State 29
Sent to the Governor 96
Signed by the Governor 94
Vetoed by the Governor 2
Filed without the Governor's signature 0

 

This entry was posted on June 17, 2019 at 2:40 PM and has received 4152 views. Print this entry.

Updated Bill Statistics, June 12

Jun 12

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

June 16 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 86th Regular Session.

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 12 at 1 p.m. The Governor continues to be hard at work reviewing bills, so the signing numbers are growing! To see how these statistics have changed and other post-session information, see previous blog posts on the legislative process.

 

86th Legislature Statistics

 

House and Senate Bills
Filed 7,324
Sent to the Governor 1,429
Signed by the Governor 862
Vetoed by the Governor 7
Filed without the Governor's signature 80
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 217
Filed with the Secretary of State 10
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 254
Filed with the Secretary of State 29
Sent to the Governor 96
Signed by the Governor 85
Vetoed by the Governor 0

 

This entry was posted on June 12, 2019 at 1:35 PM and has received 1726 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics, Two Weeks After Sine Die, June 10

Jun 10

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

June 16 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 86th Regular Session.

 

The following bill statistics were calculated on June 10 at 1:45 p.m. To see how these statistics have changed and other post-session information, see previous blog posts on the legislative process.

 

 

86th Legislature Statistics

House and Senate Bills
Filed 7,324
Sent to the Governor 1,429
Signed by the Governor 484
Vetoed by the Governor 7
Filed without the Governor's signature 45
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 217
Filed with the Secretary of State 10
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 254
Filed with the Secretary of State 29
Sent to the Governor 96
Signed by the Governor 79
Vetoed by the Governor 0

 

This entry was posted on June 10, 2019 at 2:15 PM and has received 2024 views. Print this entry.

Finding Signed Copies of Bills and Session Law Chapter Numbers

Jun 3

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Legislative process

Looking for signed copies of bills, or trying to determine in what session law chapter a bill can be found? Here are some tips.

 

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 will be made available online on the Bills and Resolutions page. The signing deadline for the 86th Legislature is Sunday, June 16.

 

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 - 85th Legislatures are available online at the University of North Texas Laws and Resolutions Archive. Copies of signed bills older than the 78th Regular Session are available through the Texas State Archives. Please call (512) 463-5480.

 

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.

 

For questions about bill/chapter numbers for bills from the 86th R.S., please contact the Secretary of State's office at (512) 463-5561.

 

Session law chapter citations for previous sessions are available online through the Legislative Archive System. To view the complete bill/session law chapter cross reference table for a session, select the legislature in the "search by session law chapter" option and leave the chapter box blank. The LRL will be working to add these records for the 86th regular session.

 

This entry was posted on June 3, 2019 at 10:00 AM and has received 1805 views. Print this entry.

What's Next? Post-Session FAQ and Bill Statistics

May 28

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

House and Senate Bills
Filed 7,324
Sent to the Governor 1,053
Signed by the Governor 222
Vetoed by the Governor 6
Filed without the Governor's signature 21
House and Senate Joint Resolutions
Filed 217
Filed with the Secretary of State 6
House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions
Filed 254
Filed with the Secretary of State 15
Sent to the Governor 86
Signed by the Governor 71
Vetoed by the Governor 0

*Statistics as of May 28 at 8:30 a.m. See our bill statistics page to compare these numbers with historical statistics.

 

What happens now?

The 86th Regular Session ended May 27, 2019. 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 5, 2019 election.

 

If the Legislature passes a bill, does it become a law right away?

No. Under Article 4, Section 14 of the Texas Constitution, bills passed by the Legislature must be submitted to the Governor for approval. The Governor can sign a bill, veto it, line-item veto an appropriation, or allow a bill to become law without his signature.

 

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 16, is the 20th day following final adjournment of the 86th Regular Session. It is the last day the Governor can sign or veto bills passed during the 86th Regular Session. The LRL's vetoes database will be updated for the 85th Regular Session as we receive those documents.

 

What happens to bills that did not pass?

Bills that did not make it completely through the legislative process die with the end of the session and are not automatically reintroduced during the next session.

 

This entry was posted on May 28, 2019 at 9:00 AM and has received 2211 views. Print this entry.

Conference Committee Reports and Bill Statistics

May 24

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Conference Committees, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

The 86th Regular Session ends Monday, May 27. As the end of session nears, many House and Senate members have been appointed to conference committees to resolve differences between their versions of bills. For information on the conference committee process, please see The Legislative Process in Texas.

To see a list of bills for which a conference committee was requested, please click here. Upon receiving completed conference committee reports, the LRL scans and posts them in our conference committee reports database. These reports, as well as a list of the members of a bill's conference committee, also are listed in the Texas Legislature Online record for each bill. 

 

The chart below provides a snapshot of bill statistics as of 10:10 a.m. today.

 

 

This entry was posted on May 24, 2019 at 12:45 PM and has received 2706 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics, 133rd Day

May 21

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

Bill statistics comparing the 133rd day of the 86th and the 85th Regular Sessions are below. For information about what happens to a bill after it passes, please see our Legislative FAQ page. To learn more about the legislative process and see bill statistics for earlier points in the 86th Regular Session, check out some of our recent blog posts. 

 

 

This entry was posted on May 21, 2019 at 2:10 PM and has received 1298 views. Print this entry.

Bill Statistics & Upcoming Deadlines, May 13

May 13

posted by TexasLRL in Legislation, Bill statistics, Legislative process, 86th Session

As the 86th Legislature draws to a close, a series of end-of-session deadlines begin to take effect. Below is a list of deadlines that occur next week:

  • Monday, May 20: Deadline for house to distribute last House Local & Consent Calendar with senate bills.
  • Tuesday, May 21: Last day for house to consider second reading senate bills and senate joint resolutions on the House Daily or Supplemental Calendar.
  • Wednesday, May 22: Last day for house to consider local and consent senate bills on second and third reading, and all third reading senate bills and senate joint resolutions on the House Supplemental Calendar. Last day for senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions on second or third reading.
  • Thursday, May 23: Midnight deadline for house to distribute senate amendments.
  • Friday, May 24: 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.
  • Saturday, May 25: 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 tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills, and all house amendments to senate bills and joint resolutions that did not go to conference committee.
  • Sunday, May 26: Last day for house to adopt conference committee reports or discharge house conferees and concur in senate amendments. Last day for senate to concure in house amendments or adopt conference committee reports.
  • Monday, May 27: Last day of the 85th Regular Session (sine die); only corrections may be considered 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. 12, 2018 - May 10, 2019 are below.

  House Bills (HB) & Joint Resolutions (HJR) Senate Bills (SB) & Joint Resolutions (SJR)
Filed  4,912 2,629
Reported out of committee 2,291 906
Passed by chamber of origin 1,449 777
Referred to committee in opposite chamber 1,179 736
Reported out of committee in opposite chamber 313 419
Passed opposite chamber 142 93
Signed by the Governor 8 21

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on May 13, 2019 at 12:15 PM and has received 1208 views. Print this entry.

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