Senate Research Center. 85TH LEGISLATIVE SPECIAL SESSION. AUSTIN — Lawmakers passed hundreds of bills and killed many, many more during the 140-day legislative session that ended Monday. 85th Texas Legislature Texas Senate Passes Special Needs ‘School Choice’ Bill The Texas Senate passed a school choice funding bill for special needs students early Wednesday morning following a marathon session that covered a slew of legislation. September   |   Dan Patrick, died when the House refused to hear it. Organized by subject. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 1. HB 3859, among other things, allows adoption agencies to reject potential parents on religious grounds. HB 2504 passed the Legislature and was signed into law by the governor. Abbott designated the issue one of four emergencies of the session. Analysis: Mixed Outcomes for the 85th Legislature TPEA's Wrap-up of the Legislative Session . Rick Perry vetoed such a ban. 9 Introduction The Texas House Rules for the 85th Legislature state that the House Committee on Pensions is made ... for consideration by the full House of Representatives. The online posting of the session laws fulfills the Secretary of State's duties under art. 2023:  05/30/2017. Greg Abbott’s desk, Abbott OKs religious refusal of adoptions in Texas, Texas Gov. The law is scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 1. A few highlights of bills passed and defeated. Perhaps the most contentious issue of the session has been over whether Texas should block transgender people from using publicly owned restrooms that match their gender identities. September 1, 2017 BILLS PASSED IN FIRST CALLED SESSION HEALTH: HB 13 by Giovanni Capriglione (R-Keller) and Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels) requires health care facilities and physicians to electronically report abortion complications to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) within three business days for … Supporters of the bill want to crack down on what they characterize as an increase in frivolous lawsuits. Over the 140-day regular session of the 85th Texas Legislature, lawmakers debated a wide range of issues, including abortion, public bathroom use and how to address a crisis in the … March   |   The state will use standardized test scores to grade elementary and middle schools, and a range of additional factors, such as graduation rates, to grade high schools. 50 is the largest number of bills a governor has vetoed in a decade since the 80th Regular Session in 2007. List - 26 bills Abbott, Texas governor signs $217 billion budget, vetoes $120 million, A closer look at the final Texas 2018-19 budget, Gov. better. implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature. 85R List - 397 bills Due to the very large number of bills and the wide variety of topics they cover, it can be difficult to get an understanding of all the new laws that were passed. Under the bill, any country's iron and steel can be used if American suppliers aren't prepared to supply a project or there is a compelling state interest. After conclusion of the 85th legislative session, I’m happy to report that for the seventh successive session, 2003 medical liability reforms have emerged unscathed. 2017:  Passed Out of House. 85th Legislative Session Passes Two Landmark Bills. Legislation to keep some state agencies from shuttering is the first item of business for the session, which Gov. The “Sandra Bland Act,” or SB 1849, is named after a a black 28-year-old woman who was found dead in the Waller County Jail days after being arrested during a routine traffic stop. Greg Abbott. 2018:  Over the objections of Democrats, lawmakers sent a bill to Abbott that would eliminate straight-ticket voting in all elections beginning in September 2020. Sylvia R. Garcia. The online posting of bills and resolutions fulfills the Secretary of State's duties under art. At the end of a regular legislative session, hundreds of passed bills are sent to the governor for approval. Website for the Texas Legislature. The law also bans facilities from donating aborted fetal tissue to medical researchers, and aims to outlaw "partial-birth abortions," which are already illegal under federal law. The House offered its own proposal in a vaguely worded amendment to SB 2078 that focused on public schools. 42A.054, that his or her assailant has been charged with a … Same Song, Second Verse. Images of the bills and resolutions enacted during the 86th Legislative Session are available online in pdf format. Mental Health … The Legislature passed two bills, House Bill 10 and House Bill 13 by state Rep. Four Price, R-Amarillo, that are now on Gov. Legislative Recaps of the 85th Legislature (2017) The Texas Legislature meets regularly every 2 years (on odd-numbered years). Passed Out of House Committee. LegiScan state dashboard for Texas legislative tracking information, data, and overviews. Statutes may be viewed and searched at the Texas Statutes website. Abbott signs "Sandra Bland Act" into law, House, Senate OK compromise on bill to soften voter ID law, "Buy American" iron and steel bill gets legislative approval, North Texas mayors reject protectionist “Buy American” iron and steel bill, Patrick, Straus deadlocked over "bathroom bill", House backs property tax changes, but leaves out election requirements, Despite bipartisan support, medical marijuana bill likely won’t reach House floor, Texas Senate passes private school choice bill, School finance legislation is pronounced dead. Remarks: Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board … Abbott signs bill to eliminate straight-ticket voting beginning in 2020, Gov. State agency hotlines & citizen assistance. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner praised the bill, but the city’s firefighters opposed it. Passed - Related Vote: May 4, 2017: House: Statement(s) of vote recorded in Journal: May 4, 2017 ... Data on Open States is automatically collected nightly from the official website of the Texas Legislature. Water Conservation Advisory Council recommendations. October   |   November   |   It takes effect Sept. 1. SB 6, the bill pushed by Lt. Gov. Senate Bill 2190 addresses pensions for Houston firefighters, police and municipal employees. January 14 of those bills passed the House and 10 It also bans “sanctuary” jurisdictions by making sheriffs, constables, police chiefs and other local leaders subject to Class A misdemeanor charges if they don’t cooperate with federal authorities and honor requests from immigration agents to hold noncitizen inmates who are subject to deportation. The state’s foster care system is under a spotlight following headlines of children sleeping in hotels and offices, caseworkers grappling with high caseloads and endangered children going unseen following abuse allegations. Abbott published a book last year about why he favors a convention of states to amend the U.S. Constitution. From the multi-billion-dollar state budget to a … Abbott signs statewide ban on texting while driving, Texas Legislature sends $217 billion budget to Gov. This page provides a list of bills related to TDLR and its programs which were enacted by the 85th Texas Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Texas had been one of four states without a statewide ban on texting and driving. Gov. June   |   Greg Abbott. Highlights of the 85th Texas Legislature, Volume I Summarizes significant legislative action. Greg Abbott has signed more than 1,000 bills into law, and he has vetoed 50 bills. 14 passed the House and was reported favorably from the Senate State Affairs Committee, but stalled in the Senate Calendar Committee in the waning days of the legislative session. 4, § 21, Texas Constitution, and § 405.014(b), Government Code. April   |   Tags 85th Texas Legislature bathroom bill houston equal rights ordinance Houston Mayor Annise Parker local control. Bill tracking browser for Texas 2019-2020 86th Legislature legislation The House responded by amending another measure, SB 669. December He signed four measures aimed at overhauling the child welfare system at a ceremony two days after the end of the session. Abbott signed the bill into law on June 12, but he vetoed tens of millions of dollars in funding for various programs, including measures meant to improve the region's air quality and assist impoverished border communities. The Senate rejected that, and the regular session ended with no legislation passing on the issue. An acrimonious regular session of the Texas Legislature ended Memorial Day, with lawmakers knowing they might meet again soon in a special session, topics to be determined by Gov. More than 6,600 bills were filed. Abbott has signed SB 21, which allows only state lawmakers to serve as Texas delegates to such a convention. 2019:  He’s made measures related to that one of his priorities for the session. The measure would have allowed the use of medical marijuana for qualifying patients with debilitating medical conditions such as terminal cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder. Near the end of the session, Bland’s family criticized lawmakers’ removal of certain provisions related to police stops before passing the measure. th. Here’s a look at the fate of some of the regular session’s most high-profile measures. Advocates had tried for more than a decade to persuade Texas lawmakers to approve one. This Act takes effect immediately, but only if a specific appropriation for the implementation of the Act is provided in a general appropriations act of the 85th Legislature. Last . House Bill 3158 is aimed at preventing Dallas’ retirement fund for first responders from becoming insolvent within a decade. July   |   The 85th Texas Legislature met in special session from July 18 to Aug. 15, 2017. This link takes you to a listing from the Texas Legislature Online showing information for 673 bills effective September 1, 2017. During the 85th Texas Legislative Session my colleagues and I worked to do just that and passed several bills into law, affecting our district and our state. (427 pages) Highlights of the 85th Texas Legislature, … Summarizes legislation considered by the 85th Legislature. September   |   435 allowed for this common-sense correction of a flaw in earlier legislation … List - 673 bills 2.023, which requires notification to a victim of serious felony offenses found at CCP art. primary (Republican) District 28. 2020:  The two chambers passed different versions of SB 5 but then worked out a compromise version which the two chambers approved in the last weekend of the session. Abbott has included the topic in his plans for this summer’s special session. Abbott’s desk. H.B. House Bill 104, passed during the regular session of the 85th Texas Legislature, created Code of Criminal Procedure art. If Texas leaders hadn’t approved the bill, which Abbott has signed, some predicted a judge was likely to place Texas under federal oversight of its election laws. SB 745 — This bill tightens the language of the Texas Tax Code relating to when certain employers can claim an exemption on sales taxes due for services provided by temporary employees. Tweet. Education News This link takes you to a listing from the Texas Legislature Online showing information for 397 bills from the 85th regular session effective immediately. Now a statewide ban is law after Abbott signed HB 62. The 85th Texas Legislature — Special Session This summer, the Texas Legislature is holding a special session aimed at taking on 20 topics . October Trial lawyers and consumer groups don't deny the existence of a small group of bad actors but say legal action is often warranted and correlates with insurers denying claims. Over the 140-day regular session of the 85th Texas Legislature, lawmakers debated a wide range of issues, including abortion, public bathroom use and how to address a crisis in the foster care system. Abbott has signed Senate Bill 8, a sweeping measure that bans the most common second-trimester abortion procedure and changes how health care providers dispose of fetal remains. During the just completed session, Texas lawmakers passed two key bills that help Texas … House and Senate budget leaders settled on a plan to spend $216.8 billion over the next two years that boosts funding for the state's beleaguered child welfare agency, increases the number of state troopers on the Texas-Mexico border and avoids serious reforms to the state's much-criticized school finance system. 2022:  In Abbott’s call for a special session this summer, he listed school choice for special-needs students as a topic. At the end of a regular legislative session, hundreds of passed bills are sent to the governor for approval. He ultimately signed both. The House never heard SB 3, which would have subsidized the costs associated with private school tuition and homeschooling for thousands of Texas schoolchildren. Both chambers approved resolutions (Senate Joint Resolution 2 and Senate Joint Resolution 38), calling for a convention of states to approve amendments limiting terms for U.S. officials and curbing federal government spending and power and another canceling all but one of the Legislature’s prior calls for one. December September   |   In Abbott’s call for a special session this summer, he listed school finance reform as a topic. Texas legislators began pre-filing bills on Nov. 14, 2016, filing some 350 bills on the first day alone. January   |   Gov. But Abbott has included the topic in his plans for this summer’s special session. HB 1335, aimed solely at students with disabilities, never made it out of the House Public Education Committee. View the legislative reports to see a list of all bills passed or vetoed. On June 15, Governor Abbott vetoed 50 bills that were passed during the 85th Legislative Session. More than 150 bills have advanced without the governor’s signature. Conferees were eventually appointed — but they never did any heavy lifting. The 85th Texas Legislature is set to meet Jan. 10 through May 29, 2017. Clicking on the bill number will open a Texas Legislature Online page detailing the history of actions taken on the legislation as well as the … HB 2788 (Rep. James White, R-Woodville) – The bill relates to the number of emergency services commissioners appointed in a region near the Louisiana boarder in southeast Texas. The 85th Legislature filed more than 7,000 bills and joint resolutions. Both Uber and Lyft announced plans to re-launch their services in Austin on the last day of the legislative session, when Abbott signed a bill that overrides local regulations on ride-hailing services. Bills and Resolutions of the 84th Legislature The session laws published on this website are the official versions of the laws enacted by the 84th Legislature. Abbott signed the bill on June 1. Posted on 6/2/17; updated 6/15/17. LegiScan legislative dashboard for Texas, tracking details on the most recent legislation, popular bills, sponsors and committees. The Senate requested a conference committee on that bill to explore a compromise, no deal was reached before the regular session ended. HB 4 increases the amount of money given to relative caregivers. Districts will get their first set of grades in August 2018, and individual schools will get theirs in August 2019. Greg Abbott called. In order to track the progress of the bill, simply click on the Bill Link and go directly to TLO to view the progress of the bill. Both Abbott and Patrick have said it’s a priority to pass legislation requiring local governments to hold automatic tax rate elections whenever they have proposed property revenue increases over a certain threshold. April   |   July   |   Laws of Texas; Once legislation becomes law, it becomes codified as a statute. June   |   August   |   September The two cities have among the biggest pension shortfalls in the nation. HB 2662. SB 2, the Senate’s leading property tax reform measure, died when the House refused to hear it. September. The amendment of its language into H.B. This newsletter serves to give you information on a few key bills that were passed into law so that you may be informed on what your legislators did in 2017. Texas Alliance for Life is not supporting this bill, and we are not recommending that the Legislature pass it because it will not survive a federal court challenge. Texas Border Business. Relating to peer specialists, peer services, and the provision of those services under the medical assistance program. Measures aimed at addressing pension problems in Houston and Dallas made it to Abbott’s desk in the last days of the session. The bills listed have been filed during the 85th session. Texas Senate Bill SB 1089: Relating to the certification of food service workers.. ... 85th Legislature (2017) Bill Subjects: Agriculture and Food Other Sponsors (4): Charles Perry. October   |   This link takes you to a listing from the Texas Legislature Online showing information for 26 bills effective on January 1, 2018. House Bill 1774, which goes into effect Sept. 1, will discourage property owners from suing insurers over weather-related claims. Greg Abbott has signed SB 4, which allows police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. HB 7 aims to improve the process by which the state removes kids from dangerous homes. Republicans tweaked the state’s 2011 voter identification law in response to court findings that the current law discriminated against black and Latino voters. If a bill passes both the house and senate, it may be signed or vetoed by the governor or pass without signature. This publication serves as a guide to legislation enacted during the 85th (Regular) 2017 Texas Legislative Session that affects TxDOT, including legislation related to the state transportation system and TxDOT’s operations and procedures as a state agency. Users assume all risk of reliance on the information included on this site. March   |   HB 10 will require the Texas Department of Insurance to regulate mental health parity, preventing health insurance companies from offering differences in coverage and benefits between physical and mental health. Provides information on legislation, committees, house, and senate. Abbott signed SB 1289, which requires large state projects — such as buildings, roads and bridges — to purchase iron and steel from an American supplier if the cost doesn’t exceed 20 percent more than the price of cheaper, foreign imports. 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