Important Dates for the 85th Legislative Session: Focus on Texas House of Representatives
The State of Texas has a unique Legislative process. As previously discussed, Texas Legislators have 140 days, each odd numbered year, to act on thousands of proposed laws through committees, Floor discussions, etc. Within those 140 days, there are a series of crucial dates and deadlines that are specified in the Rules of the Texas House of Representatives and some in the Texas Constitution. Below is a brief overview and explanation of some of these important dates.
The first day of each Legislative Session is the second Tuesday of January in odd numbered years. For the 85th Legislative Session, the Texas Legislature convened on January 10th, 2017. The Texas House of Representatives gaveled in at noon sharp. At that time, the Texas House of Representatives were sworn into office and then elected the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
A next date to note is Friday, March 10th, 2017; which is the 60th date of the Legislative Session. The Texas Constitution declares this day as the final day for Legislators to file bills. Some exceptions to this rule are bills that are emergency appropriations, or matters that have been declared an emergency by the Governor of Texas.
There are many deadlines within the month of May, the last month of the Legislative Session. Monday, May 8th, 2017 is the 119th day of session. This is the last day for the House of Representatives’ committees to report House Bills (HB) and House Joint Resolutions (HJR) to be placed on one of the House Calendars. The next two days, the 120th and 121st days, are the last days for the House Calendars committees to distribute their Calendars for HBs and HJRs. The 131st day of session, May 20th, 2017, is the last day for House committees to report Senate Bills (SB) and Senate Joint Resolutions (SJR). The following days, May 21st and 22nd, are the final days to distribute the House Calendars for SBs and SJRs.
During the Session, the Texas House of Representatives review the Texas Senate’s amendments to bills that are not identical to their amendments. The Texas House of Representatives will then discuss whether or not to concur with the amendment. If the Representatives decide they do not want to accept the amendments, they can request a Conference Committee. This enables members of the House and Senate to come together and compromise on the wording of the amendments or changes so each Chamber can concurs with the results. All Conference Committee reports must be distributed to the House by the 138th day of the Session; which is May 28th, 2017. The following day is the deadline for the House to vote to adopt the conference committee reports, or not.
Monday, May 29th, 2017, is the 140th day of the 85th Legislative Session. Although this is the final day of the Legislative Session, the House can consider corrections to bills. Once the Texas House of Representatives complete this, the Speaker will declare Sine Die. This is a Latin term that means an assembly adjourns without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing.
Although the Session ends, there are two other dates to keep in mind. The Governor has 20 days after adjournment to sign or veto bills that were passed in the Legislative Session. The 20th day after this Session is Sunday, June 18th, 2017. Finally, all bills that did not have a specified date to go into effect become law on the 91st day post-session. For this Legislative cycle, the 91st day is Monday, August 28th, 2017.
You can find a comprehensive list of all dates of interest for the 85th Legislative Session at Dates of Interest for the 85th Legislature. As always, if you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this week’s article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. Please always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or issues regarding a Texas state agency, or if you would like to contact my office regarding constituent services. As always, my offices are available at any time to assist with questions, concerns or comments (Capitol Office, 512-463-0672; District Office, 361-949-4603).
– State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces County (Part). He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.texas.gov or at 512-463-0672
