83RD REGULAR LEGISLATIVE SESSION COMES TO AN END AND A SPECIAL SESSION BEGINS
May 27th marked the official end to the 83rd Legislative Session. The last day of legislative session is commonly referred to as “Sine Die”. This phrase means without any future date being designated. This day for legislative members and their staff marks the end to 140 days of the Texas legislative process. The Texas Constitution requires that the Texas Legislature meet in every odd numbered year for a 140 days which begins on the second Tuesday of January of that odd numbered year.
Throughout the 140 days, the Texas Legislature embarks on tackling those issues which may have affected the state during the previous two years, and to envision and address those issues which may be around the corner leading up to the next regular legislative session. Some of the bills that have made their way through the process and passed out of both the House and the Senate still have not made it across the final finish line. Following Sine Die, the Texas Governor has twenty days to sign a bill, veto a bill or to pass the bill into law without a signature. This year the deadline falls on June 16th.
As a recap of the 83rd session, here are several bills which were passed this session and that to date have been signed by the Governor:
• House Bill (HB) 200 is relating to liability of certain electric utilities that allow certain uses of land that the electric utility owns, occupies, or leases.
• HB 1550 is related to unemployment compensation chargebacks regarding certain persons who are involuntarily separated from employment.
• HB 2472 addresses the continuation and functions of the Department of Information Resources and certain procurement functions of the comptroller of public accounts.
• Senate Bill (SB) 60 deals with authorizing the placement of a security freeze on the consumer file or other record created or maintained by a consumer reporting agency regarding a person under 16 years of age.
• SB 162 is relating to the occupational licensing of spouses of members of the military and the eligibility requirements for certain occupational licenses issued to applicants with military experience.
• SB 202 is related to the continuation and functions of the Texas Commission on the Arts.
• SB 307 is addresses the transfer of adult education and literacy programs from the Texas Education Agency to the Texas Workforce Commission.
• SB 398 deals with conforming the eligibility under a major events trust fund of a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision postseason event with the changes to the Bowl Championship Series system.
As we move in to June, the Governor will continue to sign more and more of the bills that made it out of the Texas House and Texas Senate during the 83rd Regular Legislative Session in to law. I invite you to follow the governor’s action by going to Office of the Governor-Rick Perry or see the bills that are before him awaiting a signature by going to Texas Legislature Online.
At the end of May the Texas Legislature was called into special session for redistricting.
If you have questions regarding any of the information mentioned in this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol or District Office. 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 (Part) County. He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.state.tx.us or at 512-463-0672.
