Legislative Services

We’re down to the final seven weeks of the 89th Legislature — just 51 days remain in the 140-day regular session. Beginning May 12, the House and Senate will face a series of escalating committee, calendar and floor deadlines. Over the next few weeks, thousands of bills will begin to fall by the wayside.

As Capitol observers have often said about this coming stretch of the session: It can feel like there’s too much time for the bills you don’t want to pass and not enough time for those you do.

Tuesday was County Treasurers’ Day at the Capitol. County Treasurers from across the state attended this week’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast before heading to the Capitol to be recognized on both the House and Senate floors by Rep. Cecil Bell and Sen. Robert Nichols, respectively, and to meet with their local legislative offices.

Numerous bills on the radars of the county office associations were discussed during this week’s breakfast briefing. Here are some highlights (see Bills on the Move for a more complete overview of recent legislative actions on bills of interest to counties):

• House Bill 1998 by Rep. David Spiller (R-Jacksboro) would raise the mandatory competitive procurement threshold from $50,000 to $100,000 for counties, cities and school districts. The bill was heard in the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs on Tuesday and left pending. Its Senate companion, Senate Bill 1173 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), is on track to pass soon.
• SB 2023 by Sen. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso), would create a Health and Human Services Commission grant program to assist counties with costs related to the disposition of indigent deceased individuals. It remains pending in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
• SB 935 by Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) would exempt counties from state motor fuel taxes on gasoline and diesel used for county services. It was heard Wednesday in the Senate Finance Committee. The House companion, HB 1109 by Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston), passed the House on Thursday.
• HB 3000 by Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) would establish a rural ambulance service grant program for counties with fewer than 68,750 residents. The Senate companion is SB 1377 by Sen. Perry. Both bills were heard recently in their respective committees.
• HB 2715 by Rep. Pat Curry (R-Waco) would give the governor the authority to suspend an elected official accused of failing to follow and execute state laws. Following the suspension, the governor would be required to petition for the official’s removal in district court, with a jury trial determining removal. The bill was heard in the House Committee on State Affairs on Wednesday, where it was left pending.
• SB 2016 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) would require a one-time state audit of counties with populations over 1 million regarding their use of federal funds received since Jan. 1, 2021. The Senate Committee on Local Government passed the bill on March 31 on a 4-1 vote.

Roughly 3,000 bills this session affect county government. The Texas Association of Counties is tracking them all by office. Find them here.

Join us for our next Tuesday Morning Breakfast on April 15 at 7 a.m. in person or online. Register here.