Legislative Services

We’re now past the halfway point in the 89th legislative session. As TAC Legislative Services Director Caroline Love at this week’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast, "We’re halfway through the session. All the hard work is still to come."

With 65 days remaining in the 140-day regular session, the pace is only going to get more frenzied as House and Senate voting deadlines approach in May. The session ends June 2.

More than 8,600 bills were filed before the bill-filing deadline on March 14 – 5,592 in the House, a 3.3% increase from the 2023 session, and 3,029 in the Senate, up 15% from 2023. Including concurrent and joint resolutions, the total reaches 9,076, a 6.4% increase from the previous session.

About 3,000 bills affect county government in one way or another. The Texas Association of Counties is tracking them all. Find them here.

One notable bill, Senate Bill 19 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston), targets what supporters call "taxpayer-funded lobbying." As originally filed, the bill would have barred nonprofit associations representing schools, cities and counties, such as the Texas Association of Counties, from hiring lobbyists. However, Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville) successfully amended the bill to allow these groups to employ full-time lobbyists but not hire outside ones. The amended bill passed the Senate 20-11 on March 19.

Shannon Edmonds, executive director of the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, called the Nichols amendment "a huge win for local government." Rick Thompson, program director of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas, also praised Nichols but noted CJCAT remains opposed to the bill given its lingering potential to limit local government voices at the Capitol. The bill is now in the House, where similar measures have failed in past sessions.

Other bills highlighted this week include:

• House Bill 464 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint), which would establish a grant program to help counties eliminate illegally disposed scrap tires.
• HB 2637 by Rep. Mano DeAyala (R-Houston), which would update jury selection procedures, modify juror qualifications and introduce exemptions. It also would establish a $50 jury fee in civil trials and clarify eligibility criteria for grand and petit jurors.

Tuesday was Sheriffs’ Association of Texas Day at the Capitol. County Treasurers will have their day at the Capitol on April 8.

Stay on top of the ever-changing legislative landscape by joining TAC’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast briefings. Attend in person or virtually every Tuesday from 7 to 8 a.m. through May 27.

Register here.