In the committee, the bill is analyzed, given a public hearing (which is when people can present testimony), debated and amended (if necessary), and passed on with a report if the majority of the committee’s members agree.įrom the issue-specific committee, the bill goes to the Calendars Committee. The chair of that committee schedules it for a hearing-and they can refuse to hear the bill, if they want to. The bill is introduced with a first reading, then referred to the committee that handles related issues. For the following description, we’ll assume the bill in question was originally filed in the House. Each of the two houses also has their own committees, which have chairs who manage them. For this session, the Senate has 18 committees and the House has 34, including all “select” or “special” committees that address timely issues.īut even with all of this information, there’s still a lingering question: how does a bill become a law? How do individuals, advocates, organizations, and lawmakers transform their ideas about how to improve our state into legislation?Īfter the bill is written, it’s filed by a Representative in the House or a Senator in the Senate sometimes, similar or identical bills will be filed in both houses. The Lieutenant Governor-who is elected by voters every 4 years-presides over the Senate, while the House selects a Speaker each session this year, a large, bipartisan group chose Speaker Dade Phelan. And if the Governor does veto a bill at any point, the legislature has the ability to override that veto if two-thirds of the members of each house vote to do so.Įach of the two legislative houses has a leader. For bills passed in the last 10 days of the session, the Governor has a 20-day veto period. Once a bill is passed, the Governor has 10 days to either sign it into law or reject it with a veto if he doesn’t sign or veto, the bill becomes law. Two other important dates for this session are March 12, the last day to file bills (which is the 60 th day of the session), and May 31, the final day that the legislature will meet, when it will adjourn “sine die.” The pre-filing period begins 60 days before the start of session, which is why you may have seen headlines about bills filed as early as November 2020. But legislators actually begin filing bills far in advance. This year, which is Texas’ 87 th State Session, the legislature’s first meeting was on Janu(you might have seen an email from our Executive Director, Leah, on that day). The legislature officially kicks off on the second Tuesday of every odd-numbered year. Special sessions are called by the Governor, and they last 30 days. There is also the possibility of a special session being called-like the one lawmakers are expecting will be called to tackle redistricting later this year. How does the Texas legislature actually work? Unlike most other state legislative bodies, the Texas legislature only meets for 140 days every other year. I still consider myself a beginner-but here’s what I’ve learned so far! But even after repeat visits, it took me a while to fully understand how the legislature functions. Since that first day, I’ve been able to visit the Capitol again. The recognition they received for their significant achievements and contributions was powerful. Alma Allen included TCJC Senior Policy Analyst Doug Smith and other members of TCJC’s extended family. I was there alongside my coworkers, colleagues, and friends to watch from the gallery as a group of formerly incarcerated advocates received special recognition for their work. But during Second Chance Month (April) 2019, I walked through the doors with a new sense of belonging. No matter how many times you walk into the Texas Capitol, you never lose the feeling of awe at being in such a beautiful and historic place.īefore I joined the TCJC team, I had visited the Capitol a few times.
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