Week four of the 84th Regular Session continued to an increased number of bills filed, as Legislative Council continues to work thought its backlog of requests.  In keeping with the previous week’s schedule, the House and Senate met Monday, February 2nd through Wednesday, February 4th, 2015.  Following the Senate’s committee appointments two weeks ago, Speaker Straus made public his committee appointments.  Budget hearings in the Senate continued, while the House now appears poised for business, including the ability to make bill referrals to committees.  What follows are a few key takeaways from this week’s activities that we think are important for clients to note.

 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 The big news of the week is House Committee Assignments, which are listed in detail at the end of this report. Several shake ups and some interesting surprises, with the most notable listed below:

  • John Otto(R-Dayton), replacing retired Pitts – Appropriations
  • Jim Murphy (R-Houston), replacing T. Parker – Corrections
  • Susan King (R-Abilene), replacing Menendez – Defense & Vet Affairs
  • Angie Chen Button (R-Garland), replacing retired J. Davis – Economic & Small Business Development
  • Jodie Laudenberg (R-Parker), replacing Geanie Morrison – Elections
  • Drew Darby (R-San Angelo), replacing J. Keffer– Energy Resources
  • Geanie Morrison(R-Victoria), replacing Harless – Environmental Regulation
  • John Kuempel (R-Sequin), replacing Zerwas – General Investigating
  • Gary Elkins (R-Houston), replacing defeated Harper Brown – Govt Transparency & Operations, formerly Govt Efficiency and Reform
  • John Zerwas (R-Fulshear), replacing defeated Branch – Higher Education
  • Larry Phillips (R-Sherman), replacing Joe Pickett – Homeland Security
  • John Frullo (R-Lubbock), replacing John Smithee – Insurance
  • Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound), replacing retired Villarreal – Investments & Financial Services
  • Harold Dutton (D-Houston), new committee – Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
  • Jim Keffer (R-Eastland), replacing retiring Ritter – Natural Resources
  • Dan Flynn (R-Van), replacing retiring Callegari – Pensions
  • Myra Crownover (R-Dallas), replacing retiring Kolkhorst – Public Health
  • JM Lozano (R-Kingsville), replacing Darby – Redistricting
  • Doug Miller (R-New Braunfels), replacing D. Bonnen – Special Purpose Districts
  • Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), replacing Phillips – Transportation
  • Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), replacing Dutton – Urban Affairs
  • Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton),replacing defeated Hilderbran – Ways and Means
  • Phil King (R-Weatherford), replacing retired Creighton – Select Committee on State and Federal Power and Responsibility

When the House Committee Chairs are contrasted with last session, there are 15 Chairs that remain at the same committees, and 23 that changed. A full list of the new assignments is attached for individual member assignments.

Focus on the budget continues in the Senate. Picking up from last week’s hearing, the Senate Finance Committee is expected to hold its first full week of hearings, meeting regularly on SB 2 and listening to various state agencies by article. The general appropriations bill is divided into administrative sections, called articles, under which state agency budgets are organized. You will hear and see in our reports, groups of agencies generally referred to in those articles or blocks, which are as follows:

  • Article I – General Government
  • Article II – Health and Human Services
  • Article III – Education
  • Article IV – Judiciary
  • Article V – Public Safety and Criminal Justice
  • Article VI – Natural Resources
  • Article VII – Business and Economic Development
  • Article VIII – Regulatory
  • Article IX – General Provisions
  • Article X – The Legislature
  • Article XI – Savings Clause; and
  • Article XII – Emergency Clause

On Monday the Chairman laid out the budget (Senate Bill 2), and a comprehensive schedule for the next few weeks of committee debate. Prior to kicking off discussion on the bill several members of the committee expressed concerns about whether the tax relief bills would be voted on before or after the completion of the budget. Chairman Nelson said it was her intension to spend a week on tax relief proposals after the initial budget process, allowing for sufficient time to make any needed adjustments once budget realities were evaluated.

The Committee schedule as initially laid out, should carry over the next several weeks, working through all Articles in the budget. They are currently scheduled to complete the basic portions of the budget discussions toward the end of February or early March.

 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR NEXT

 

  • The House adjourned until 2:00 p.m., Monday, February 9, 2015.
  • The Senate adjourned until 2:00 p.m., Monday, February 9, 2015.
  • The deadline filing non-local bills and joint resolutions is March 13, 2015, which marks is the 60th Legislative Day.
  • Attached for your review is also an end of session calendar that contains some very important deadlines at the end of the session