Texas lawmakers will convene in Austin for the 89th Legislature this month. Here’s what you need to know:
📅 The Session Starts Jan. 14.
The Legislature will kick off at noon on Tuesday. Lawmakers meet for 140 days every other year, or the odd-numbered years if that’s easier to remember, to file bills, debate, and eventually make laws — during which time you can usually watch them live from the galleries. The last day of the session is technically on June 2, but it could come sooner, or extend into a special session.
🖱️ The Texas Legislature Website Is Your New Best Friend.
Need to find your lawmaker? Read a bill? Watch a hearing? Visit capitol.texas.gov for all things Texas Legislature! Of course, we’ll be covering the session at City Cast Austin, but we can’t cover it all.
🗣️ You Can Testify at Most Hearings.
If you have something to say about a bill, you can register to testify at hearings, or submit your opinion, online or at the capitol building. Look for a touch-screen kiosk in the Texas Capitol Extension or register online while inside the building.
📃 A Refresher on How Bills Become Laws:
- First, a lawmaker will file a bill. Thousands of bills have been filed since November, and lawmakers can continue through the first 60 days of the session.
- Next, a bill is assigned to a committee in its respective chamber (the Texas House or the Texas Senate).
- A committee may hold a hearing on the bill, and potentially vote the bill out to the full chamber, where it may be debated and voted upon.
- If the bill is approved by the House or the Senate, it will then move to the opposite chamber.
- Once both chambers approve the bill, a committee with members from both chambers will meet to hash out any differences in the legislation.
- Finally, the governor has 10 days to sign a bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become a law without a signature within 10 days of the bill being enrolled. If the governor vetoes the bill while the Legislature is still in session, it gets kicked back to the chamber where it originated.
Here’s to a productive session!
