The deadline for bills in the Texas House to be read on 2nd Reading is quickly approaching. To no one’s surprise, many conservative bills will be laid to rest, barring a sudden and drastic change of heart by House leadership.
Per Texas House Rules, a bill must be considered on 2nd reading by the 122nd day of session (with few exceptions) or else be subject to a parliamentary death. That means all house bills hoping to make their way to the Governor’s desk must be read on the House floor this session by May 9th.
[side_text]Call the Capitol Switchboard 512-463-4630 and tell your legislators you want these bills to move![/side_text]To no surprise, many conservative bills are on life support as they sit in committee waiting to be heard and sent on to Calendars to be scheduled for a vote. It’s public knowledge House leadership has no intention of passing conservative legislation.
Here’s a partial list of all conservative legislation Speaker Straus and his committee chairs refuse to move, thereby killing them with House Rules:
House Bills
| Appropriations | Chair: Jim Pitts |
| HB 88 by Callegari | Relating to the constitutional limit on the rate of growth of appropriations. |
| HB 98 by Perry | Relating to zero-based budgeting for certain entities funded by this state. |
| HB 204 by Krause | Relating to zero-based budgeting for certain entities funded by this state and requiring a state agency that is undergoing review by the Sunset Advisory Commission to undergo a financial audit and submit a zero-based budget in connection with the review. |
| HB 228 by Perry | Relating to the maximum rate of growth of appropriations. |
| HB 237 by P. King | Relating to the limitation on the rate of growth in appropriations from state tax revenues. |
| HB 783 by Sanford | Relating to the constitutional limit on the rate of growth of appropriations and the use of surplus state revenues. |
| HB 1609 by Hughes | Relating to the limit on the rate of growth in appropriations and to the authority of the comptroller to reduce the state sales tax rate for designated periods. |
| HB 1870 by P. King | Relating to the limitation on the rate of growth in appropriations from state tax revenues. |
| HJR 23 by Callegari | Proposing a constitutional amendment concerning the limitation on the rate of growth of state appropriations. |
| HJR 49 by Perry | Proposing a constitutional amendment regarding the maximum amount of appropriations for a state fiscal biennium. |
| HJR 65 by Creighton | Proposing a constitutional amendment regarding the limitation on the rate of growth of appropriations. |
| HJR 69 by Sanford | Proposing a constitutional amendment concerning the limitation on the rate of growth of state appropriations and the use of unencumbered surplus state revenues to provide for a rebate of state franchise taxes and to reduce public school district property taxes. |
| HJR 70 by P. King | Proposing a constitutional amendment concerning the maximum rate of growth of appropriations. |
| HJR 93 by Hughes | Proposing a constitutional amendment to limit the rate of growth of appropriations from all sources of revenue except the federal government and to authorize the legislature to appropriate money for tax rebates. |
| HJR 111 by Perry | Proposing a constitutional amendment limiting appropriations from the economic stabilization fund to a total amount that the comptroller of public accounts estimates will not result at any time in a fund balance of less than a prescribed minimum amount. |
| Elections | Chair: Geanie Morrison |
| HB 415 by Button | Proposing a constitutional amendment limiting appropriations from the economic stabilization fund to a total amount that the comptroller of public accounts estimates will not result at any time in a fund balance of less than a prescribed minimum amount. |
| HB 3049 by Springer | Relating to the uniform election date. |
| HB 3050 by Springer | Relating to the date on which county elections are held. |
| HB 3052 by Springer | Relating to the date on which a municipality may hold a general election. |
| HB 3053 by Springer | Relating to the date of an election for members of the governing body of a hospital district. |
| HB 3054 by Springer | Relating to the election date for the authorization of a political subdivision to issue bonds or impose a tax |
| HB 3151 by Capriglione | Relating to required disclosures on a municipal bond election ballot. |
| Energy Resources | Chair: Jim Keffer |
| HB 203 by Stickland | Relating to changing the name of the Railroad Commission of Texas to the Texas Oil and Gas Commission. |
| HB 314 by Dale | Relating to the abolition of the Alternative Fuels Research and Education Division program administered by the Railroad Commission of Texas. |
| HB 1788 by Dale | Relating to the name of the Railroad Commission of Texas. |
| HJR 97 by Dale | Proposing a constitutional amendment to rename the Railroad Commission of Texas as the Texas Energy Commission. |
| Environmental Regulation | Chair: Patricia Harless |
| HB 569 by White | Relating to a study on the stringency of state environmental standards. |
| HB 2354 by White | Relating to the stringency of environmental regulations adopted by state agencies. |
| Government Efficiency and Reform | Chair: Linda Harper-Brown |
| HB 3369 by Perry | Relating to the creation of the office of inspector general. |
| Licensing & Administrative Procedures | Chair: Wayne Smith |
| HB 421 by S. Thompson | Relating to the hours of sale for liquor. |
| HB 759 by Toth | Relating to the repeal of the prohibition on the sale of motor vehicles on consecutive Saturdays and Sundays. |
| HB 1778 by Schaefer | Relating to abolishing the regulation of the practice of interior design. |
| HB 1779 by Schaefer | Relating to the regulation of the practices of barbering and cosmetology and associated locations. |
| Natural Resources | Chair: Allan Ritter |
| HB 2120 by V. Taylor | Relating to permits to construct reservoirs for the storage of state water. |
| HB 2121 by V. Taylor | Relating to interbasin transfers of state water. |
| Pensions | Chair: Bill Callegari |
| HB 231 by Isaac | Relating to suspending Employees Retirement System of Texas annuity payments for employees who return to work for the state. |
| HB 526 by Capriglione | Relating to the confidentiality of information held by a public retirement system. |
| HB 1467 by Sheets | Relating to the eligibility for service retirement annuities of certain elected officials convicted of certain crimes. |
| HB 1577 by V. Taylor | Relating to the eligibility for service retirement annuities from a public retirement system of public officers or employees convicted of certain offenses. |
| HB 2011 by Fallon | Relating to the service retirement annuity of certain state employees. |
| Public Ed | Chair: Jimmie Don Aycock |
| HB 95 by White | Relating to exempting a school district from the obligation to comply with certain unfunded state educational mandates. |
| HB 760 by Toth | Relating to State Board of Education oversight of regional education service center services and products concerning student curriculum. |
| HB 945 by Riddle | Relating to abolishing certain county boards of education, boards of county school trustees, and offices of county school superintendent. |
| HB 3051 by Springer | Relating to the election date for members of the board of trustees of an independent school district. |
| HJR 45 by Stickland | Proposing a constitutional amendment protecting private schools from state and local regulation. |
| State Affairs | Chair: Byron Cook |
| HB 524 by Capriglione | Relating to the disclosure on personal financial statements of certain contracts with governmental entities. |
| HB 649 by Stickland | Relating to tax reimbursement for businesses that refuse to comply with certain federal health care coverage requirements based solely on the religious convictions of the owners of the businesses; authorizing tax refunds and credits. |
| HB 1576 by V. Taylor | Relating to prohibiting state officers and employees and related individuals from engaging in insider trading; providing a criminal penalty. |
| HB 2026 by Sanford | Relating to the legislature's goals for renewable electric generating capacity. |
| Technology | Chair: Gary Elkins |
| HB 335 by Stickland | Relating to the posting of required notice on a political subdivision's Internet website. |
| Urban Affairs | Chair: Harold Dutton |
| HB 2416 by Springer | Relating to the provision of bags to customers of a business at the point of sale. |
| Ways & Means | Chair: Harvey Hilderbran |
| HB 607 by Scott Turner | Relating to the phaseout and repeal of the franchise tax. |
| HB 716 by Harper-Brown | Relating to the phaseout and repeal of the franchise tax. |
| HB 883 by Creighton | Relating to the franchise tax, including the $1 million total revenue exemption, and alternative revenue sources and spending priorities for this state; repealing the franchise tax. |
| HB 900 by V. Taylor | Relating to the determination of cost of goods sold for purposes of computing the franchise tax. |
| HB 1463 by Hughes | Relating to the computation of taxable margin for purposes of the franchise tax by certain taxable entities. |
| HB 1672 by Perry | Relating to the determination of cost of goods sold for purposes of computing the franchise tax. |
| HB 2250 by Perry | Relating to the franchise tax; changing the manner in which the franchise tax is computed and the rate of the tax; authorizing a filing fee; repealing the fee for failing to timely file a report. |
| HB 2347 by Zedler | Relating to the franchise tax. |
| HB 2583 by Harper-Brown | Relating to decreasing the rates of the franchise tax. |
| HJR 32 by Raymond | Proposing a constitutional amendment providing honesty in state taxation. |
| HJR 61 by Laubenberg | Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring certain tax bills to be approved by three-fourths of all the members elected to each house of the legislature. |
| HJR 83 by Hughes | Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring certain tax bills to be approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house of the legislature. |
| HJR 106 by Callegari | Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring certain tax bills to be approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house of the legislature. |
That list does not include other conservative house bills still stalled in committee that the Senate has already acted on, giving them (or their subject) a possibility to be considered after the May 9th deadline.
Meanwhile, the House has blown through an $8.8 Billion general revenue surplus, is in the process of recklessly drawing down billions more from the Economic Stabilization Fund, and continues to push Medicaid expansion despite several explicit rejections of the idea by the GOP caucus.
For comparison’s sake, here are several conservative bills in the Senate still waiting to see the light of day:
Senate Bills
| Business & Commerce | Chair: John Carona |
| SB 236 by Hinojosa | Relating to the hours of sale for liquor. |
| Finance | Chair: Tommy Williams |
| SB 100 by Patrick | Relating to the total revenue exemption for the franchise tax. |
| SB 102 by Patrick | Relating to the rollback tax rate of a taxing unit other than a school district and to voter approval of a proposed tax rate that exceeds the rollback tax rate. |
| SB 113 by Estes | Relating to the repeal of the franchise tax. |
| SB 142 by West | Relating to zero-based budgeting for state agencies as a part of the sunset review process. |
| SB 179 by Paxton | Relating to the phaseout and repeal of the franchise tax. |
| SB 309 by Paxton | Relating to the state highway fund. |
| SB 1014 by Paxton | Relating to the limitation on the rate of growth in appropriations from state tax revenues. |
| SB 1222 by Paxton | Relating to the control of conditional federal funds for state programs. |
| SJR 25 by Paxton | Proposing a constitutional amendment prescribing the purposes for which revenue from motor vehicle registration fees, certain motor vehicle-related taxes, and certain revenues received from the federal government may be used. |
| SJR 27 by Birdwell | Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring certain tax bills to be approved by two-thirds of all the members elected to each house of the legislature. |
| Health & Human Services | Chair: Jane Nelson |
| SB 191 by Birdwell | Relating to requirements for cash withdrawals from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families benefits accounts. |
| State Affairs | Chair: Robert Duncan |
| SB 99 by Patrick | Relating to lobbying by former members of the legislature; creating an offense. |
| SB 909 by Schwertner | Relating to the eligibility for service retirement annuities of certain elected officials convicted of certain crimes. |
Tables updated as of 4/30/2013
