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This week I will talk about the legislative process, and specifically some of the deadlines that the legislature works under every session. My office frequently receives questions regarding the legislative process, especially from those who are watching specific legislation or issues. The legislature convenes on the second Tuesday in January of odd-numbered years, and lasts for 140 days. The house and senate rules lay out the deadlines for the consideration of bills to help legislation move through the process. All house and senate bills must go through a committee and a report must be issued on each bill before consideration by the full body; bills and joint resolutions must also be read three times before being passed by either chamber of the legislature. Below are some of the major dates during this legislative session.
• Tuesday, January 13, 2015 (1st day): 84th Legislature convenes at noon.
• Friday, March 13, 2015 (60th day): Deadline for filing bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and bills that have been declared an emergency by the governor.
• Monday, May 11, 2015 (119th day): Last day for house committees to report house bills and house joint resolutions.
• Friday, May 15, 2015 (123rd day): Last day for house to consider consent house bills on second and third reading and all third reading house bills or joint resolutions.
• Friday, May 22, 2015 (130th day): Last day for house to consider local house bills on second and third reading.
• Saturday, May 23, 2015 (131st day): Last day for house committees to report senate bills and senate joint resolutions.
• Tuesday, May 26, 2015 (134th day): Last day for house to consider senate bills and joint resolutions, other than local and consent, on second reading.
• Wednesday, May 27, 2015 (135th day): Last day for house to consider local and consent senate bills on second and third reading and all senate bills or joint resolutions on third reading. Last day for senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions on second or third reading.
• Sunday, May 31, 2015 (139th day): Last day for the house and senate to adopt conference committee reports or discharge conferees and concur with amendments.
• Monday, June 1, 2015 (140th day): Last day of 84th Regular Session; corrections only in house and senate.
• Sunday, June 21, 2015 (20th day following the end of regular session): Last day governor can sign or veto bills passed during the regular legislative session.
• Monday, August 31, 2015 (91st day following final adjournment of regular session): Date that bills without specific effective dates (that could not be effective immediately) become law.
For more information on the legislative process, please visit the website www.capitol.state.tx.us. You can contact my office by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by emailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us. My district office phone number is (903) 891-7297.