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June 19 is the deadline for the governor to sign or veto bills that were passed by the legislature during the 79th Legislative Session. Bills that he does not sign or veto become law without his signature. Nearly 1,400 bills were sent to the governor and as of June 16, 288 had been signed and 19 had been vetoed. In this week's column, I will continue to discuss some of the bills that were passed by the legislature.
On June 15, the governor signed into law House Bill 164, about which I have previously written in the Capitol Watch column. This bill is aimed at curbing the production of methamphetamine in Texas. HB 164 would restrict the sale of over-the-counter products containing pseudoephedrine to pharmacies and to stores that are not pharmacies that have a special certificate. It would not apply to the sale of liquid products containing pseudoephedrine. Any business that sold pseudoephedrine would be required to display products containing pseudoephedrine in such a way that a customer could access those products only with the help of a store employee.
The bill would also make it easier for authorities to take possession of a child if the child’s parent or a person who had possession of the child permitted the child to remain on premises used for the manufacture of methamphetamine.
House Bill 2702 is a comprehensive transportation bill that serves largely as a follow-up to major transportation legislation from last session. As plans for the Trans Texas Corridor have progressed, landowners have had concerns about access to their land and to the Corridor, as well as fair compensation for land that is taken by the Corridor. Other concerns regarding toll roads are addressed in the bill as well, such as the conversion of non-tolled roads into toll roads.
HB 2702 provides that no non-tolled road will be converted to a toll road without voter approval. The bill also will require the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to purchase a tract of land that is severed by the creation of a road if the tract has little or no value to the landowner. Additionally, the bill provides for direct connections to and from the Trans-Texas Corridor to interstate, United States, and state highways and requires TxDOT to consider similar connections to farm-to- market roads, ranch-to-market roads, and major county and city arterials.
One interesting bill that is awaiting the governor's signature at the time this article was written is House Bill 383 which clarifies who may "spank" a child. Current Texas law provides that a parent of a child has the right and a duty to care, control, protect, and reasonably discipline a child. However, when a parent disciplines a minor child with the use of corporal punishment, or "spanking," the parent may be confronted with confusion as to any possible criminal charges that may arise from the use of such punishment. HB 383 provides that a parent or a person having a duty to control and reasonably discipline a child may use corporal punishment for the reasonable discipline of the child.
You can contact me by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by emailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us.