By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs
The Texas Legislature officially reached its first major milestone in the legislative session – the deadline to file bills, which happened on Day 60 of the 140-day session on Friday, March 14.
The 60th day also marks the day after which the House or Senate can consider any bill filed, not just those designated as a legislative priority by the governor.
The number of bills filed this session exceeds what was filed in the previous two sessions, and that number is expected to grow. Despite the deadline, local bills can still be filed, and the Senate routinely suspends the rules to file additional measures.
As you can see from the graphic, bill filing reached new heights this session, and a whopping 2,738 were filed in the last week alone (between days 53 and 60 of the filing period).
What does all this mean? With the stage mostly set, the bulk of the work is still ahead. The next month and a half will be a flurry of activity between now and the June 2 Sine Die as each chamber works to further their priorities and legislators push for their personal priorities to move through the process.
The next significant date is May 12, when House committees must complete their consideration of all House bills to ensure they have any chance to progress through the legislative process. Any House bill not reported out of committee by this deadline is effectively dead.
The TAD governmental relations team is currently monitoring over 75 bills with potential to impact dairy operations across the state. Some bills of note include:
SB 25 by Sen. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham)/HB 25 by Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Houston) relating to health and nutrition standards to promote healthy living.
HB 3630 by Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin)/SB 1948 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) relating to the authority of a political subdivision to regulate fire prevention standards for certain agricultural facilities.
HB 1275 by Rep. Mary Gonzalez (D-Clint)/SB 909 by Sen. Cesar Blanco (D-El Paso) relating to the issuance of permits for producer dairies in certain areas of this state.
HB 1674 by Rep. Helen Kerwin (R-Glen Rose)/SB 886 by Sen. Kevin Sparks (R-Midland) relating to the production, sale, and use of certain agricultural products containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS
HB 147 by Rep. Ryan Guillen (R-Rio Grande City)/SB 503 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) relating to the establishment of an electronic registry of livestock marks and brands.
HB 164 by Rep. Diego Bernal (D-San Antonio)/SB 243 by Sen. Pete Flores (R-Pleasanton) relating to the regulation of migrant labor housing facilities.
HB 1669 by Rep. Lacey Hull (R-Houston) relating to the sale of raw milk and raw milk products in this state.
SB 119 by Sen. Bob Hall (R-Edgewood) relating to required labeling of food containing mRNA vaccine material.
