By J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Affairs
First, please welcome the newest member of our governmental affairs team – Oliver Keith Fairbanks, born Nov. 26. Congratulations to Lauren, Doug and Oliver’s two big brothers.
Meanwhile, the 89th Texas legislative session is almost upon us. It’s the period where campaigns are officially over and many around the Capitol are enjoying a few weeks with family and friends for the holidays. You could call it the relative calm before the storm, as the session officially kicks off Jan. 14. To date, more than 2,180 bills have been filed, with many more to come.
Lawmakers typically file thousands of bills in the course of a legislative session, but most never make it to the governor’s desk. The lowest bill numbers are reserved for the highest priority bills set by the House speaker and lieutenant governor. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has announced that his top policy priority will be Senate Bill 2, which is expected to propose a school voucher program. Other priorities have yet to be announced.
Before all priorities can be set, legislators need to know how much money they will have to spend. State Comptroller Glenn Hegar has projected the state will have a $20 billion surplus at the start of the 2025 session. He will release a more definite number in January as part of his Biennial Revenue Estimate.
Also on the “to do” list for legislators is submission of interim committee reports, which are the results of studies of interim charges assigned earlier this year by the lieutenant governor and House speaker. These reports can yield bills for consideration during the session.
Stay tuned, and Happy Holidays from the Texas Association of Dairymen governmental affairs team.
