Politics & Finances

Texas Legislators Introduce Over 800 Bills In Mere Hours

Texas Legislators Introduce Over 800 Bills In Mere Hours

Yesterday, November 15, Texas state legislators were allowed to begin submitting bills for the new legislative session that will begin in January.

State Representatives and Senators took full advantage, introducing over 800 bills by 1 p.m. local time on Monday. The Texas Tribune noted that this isn't unusual, as thousands of pieces of legislation are generally submitted for consideration ahead of each legislative session -- but relatively few ever actually make their way to the floor.

What is different about this particular session in Austin, though, is that the Lone Star State is expected to have an unprecedented amount of funding available to legislators. 

Per the Tribune, the state comptroller estimated "that there will be at least an extra $27 billion in the two-year budget compared with the last regular legislative session. Lawmakers will also see an increase in their savings account, also known as the rainy day fund."

Bills that are filed early are typically given a low number, with greater likelihood to ultimately come up for a vote. However, the lowest numbers are reserved for the highest-priority bills each session. 

These priorities are determined by the House Speaker and the Lieutenant Governor, Dade Phelan and Dan Patrick, respectively, in this case. 

The duo have yet to publicly announce what their priorities will be when the first of the year rolls around.

There are, though, some key areas that Texas lawmakers are keen to tackle. These include:

  • Public education
  • Guns
  • Abortion
  • LGBTQ Texans’ rights
  • Energy
  • Health care
  • Voting and elections
  • Disaster declarations
  • Property taxes
  • Opioid testing

Texas property taxes have made headlines recently after two Harris County commissioners effectively killed a tax rate increase in the Houston metro area by skipping meetings regarding the issue.

What do you hope the Texas legislature addresses in 2023?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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