Chamber/Hearings
The latest hearing information can be found by visiting HillCo’s “Legislative News from Texas.” Please note that dates and times are subject to change and additional hearings dates may also be added at any time so you will want to re-visit the page frequently to confirm hearings.
The House will reconvene on Monday, March 22nd at 4 p.m.
The Senate will reconvene on Monday, March 22nd at 2 p.m.
Video Broadcasts (Committee hearings and floor discussions): House | Senate
Committee Spotlight
Bills listed in the Committee Spotlight have a report further down in this Advisory – you can access the complete report by clicking on “read more”. *If you are a HillCo client but have not yet set up your website access, please visit HillCo Partners in order to access the content under “read more.”
HB 3 (Burrows) relating to state and local government responses to a pandemic disaster; creating a criminal offense was left laid out in House State Affairs on 3/11. The committee substitute of the bill adds a Pandemic Disaster Legislative Oversight Committee meant to provide oversite by the legislative branch of pandemic disaster declarations. After hearing invited testimony and public testimony on the committee substitute for over five hours, the committee substitute was withdrawn and the bill was left pending in committee.
HB 5 (Ashby) relating to the expansion of broadband services to certain areas was laid out in House State Affairs on 3/18 and was left pending.
ERCOT reform bills CSHB 10 (Paddie), CSHB 11 (Paddie), CSHB 12 (Raymond et al.), CSHB 13 (Paddie), CSHB 16 (Hernandez et al.), and CSHB 17 (Deshotel et al.) were voted out of House State Affairs on 3/18. CSHB 16 was voted out (11-1), while the other bills in the package were voted out (12-0).
HB 1672 (Holland) relating to use of electric energy storage facilities in the ERCOT power region was left pending in House State Affairs 3/18. Its companion in the Senate, SB 415 (Hancock), was left pending in Senate Business & Commerce on 3/16.
HB 1472 (Bucy) relating to Major Events Reimbursement Program eligibility for the Concacaf Gold Cup was unanimously voted out of House Culture, Recreation & Tourism on 3/15.
HB 1490 (Dean) relating to the notice of the cash price of certain health care services by certain hospitals was left pending in House Public Health on 3/17.
CSHB 1586 (Lucio) relating to specialty prescription drug coverage was left pending in House Insurance on 3/16.
SB 5 (Nichols et al.) relating to the expansion of broadband services to certain areas was laid out and left pending in Senate Transportation on 3/17.
SB 25 (Kolkhorst) relating to the right of certain residents to designate an essential caregiver for in-person visitation was laid out on and voted out of the Senate on 3/17 (29-0). SJR 19 (Kolkhorst), proposing a constitutional amendment establishing the same right, was voted out of the Senate on 3/17 (29-0).
CSSB 809 (Kolkhorst) relating to health care provider reporting of federal money received for the coronavirus disease public health emergency was left pending in Senate Health & Human Services on 3/17. The substitute includes provisions to cover retroactive reporting for CARES Act funding.
CSSB 827 (Kolkhorst) relating to pricing of and health benefit plan cost-sharing requirements for prescription insulin was unanimously voted out of Senate Health & Human Services on 3/17.
