Special Session Bill Filing Begins

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Today Governor Greg Abbott released his Proclamation for the first called 85^thSpecial Session which allowed for bills to be filed. By the end of the day, there were 83 bills and resolutions that were filed – out of those 66 are House and Senate bills. Please see below for a quick update on those bills and resolutions organized by category. More bills will be filed in the following days.

Bills can be filed that are NOT related to the call but details on what legislation is referred, set for a hearing and brought to the chamber floor is subject to the Texas Constitution & both House and Senate rules. Generally, a bill will not progress far if the subject is not on the call. Items on the Governor’s call to date include Sunset Call and Supplemental Call.

“With today’s proclamation, and with bill authors already lined up for all special session items, I look forward to working with the House and Senate to finish the people’s business,” said Governor Abbott. With today’s proclamation, all bills related to the items that Governor Abbott previously announced would be added to the special session call may now be filed, and the Legislature may immediately begin consideration of those items when they convene on July 18th.The Governor may expand his call to include any additional topics at any time.

Bills Filed Today by Category

Sunset Legislation
*SB 20 (Taylor) Relating to the continuation and sunset review of certain governmental entities subject to abolishment on September 1, 2017. *as soon as Senate passes, then Abbott intends to add items listed on Supplemental Call
SB 28 (Taylor) Relating to certain governmental entities subject to the sunset review process.

Education
Governor’s Call School Choice – highlighted Authors: Simmons/Taylor
Governor’s Call Teacher Pay – highlighted Authors: Clardy, Deshotel & Raymond
Governor’s Call Teacher Job Security – highlighted Authors: Clardy, Deshotel & Raymond
Governor’s Call School Finance – highlighted Authors: P. King/L. Taylor

HB 52 (Simmons) Relating to the establishment of an individualized education plan account program for certain children with disabilities.
HB 54 (Thierry) Relating to requiring a school district to reimburse classroom teachers at certain grade levels for the cost of classroom supplies purchased with personal money.
HB 58 (Simmons) Relating to the establishment of a tax credit scholarship and educational expense assistance program.
HB 60 (Hinojosa) Relating to the use of regional mobility authority toll projects by public school buses.
HB 61 (Hinojosa) Relating to transportation allotment credit for school districts required to take action to reduce wealth per student.
HB 62 (Hinojosa) Relating to an adjustment under the foundation school program of the taxable value of property for school districts.
HB 64 (Raymond) Relating to an appropriation of money from the economic stabilization fund for classroom teacher salary increases.
HB 65 (Raymond) Relating to an appropriation of money from the general revenue fund for classroom teacher salary increases.
HB 76 (Darby) Relating to a supplemental appropriation for Teacher Retirement System of Texas retiree health.
HB 79 (Darby) Relating to the salary paid to classroom teachers employed by public schools.
HB 80 (Darby) Relating to a cost-of-living adjustment applicable to certain benefits paid by the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
SB 22 (Hall) Relating to the small-sized district adjustment under the Foundation School Program.

*also see Privacy & Taxes/Budget

Health Care
Governor’s Call Abortion – Funding – highlighted Authors: Springer/Schwertner
Governor’s Call Abortion – Insurance – highlighted Authors: Smithee/Creighton
Governor’s Call Abortion – Reporting – highlighted Authors: Capriglione/Campbell
Governor’s Call Do-Not-Resuscitate – highlighted Authors: G.Bonnen/Perry
Governor’s Call Maternal Mortality – highlighted Authors: Burkett, Thierry, Walle/Kolkhorst

HB 43 (Bonnen) Relating to general procedures and requirements for do-not-resuscitate orders.
HB 44 (Keough) Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
HB 45 (Keough) Relating to the selection of chief appraiser of an appraisal district; authorizing a fee.
HB 51 (Thierry) Relating to pregnancy-related deaths and maternal morbidity, including postpartum depression.
HB 59 (Walle) Relating to maternal morbidity and pregnancy-related deaths.
HB 85 (Lucio) Relating to authorizing the possession, use, cultivation, distribution, transportation, and delivery of medical cannabis for medical use by patients with certain debilitating medical conditions.
HB 86 (Swanson) Relating to prohibited acts for a physician or applicant for a medical license.
SB 26 (Miles) Relating to the use of certain controlled substances by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant and the designation of neonatal abstinence syndrome.
SB 27 (Miles) Relating to the automatic enrollment of certain women in the Texas women's health program.

Tax/Budget
Governor’s Call Property Tax Reform – highlighted Authors: D.Bonnen/Bettencourt
Governor’s Call Spending Caps – highlighted Authors: Villalba/Estes (Local) & Authors: Parker, Schofield/Hancock (State)

HB 41 (Schofield) Relating to the constitutional limit on the rate of growth appropriations.
HB 42 (Keough) Relating to the selection of the board of directors of an appraisal district; authorizing the imposition of a fee.
HB 48 (Keough) Relating to the selection and administration of an appraisal review board; authorizing a fee.
HB 49 (Geren) Relating to the authority of a district court to hear and determine certain ad valorem tax appeals.
HB 55 (Schofield) Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation by a school district.
HB 71 (Bohac) Relating to the limitation on increases in the appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation.
HB 72 (Bohac) Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the residence homestead of a Purple Heart recipient or the surviving spouse of a Purple Heart recipient.
HB 74 (Cosper) Relating to the applicability of the law governing the provision of state aid to certain local governments disproportionately affected by the granting of ad valorem tax relief to disabled veterans.
HB 75 (Darby) Relating to transferring to the property tax relief fund one-half of any unencumbered balance of general revenue at the end of a state fiscal biennium.
HB 78 (Darby) Relating to school district tax rates, property values, and tax collections used by the commissioner of education in allocating Foundation School Program funding.
HB 81 (Darby) Relating to the number of registered voters of a taxing unit other than a school district who are required to sign a petition for an election to determine whether to reduce the ad valorem tax rate.
HB 82 (Darby) Relating to the abolition of school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes.
HB 83 (Metcalf) Relating to dedicating certain state revenue to the purpose of retiring state debt.
HB 84 (Metcalf) Relating to the limitation on increases in the appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes.
HB 87 (Bell) Relating to the authority of a property owner to request that notice of a protest hearing before the appraisal review board be delivered by certified mail or electronic mail.
HB 88 (Bell) Relating to a limitation on increases in the appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
HB 91 (Swanson) Relating to the abolition of ad valorem taxes and a study of alternative methods of taxation to replace revenue lost to political subdivisions as a result of the abolition of ad valorem taxes.
HB 92 (Rodriguez) Relating to the eligibility of land for appraisal for ad valorem tax purposes as qualified open-space land.
HB 95 (Swanson) Relating to an exemption from ad valorem taxation of the total appraised value of the residence homesteads of certain elderly persons and their surviving spouses.
HCR 16 (Raymond) Urging U.S. Congress to propose and submit to the states for ratification a federal balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
HJR 16 (Keough) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to limit the maximum appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
HJR 17 (Schofield) Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for an exemption from ad valorem taxation for public school purposes.
HJR 18 (Howard) Proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay at least 50 percent of the cost of maintaining and operating the public school system and prohibiting the comptroller from certifying legislation.
HJR 19 (Bohac) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to set a lower limit on the maximum appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation.
HJR 20 (Bohac) Proposing a constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of a Purple Heart recipient.
HJR 21 (Darby) Proposing a constitutional amendment abolishing school district maintenance and operations ad valorem taxes.
HJR 22 (Metcalf) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to set a lower limit on the maximum appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem tax purposes.
HJR 23 (Bell) Proposing a constitutional amendment to authorize the legislature to limit the maximum appraised value of real property for ad valorem tax purposes.
HJR 24 (Swanson) Proposing a constitutional amendment to exempt from ad valorem taxation the total market value of the residence homesteads of certain elderly persons and their surviving spouses.
SB 21 (Nelson) Relating to the system for protesting or appealing certain ad valorem tax determinations; authorizing a fee.

Local Control
Governor’s Call Local control – Trees – highlighted Authors: Workman/Hall
Governor’s Call Local Control – Construction – highlighted Authors: Bell/Buckingham
Governor’s Call Local Control – Permitting – highlighted Authors: Workman/Burton
Governor’s Call Annexation – highlighted Authors: Huberty/Campbell
Governor’s Call Local Car Phones – highlighted Authors: Goldman/Huffines

HB 57 (Schofield) Relating to the release of extraterritorial jurisdiction by certain populous municipalities for certain purposes, including municipal incorporation.
HB 63 (Schofield) Relating to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of and municipal annexation by certain municipalities.
HB 69 (Schofield) Relating to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of and municipal annexation by certain municipalities.
HB 70 (Workman) Relating to a property owner's right to remove a tree or vegetation.
HB 93 (Rodriguez) Relating to compensation to be paid to an emergency services district for a municipality's annexation of the district's territory.
HB 94 (Rodriguez) Relating to municipal regulation of property of political subdivisions.
SB 14 (Hall) Relating to property owner's right to remove a tree or vegetation.
SB 23 (Hall) Relating to prohibition of certain regulations by a county, municipality, or other political subdivision.

Privacy (Bathroom Bill)
Governor’s Call Privacy/Bathroom Bill – highlighted Authors: Simmons/Kolkhorst

HB 46 (Simmons) Relating to the regulation of discrimination by political subdivisions.
HB 50 (Simmons) Relating to the regulation of discrimination by school districts.

Payroll – Union dues
Governor’s Call Union Dues – highlighted Authors: Isaac/Hughes

Mail Ballot Fraud/Voting
Governor’s Call Mail Ballot Fraud – highlighted Authors: Goldman/Hancock

HB 47 (Schofield) Relating to the prevention of fraud in the conduct of early voting by mail; increasing a criminal penalty.
HB 73 (Bohac) Relating to the prevention of fraud committed by a person voting early by mail.
HB 89 (Hinojosa) Relating to early voting by certain persons who are caretakers of persons with certain disabilities.
HB 90 (Hinojosa) Relating to an opportunity to correct a defect in an early voting ballot voted by mail and to the use of an application for an early voting ballot to change a voter's registration address within the county.
HB 96 (Swanson) Relating to signature verification on an early voting ballot voted by mail.

Other

HB 53 (Romero) Relating to the repeal of certain provisions governing state and local enforcement of immigration laws and other provisions related to immigration law.
HB 56 (Schofield) Relating to regulation by a property owners' association of certain religious displays.
HB 66 (Minjarez) Relating to automatic voter registration on issuance or change of a driver's license or identification card by the Department of Public Safety.
HB 67 (Minjarez) Relating to the receipt by certain relative caretakers of dependent children of supplemental financial assistance and the assignment of those relative caretakers as protective payees for financial assistance payments.
HB 68 (Minjarez) Relating to the adoption of the Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.
HB 77 (Darby) Relating to an optional fee in lieu of the dedication of parkland as a condition of approval by a municipality of land development or use.
SB 24 (Hall) Relating to protection of energy critical infrastructure.
SB 25 (Hall) Relating to distracted driving; creating a criminal offense.
SCR 1 (Hall) Requesting a joint interim committee to study the security of the Texas electric grid.