After a flurry of activity over the weekend, the Texas House and Senate have worked hard to send policy solutions to the Governor's desk. While a handful of bills have already been signed into law, many more are either waiting for Governor Greg Abbott's signature or in the final stages of being sent to his desk.
To catch you up on where some of these bills are at in the process, here's a look at some of the major policy issues either awaiting approval from Governor Abbott or bills that are in the final stages of being sent to the governor:
HB 1927 by Matt Schaefer is the Permitless Carry bill, aka Firearm Carry Act, that allows all law-abiding Texans the right to carry a holstered handgun for personal protection.
HB 2622 by Justin Holland makes Texas as a 2nd Amendment Sanctuary State as a protection against federal overreach.
HB 9 by Stephanie Klick makes the action of knowingly obstructing the passage of an authorized emergency vehicle subject to criminal punishment.
HB 16 protects consumers from sky-high electric bills by banning the sale of wholesale indexed products to residential customers, which can leave them vulnerable to extreme fluctuations in electricity prices.
HB 1510 by Will Metcalf provides the funding mechanism necessary to ensure the winterization of Texas’ power grids.
HB 574 by Greg Bonnen increases the penalties for conducting fraudulent activity in elections.
HB 1128 by Jacey Jetton specifies which individuals may be lawfully present in polling places and other areas where election activities are taking place.
HB 1264 by Keith Bell makes changes to the process of removing deceased persons from voter rolls more efficient.
SB 581 sponsored by Mike Schofield preserves private property owners’ right to religious expression by prohibiting homeowners’ associations (HOAs) from adopting restrictive rules to remove religious displays on a homeowners’ property.
There is less than a week to go before Sine Die, these bills have cleared the major threshold with only a veto from the governor to block their passage into law. Bills passed Tuesday will still have time to go to a conference committee between the House and Senate; or, the bill's author will make a motion to concur in the originating chamber.
For more policy updates for the 87th Texas Legislature, click the news article links below. To view a list of all the bills sent to the governor so far, click here.