Legislature (2).pptx

During what part of a regular legislative session can new bills be introduced?

Only during the first 60 days of the regular session.

All Bills Must Pass Through the ________ & the _______ to Become Law

Senate & the House

Why must a bill have the exact same wording in both the House and Senate?

Both chambers must agree on the exact same version before the bill can be sent to the governor.

What committee is created once a bill has passed Both the House and Senate?

Conference Committee

What is a conference committee?

A committee created to work out differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill.

When is a conference committee created?

once a bill has passed BOTH the House and Senate because the bill must have the EXACT SAME wording to go to the governor

How many times must a bill be read in full in each chamber before passing?

All Bills must be read in-full in both chambers three times before passing

Not all Republicans & Democrats have the same ideology -

which is individual

The structure of the Texas Legislature is set up to make bill passing _________

difficult

Who is the leader of the Texas House of Representatives?

The Speaker of the House.

How is the Speaker of the House selected?

Chosen by House members at the beginning of the regular session

Who is the leader of the Texas Senate?

The Lieutenant Governor.

How is the Lieutenant Governor selected?

Independently elected by voters in statewide elections

What did the Obama Administration pass in May 2016?

A Federal Ordinance through the dept of Education a student’s “Gender Identity” will be treated as their gender in public schools and universities

What was SB 6 commonly known as?

The Texas Bathroom Bill, also called the Privacy Act.

What was the purpose of SB 6?

PROHIBITS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FROM ENACTING THEIR OWN LGBTQ BATHROOM ORDINANCES

What were the requirements of SB 6?

Requires transgender individuals to use Bathroom/locker room/changing room of gender that is on their birth certificate (Biological) in all government buildings and if citizens notice any violations they can file a complaint to the Attorney General

Who sponsored SB 6?

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst

Who introduced SB 6 to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on JAN 6 2017?

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.

What important committee appointment did Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick make on January 6, 2017?

He appointed Senator Lois Kolkhorst as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

What was the proposed fine for a first violation of SB 6?

$1,000–$1,500.

When was SB 6 introduced to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee?

January 6, 2017.

When did SB 6 pass the Senate Health and Human Services Committee?

March 8 2017
Passes the committee by 8-1 vote

What was the committee vote when SB 6 passed?

8-1

When did SB 6 pass the full Texas Senate?

March 16, 2017.

What was the Senate vote on SB 6?

Passed full Senate, 21-10 after 5 hours of Debate

How did the Lt Governor Patrick and Governor Abbot encourage this bill?

Lt. Governor Patrick publicly urges House to pass the bill while Gov. Abbott says he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

How SB 6 bill becomes a law in Texas

When was SB 6 assigned to the Texas House State Affairs Committee?

March 21, 2017.

Who assigned SB 6 to the House State Affairs Committee?

Speaker of the House Joe Straus. chaired by Rep Byron Cook

Why did SB 6 bill die?

It missed the May 8 deadline to be sent to the House Calendar Committee so it died in House State Affairs Committee May 9, 2017.

What happened on May 20, 2017, concerning SB 6?

The Texas House passed a significantly narrower amendment that applied only to public schools.

What was the House vote on the amendment?

94–51.

What happened on May 29, 2017, the last day of the legislative session?

The Senate did not pass the House amendment, so the bill died when the session ended.

How a bill becomes a law in Texas Part 2?

What is the only bill that the Legislature must pass each session?

the budget

SB 6 Timeline – Quick Review

Date	What happened?
January 6, 2017	Introduced to Senate committee
March 8, 2017	Passed Senate committee, 8–1
March 16, 2017	Passed full Senate, 21–10
March 21, 2017	Assigned to House committee
May 8, 2017	Deadline for bills to reach House Calendar Committee
May 9, 2017	Died in House committee
May 20, 2017	House passed narrower amendment, 94–51
May 29, 2017	Senate did not pass amendment; session ended

Why is the state budget so important?

Texas has a constitutional requirement to pass a balanced state budget.

What did Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick refuse to allow the Senate to do before the end of the regular session?

Vote on the budget.

What happened because the budget was not passed?

The Governor had to call a special legislative session to address the budget.

How long does a regular legislative session last?

140 days.

During which months does the regular Texas legislative session generally take place?

January through May.

During which years does the regular Texas Legislature meet?

Only in odd-numbered years, every two years.

How long does a special legislative session last?

30 days

Who sets the agenda for a special session?

Only the Governor

Can the Texas Legislature end a special session before the 30 days are over?

Yes. The Legislature can adjourn a special session before the 30-day period ends.

When was SB 6 brought back during the special session?

July 21, 2017.

What happened to SB 6 in the Senate on July 21, 2017?

The original bill was again approved by the Senate after being fast-tracked, with a 21–10 vote.

What happened to SB 6 in the House during the special session?

Speaker Joe Straus never referred it to a committee so the bill died.

What actually happened behind the scenes of SB 8?

Over 650 businesses, including IBM, Amazon, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Intel, Capital One, Facebook, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines, all lobbied against the bill.

Who has the power to influence whether legislation passes through committee assignments?

House Speaker and Lieutenant governor

House Speaker and Lieutenant Governor have the power to _______________

get legislation passed through committee assignment

The Texas Legislature was designed to make passing bills into law a slow and difficult process. However, what is the actual situation?

the powers of the Leadership, the Lt Governor in the Senate and the Speaker of the House, can single-handedly pass or fail ANY bill that comes to their chamber

Senate VS House

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick

• SB 6 was “common sense, privacy and public safety policy for everyone.”

• “Joe Strauss is the one causing the special session.”

Speaker Joe Straus

• SB 6 was “a manufactured issue” that would hurt Texas business, like the law in North Carolina.

• On the amendment from the House, “It is a compromise and it is enough; we will go no further.”

How many consecutive terms was Joe Straus elected Speaker of the Texas House?

Five consecutive terms.

What record did Joe Straus break?

He became the longest-serving Speaker of the Texas House at that time.

What was Speaker Straus's winning coalition?

A coalition of moderate, business-oriented Republicans and members of the Democratic minority.

Approximately how many Texans does each Texas House member represent?

168,000 Texans.

How many Texas House members are up for election every two years?

All 150 members.