The 85th Texas legislative session resulted in 6,631 bills being filed, with 1,211 bills being sent to the governor and 1,008 signed into law. The $216.8 billion state budget allocated large amounts to Medicaid, education funding, and border security. Several significant bills related to issues like sanctuary cities and texting-while-driving passed, while revenue caps and "bathroom bills" failed. Governor Abbott called a special legislative session focused on sunset bills, teacher pay raises, and other issues like property taxes and annexation reform.

1. City of College Station
85th Texas Legislature
July 13, 2017

2. Legislative Snapshot
6,631 bills filed
1,211 bills sent to the Governor
1,008 signed by the Governor
153 bills filed without the Governor’s signature
50 bills vetoed by the Governor
‣95 Republicans, 55 Democrats in the Texas House
‣20 Republicans, 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate
Legislative Snapshot
6,631 bills filed
1,211 bills sent to the Governor
1,008 signed by the Governor
153 bills filed without the Governor’s signature
50 bills vetoed by the Governor
‣95 Republicans, 55 Democrats in the Texas House
‣20 Republicans, 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate

3. State Budget Highlights
$216.8 billion two-year budget
• $62.4 billion on Medicaid
• $42.7 billion for the Foundation School Program
• $3.5 billion for CPS and Foster Care Funding
• $800 million for Border Security Funding
• $120 million cut from various programs in the budget by Governor
Abbott through line item vetoes

4. Significant Bills that Failed
– Revenue caps (SB 2 Bettencourt)
– Bathroom Bill (SB 6 Koklhorst)
– Short Term Rentals (SB 451 Hancock)
– Eminent Domain (SB 626/SB 628 Schwertner)
– Annexation (SB 715/HB 424/HB 299)
– City Fees (SB 737 Hancock)

5. Significant Bills that Passed
– Statewide Texting Ban (HB 62 Craddick)
– Statewide TNC Regulations (HB 100 Paddie)
– Sanctuary Cities (SB 4 Perry)
– Right of Way for Small Cell Technology (SB
1004 Hancock)
– TxDOT Sunset (SB 312)

6. 1st
Called Special Session of the 85R
•Governor Abbott has called a special session of the Legislature
to convene next Tuesday, July 18th
at 10am
•Two proclamations have been issued: the first proclamation
directs the legislature to extend the expiration dates for several
state agencies including the Texas Medical Board while the
second, supplemental proclamation is contingent on the Senate
passing bills related to the first proclamation and then opens the
call to 20 additional issues

7. Special Session Items . . .
• Sunset legislation
• Teacher pay increase of $1,000
• Administrative flexibility in teacher hiring and retention practices
• School finance reform commission
• School choice for special needs students
• Property tax reform
• Caps on state and local spending
• Preventing cities from regulating what property owners do with trees on private
land
• Preventing local governments from changing rules midway through construction
projects
• Speeding up local government permitting process
• Municipal annexation reform

8. • Texting while driving preemption
• Privacy
• Prohibition of taxpayer dollars to collect union dues
• Prohibition of taxpayer dollars for abortion providers
• Pro-life insurance reform
• Strengthening abortion reporting requirements when health complications arise
• Strengthening patient protections relating to do-not-resuscitate orders
• Cracking down on mail-in ballot fraud
• Extending maternal mortality task force
• Legislation adjusting the scheduling of Sunset Commission review of state agencies

9. Dates of Interest
– November 7th
constitutional amendment
election
– November 11th
first day to file for 2018 primary
– December 11th
last day to file for 2018 primary
– February 20, 2018 early voting for primary
begins
– March 6, 2018 primary election
– November 6, 2018 general election

10. Dates of Interest
– November 7th
constitutional amendment
election
– November 11th
first day to file for 2018 primary
– December 11th
last day to file for 2018 primary
– February 20, 2018 early voting for primary
begins
– March 6, 2018 primary election
– November 6, 2018 general election