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80th Texas Legislative Session

"The Texas Legislature will consider a variety of issues when it convenes in regular session on January 9, 2007. Proposals to curb rising property appraisals and revise the business tax enacted in 2006 by the 79th Legislature are expected to feature prominently in the legislative agenda. Possible changes to laws that govern how the state deals with illegal immigrants and sex offenders also are matters that promise to command the attention of lawmakers. Also, 23 state agencies, including those dealing with the criminal justice system and the regulation of alcoholic beverages, will be subject to review under the Sunset process." -- Topics for the 80th Legislature, House Research Organization, Focus Report no. 80-1, December 8, 2006.

Index:   Bills  |  Budget and Appropriations  |  Executive Branch  |  Governor  |  House  |  House Committees  |  House Committee Interim Charges & Reports  |  Joint Committees  |  Legislation  |  Legislative Branch  |  Lieutenant Governor  |  Senate  |  Senate Committee Interim Reports  |  Senate Standing Committees  |  Speaker of the House

Texas Legislature Online

  • The Texas Legislature Online web site is a good, all-purpose site to use for access to legislative activity.
  • Access House and Senate calendars, information on committees, and their meetings.
  • Search and track bills and legislation (71st Regular Session (1991) to the present).
  • Use it to find out who represents you in the Texas Legislature or to find out more about the legislative process in Texas.
  • Use "My TLO" to create a list of bills to watch, to provide alerts on changes to specified bills, to save searches, and to set up mobile services and RSS feeds.

Legislation

Helpful publications:

  • Topics for the 80th Legislature (House Research Organization. Focus report no. 80-1, December 8, 2006) [PDF, 16 pp.]
    • "This report highlights many, although by no means all, of the issues that the 80th Legislature may consider during its 2007 regular session. The House Research Organization has addressed a number of these topics in Focus Reports and Interim News articles issued since the end of the regular session of the 79th Legislature in 2005."
  • Issues Facing the 80th Texas Legislature: a Briefing Report (January 2007) (Senate Research Center) [PDF, 111 pp.]
  • Guide to Texas Legislative Information (November 2004) (Texas Legislative Council) [PDF, 92 pp.]
    • Also available in an online version on the House web site.
    • "The purpose of this publication is to help legislators, other state officials and employees, and interested citizens in researching the work of past legislatures and in tracking the progress of pending legislative measures during a session."--Introduction, P. 1.
  • How a Bill Becomes Law: 80th Legislature (House Research Organization. Focus report no. 80-2, February 1, 2007) [PDF, 16 pp.]
  • How to Follow a Bill Using TLO (from Texas Legislature Online)
  • Legislative Lexicon (February 2007) (Senate Research Center)  [PDF, 24 pp.]
    • The legislature, like most organizations, has a specialized vocabulary which may prove to be confusing to those unfamiliar with the legislative process. The ability to understand and clearly communicate within the halls of the Capitol, its chambers, and its committee rooms can be crucial in determining a participant’s success in the legislative realm. The Senate Research Center offers this Legislative Lexicon to provide users with clear definitions of many of the words, terms, and phrases used in the legislature.
  • Texas Legislative Council Drafting Manual (October 2002) (via Texas Legislative Council) [PDF, 248 pp.]
    • This manual explains how legislative drafting is done by the staff of the Texas Legislative Council. Although it is primarily intended for use by the council staff for training and as a reference guide, other participants in the legislative process, including legislators and legislative staff members, may find it helpful in analyzing legislative documents.
  • Fiscal Notes Reference Guide for State Agencies (January 2007) (Legislative Budget Board)
    • State statute requires a fiscal note be prepared and accompany a bill or joint resolution as it goes through the legislative process. A fiscal note is a written estimate of the costs, savings, revenue gain, or revenue loss that may result from implementation of a bill or joint resolution. It serves as a tool to help legislators better understand how a bill might impact the state budget as a whole, individual agencies, and in some instances, local governments.
    • Fiscal Notes Instructions (Legislative Budget Board)

Bill Tracking and Analysis

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Budget and Appropriations

Helpful Publications:

Appropriations Bill(s)

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Executive Branch

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Legislative Branch

Helpful Publications

Texas House of Representatives

Helpful Publications and Research

  • Daily House Journals
    • PDF and HTML versions of the daily proceedings in the House
    • Provided as an informational service only until the official permanent journal is published
  • How a Bill Becomes Law: 80th Legislature (House Research Organization. Focus report no. 80-2, February 1, 2007) [PDF, 16 pp.]
  • Bill Analyses (via House Research Organization)
    • Bill analyses prepared by the HRO reflect the version of the bill as it was reported by House committee and first considered by the House of Representatives. It does not reflect any subsequent changes or amendments made on the House floor or in the Senate.
  • Floor Report by Date (via House Research Organization)
    • Floor Reports are collections of bill analyses for bills scheduled on the daily House calendar for floor debate on a particular legislative day.
  • House Research Organization [Click on All Publications, then the series, to retrieve the separate reports]
    • "Focus Reports" provide a thorough examination of particular issues, such as tort reform or electric utility deregulation. The Major Issues report summarizes significant legislation considered during each legislative session.
    • "Interim News" reports provide a brief review of topics of current interest and summaries of interim committee hearings.
    • "Constitutional Amendment" analyses provide a summary and arguments for and against ballot propositions submitted for voter approval.
    • "State Finance Reports" review the budget process and analyze the appropriations bill, focusing on policy issues related to various agency spending proposals.

Membership

Committee Information

House Committees (80th Legislature) (via House of Representatives web site)

House Committee Interim Charges (79th Legislature)

House Committee Interim Reports (79th Legislature)

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Texas Senate

Helpful Publications and Research

Membership

Committee Information

Senate Standing Committees (80th Legislature) (via Senate web site)

Senate Committee Interim Reports (79th Legislature)

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Joint Committees

Joint Committees (80th Legislature)

Joint Committees Interim Reports (79th Legislature)

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  Compiled: January-March 2007 by Janetta Paschal, Government Documents/Reference Librarian