Legislative Updates

Each week during Texas legislative sessions, TDCAA recaps the most important news and events. Look to this page for current and past issues of TDCAA’s Legislative Updates.

For information concerning legislation filed during the 87th Regular Session, visit the state legislature’s web site or e-mail Shannon Edmonds, Director of Governmental Relations, or call him at (512) 474-2436.

Updates

TDCAA Legislative Update: Called Session 1 – Sine Die

August 6, 2021


That was a waste of everyone’s time, wasn’t it?

Second verse, same as the first?

The first called special session ended today with nothing to show for its 30 days of existence, and the next special session begins tomorrow. Governor Abbott is calling the 87th Legislature back to Austin at noon on Saturday, August 7—but it’s anyone’s guess as to who will or will not show up.

Topics

The official proclamation for the second called session—aka “87(2)”—consists of some things old and some things new, including:

  • bail reform
  • election integrity
  • criminal laws and funding related to border security
  • cybersecurity
  • modification of 2022 election dates and filing periods

All told, there are 17 separate issues on the call of this special session. You can read the full proclamation for yourself if you want to know what other red meat it contains.

Legislative Update CLEs

As of this morning, we have accepted:

  • 230 registrations for the in-person course in Rockwall (August 12, room capacity of 250—walk-ins cannot be guaranteed admission);
  • 437 registrations for the in-person course in Galveston (September 21); and
  • 1,244 registrations for the online course that will go live in the latter half of August.

Registration details are available at any of those links, so click on the one that interests you and sign up now—especially if you are taking the course live in Galveston or online, as early registration guarantees that you will receive your complimentary 2021–23 Legislative Update book. We will start shipping the first of those books to our online registrants next week, while in-person attendees will receive theirs at the door.

Scattershooting

Some articles that you might find interesting:

  • “Federal judge temporarily blocks Gov. Greg Abbott’s order to pull over vehicles with migrants, which drew racial profiling concerns” (Texas Tribune)
  • “Local mask mandates pop up in defiance of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order banning COVID-19 restrictions” (Texas Tribune)

Quotes of the Week

“The courts are unique in that the judicial system is a separate branch of government.”
            —Ronald Morgan, Jr., director of district court administration in Williamson County, in a written statement announcing those courts’ adoption of a mask mandate despite Gov. Abbott’s recent executive order prohibiting local governments from imposing such mandates.

“If you are not vaccinated … your chances of getting through this without having to become either vaccinated or infected is essentially zero.”
            —Dr. David Persse, the health authority for the City of Houston, in response to recent news that there is now more COVID-19 in the city’s wastewater system (where it ends up through human waste) than at any time in the pandemic, marking the latest warning that the virus may be spreading at an unprecedented rate.

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