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: Week 17.1

May 9, 2021


Happy Mother’s Day!

Floor calendars

Bills up for debate on the House floor this week include (in order of consideration):

Monday, May 10

  • HB 818 by Cole (online harassment)
  • HB 3 by Burrows (revising state’s disaster act as it relates to pandemics)
  • HB 1396 by White (police misconduct policies and procedures)
  • HB 854 by Burns (lowering penalties for LTC w/ handgun at gov’t meeting, etc.)
  • HB 225 by S. Thompson (subsequent writs based on non-scientific evidence)
  • HB 3789 by Guillen (extending statute of limitations for tampering with a body)
  • HB 1838 by M. Gonzalez (limitations on criminal street gang database)
  • HB 3016 by Moody (prohibiting suspension of PC or CCP statutes during a disaster)
  • HB 4212 by Moody (procedures relating to defendants with mental illness/IDD)
  • HB 1156 by Thierry (lowering penalties for financial abuse of the elderly)
  • HB 3598 by Leach (5yr mandatory minimum sentence for intoxication manslaughter)
  • HB 4293 by Hinojosa (mandatory court reminder programs for criminal defendants)

Tuesday, May 11

  • HB 1550 by Cyrier (TCOLE sunset re-authorization)
  • HJR 4 by Kacal (constitutional amendment to allow denial of bail in certain cases)
  • HB 1480 by Cyrier (creating new crimes for agricultural terrorism)
  • HB 2147 by Allen (removing enhancement for repeat DWLI offenses)
  • HB 2018 by Reynolds (criminalizing auto-pedestrian collisions in crosswalks)
  • HB 2675 by Guillen (LTCs for persons at risk of becoming a victim)
  • HB 3110 by Meyer (enhancing penalties for and renaming child pornography as “child sexual abuse material”)
  • HB 3601 by Leach (automatic nondisclosure following certain misdemeanor deferred adjudications)
  • HB 347 by Geren (“Lie to try” bill criminalizing false statement to obtain a firearm)
  • HB 929 by Sherman (body-worn camera regulations)
  • HB 140 by Rose (barring the death penalty for defendants with “serious mental illness”)

All the bills calendared for debate on the House floor can be found here.

The Senate Intent Calendar for the first part of this week includes the following bills that may be debated by the full Senate:

  • HB 918 by Leman/Hughes authorizing LTCs for certain protective order applicants
  • HB 1407 by Schaefer/Hughes relating to LTC holders carrying handguns in vehicles
  • SB 295 by Perry/Minjarez creating an evidentiary privilege for sexual assault victim counselors

All the bills calendared for possible consideration on the Senate floor can be found here; the list changes daily, so check back for updates as needed.

Committee notices

Committees will hear bills on very short notice these final three weeks, but here’s what we know as of now:

Monday, May 10

Senate State Affairs – 1:00 p.m., Senate Chamber
HB 29 by Swanson/Hughes providing firearm storage for courthouse visitors
HB 2112 by Metcalf/Springer removing “shoulder or belt” from holster references in Penal Code

Wednesday, May 11

House Homeland Security & Public Safety – 8:00 a.m., E2.026
SB 112 by West relating to warrant requirements for mobile tracking devices
SB 181 by N. Johnson relaxing DL suspensions following certain convictions
SB 741 by Birdwell relating to school marshals carrying or storing firearms

For a full agenda of all the bills to be heard at each meeting listed above, please click the link in the committee’s name below; the text of each individual bill will be accessible on that notice by clicking the bill number.

More “Quotes of the Week”

“You’re next. I wouldn’t get involved in this.”
            —State Rep. Tom Craddick (R-Midland), overheard on the House floor warning Rep. Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) to stop messing with him as he objected to (and killed) a bill by Rep. Donna Howard, (D-Austin), who had done the same to one of his bills earlier that day.

“I look forward to seeing you in federal court, so please do not delete any emails.”
            —State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio), to Rep. Briscoe Cain (R-Deer Park), the author of SB 7 (election fraud), during floor debates on that contentious issue this week.

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