What are the Texas Legislature's session deadlines?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas constitution limits its Legislature to a 140-day regular session every other year. The final three weeks of a session include several deadlines, setting a rapid and occasionally frenetic tempo for state lawmakers.
The only bill that Texas lawmakers must pass is the state's budget.
Early session limits
During the first 30 days of any session, the state constitution requires lawmakers to be "devoted" to introducing bills and resolutions, emergency appropriations, confirming (or not) any of the Governor's recess appointments, and acting on "emergency matters" brought by the Governor.
Each bill in Texas requires at least eight votes before reaching the Governor's desk. These include a vote from the bill's assigned committee, after which it must receive three votes in its originating chamber.
If passed in one chamber, the bill moves into the other chamber for the same process. Additional votes may be necessary after the conference committee process.
A month of deadlines
Multiple deadlines during a session's final weeks also limit the session.
The first major deadlines are the 122nd and 123rd days of the session. Any bills from the Texas House of Representatives that haven't passed a second vote (each bill needs three majority votes to pass) by the end of the 122nd day can't be considered further.
By the end of the 123rd day, all House bills that haven't passed a third vote are also dead.
A week after those deadlines is the last day (130) for the House to consider "local" bills -- legislation that solely affects a particular municipality or location. The next day (131) is the last day for House committees to approve any Senate bills for a vote on the House floor.
"Realistically, to be eligible for consideration by the House under its end-of-session deadlines, Senate bills and joint resolutions must be passed by the Senate and received by the House before the 130th day," wrote the Texas Legislative Council in a deadlines sheet.
The final day that the House can vote on Senate bills for a second time is the 134th day. The next day is the Texas Senate's last for voting on any bills for a second or third time.
The final stretch
A bill can receive amendments from either chamber, but this can essentially create two versions of a single bill. Texas lawmakers merge and clean up these differences with conference committees made up of House Representatives and State Senators.
After a committee decides a bill's final text, it sends the bill back to both chambers for final votes. Those "conference committee reports" (CCR) must reach lawmakers' desks by the 138th day.
If both chambers don't concur on the changes to a bill by the 139th day, then it is dead.
The 140th day, when the Legislature adjourns its session, is limited to corrections only.
Governor's desk isn't the end
When bills reach the Governor during the session, they have 10 days to send it back to the legislature with objections; lawmakers can pass such a bill into law with a 2/3 vote in both chambers.
After the session, the Governor has 20 days to veto any passed bills. Lawmakers can't reconsider bills vetoed after the session, according to the state constitution.
Any bills that are not vetoed become law following the 20-day window.
Following a regular session, the Governor can call for a one-month special session on specific topics. These can begin as soon as the Legislature adjourns, according to the Texas Legislative Reference Library.