Latest news with #89thRegularLegislativeSession
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Abbott signs 5 laws in favor of Texas small businesses
AUSTIN, Texas (KETK) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed five bills into law on Thursday to support Texas small businesses by improving the process of starting a business and cutting regulations. Gov. Abbott deploys thousands of soldiers to manage planned immigration protests in Texas The following pieces of legislation passed during the 89th Regular Legislative Session and have been signed into law by Abbott: House Joint Resolution 1 House Bill 9 House Bill 346 House Bill 2464 House Bill 5195 The governor's office said each of these bills serve their own purpose within small business, like House Bill 5195 which requires each state agency to assess their website and online services to improve the user experience. This also includes House Bill 2464 which relates to regulation changes for home based businesses. These laws are linked with the Texas economy and Abbott's Small Business Freedom Council that is aimed at recognizing and cutting 'unnecessary' government regulations that Abbott said could hinder Texas small business operations. State Rep. Trent Ashby announces reelection campaign 'The Texas economy is better than ever before,' Abbott said. 'This session, we took strategic steps to boost small businesses in Texas. Even the smallest of barriers can increase the cost of doing business. We want to make it easier and less costly for businesses in Texas, especially our small business owners.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas Legislature Ends, Governor Holds Final Say
(Texas Scorecard) – 140 days and 1,200 bills later, the Texas Legislature officially adjourned sine die on Monday, marking the end of the 89th Regular Legislative Session. The Latin term 'sine die' means 'without a day,' signaling that lawmakers are not scheduled to reconvene—at least not yet. While the regular session has concluded, the possibility always remains that lawmakers could be called back to the Capitol for a special session anytime during the next 18 months. That authority rests solely with Gov. Greg Abbott, who can summon the Legislature to address specific issues of his choosing. At the moment, it is not clear that Abbott will call a special session. If he does, however, one issue appears most likely to be the focus: efforts to strengthen bail reform measures aimed at keeping violent repeat offenders and illegal aliens accused of violent crimes behind bars. Those measures were killed in the House, as they did not gain enough Democrat support to garner the necessary two-thirds vote. In the meantime, Abbott holds a powerful final card: the veto pen. Under state law, the governor has 20 days after final adjournment to sign or veto any bills that have landed on his desk. That means Abbott has until June 22 to act. If he takes no action by then, those bills automatically become law. A veto from the governor outright kills a bill and prevents it from becoming law. Unlike during the session, lawmakers do not have the opportunity to override a veto after adjournment—making these next few weeks critical for any legislation that passed in the final days. As the dust settles on the regular session, attention now turns to the governor's next moves—whether that means a series of bill signings, a flurry of vetoes, or ordering the return of lawmakers to Austin for a summer overtime session. If Abbott does not order a special session, the new legislative session begins January 12, 2027.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas House meets for less than 9 seconds in forced Saturday session
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House of Representatives met for exactly 8.8 seconds for the House's first Saturday session of the 89th Regular Legislative Session. In those seconds, House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, announced that a quorum was not present, which is the minimum number of members needed to be present in order to work. Quorum for the House is 100 members. This follows Friday's events of also not meeting quorum. Speaker Burrows initially announced a quorum was present, but State Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, called for verification and found attendance fell short. 'I'm very proud to have objected [Friday] and to require strict enforcement,' Harrison said. 'Speaker Burrows is conducting what I call 'operation run out the call' because he is trying to run the clock out on Republican priorities that he doesn't want to be blamed for killing.' Nexstar reached out to Speaker Burrows' office for comment and has not heard back yet. We will update this story if a response is given. At this point in the 88th Regular Legislative session, the House reported 13 bills and joint resolutions out of committee. In this year's legislative session, the House has only reported 5 bills and joint resolutions. In comparison, the Texas Senate has reported 94 bills and joint resolutions in this year's legislative session. Mark Strama, a civics professor at UT Austin and a former Texas lawmaker who served five terms in the Texas House, said the slower pace can be attributed to Burrows not being elected as Speaker until the first day of this legislative session—a rarity in Texas politics. 'It took the first month of the session for [Burrows] to sort out who would be committee chairs, who would be assigned to each committee, and then to start referring bills for the committees to organize themselves and start holding hearings,' Strama said. 'They're really just getting their legs underneath them right now.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
