Legislature Grinds Toward May 29 Close With Much Still To Accomplish

AUSTIN — With a mere two weeks remaining until the end of the 85th regular session of the Texas Legislature, lawmakers have not yet finalized a state budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. The Legislature’s 150 House members and 31 Senate members can work around the clock, if need be. Their only absolutely required accomplishment in the 140-day-long session is to produce that budget and put it on the governor’s desk. If they don’t, the governor will call them back for a special session. House floor debates, protracted by Republican intra-party bickering, ate up the clock last week. Sheaves of mostly noncontroversial local and consent bills accumulated and died as deadlines took effect, and chances were reduced for hundreds of other bills to earn a spot on a floor-debate calendar.

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