Texas Bills To Laws: Success Rate Explained

The process of a bill becoming a law in Texas is a complex one. It involves multiple steps, including introduction and referral, committee action, floor action, a conference committee, and finally, the governor's decision. The Texas Legislature meets every two years, during odd-numbered years, and the governor can call a special session if needed. During a legislative session, thousands of bills are typically filed, but most never become laws. The Texas Legislature for 2025 has introduced five new laws, including the removal of mandatory annual vehicle inspections, the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, and the creation of a new judicial district.

The process of a bill becoming a law in Texas

Every bill must have an author or sponsor. The author is the original creator of the bill, and the sponsor agrees to champion the bill in the opposite chamber. There are four types of authors, including the primary author and additional authors who show their support by putting their name on the bill.

The bill must be read three times in its chamber of origin and then another three times in the other chamber. The process begins by referring the bill to a committee, at which point it is considered read for the first time. There are standing committees, which exist year-round, and select committees, which are created for a specific purpose. While a bill is in committee, the author can change its language to strengthen it before others can amend it.

After a bill is voted out of committee, it is sent to a calendars committee in the House or is sent to the Senate floor. Attached to the bill is a committee report, detailing the committee's recommendations, votes, text of the bill, fiscal notes, proposed amendments, an analysis of the bill, and a witness list of supporters and opponents.

Once a bill is out of committee, it goes to one of the committees that coordinate the various floor calendars. The House Calendars Committee decides if and when a bill will be heard on the House floor. Members can propose amendments to the bill during the second or third reading, and they can also try to prevent a bill from moving forward by finding a "point of order", meaning the bill violates House rules.

In the Senate, the process is similar, but there is a tradition of passing a "blocker bill" every regular session. This is intended to ensure that a supermajority of Senators must agree to hear all bills during the regular session. To get a bill heard, a sponsoring Senator must inform the Secretary of the Senate that they want their bill placed on the Intent Calendar. A simple majority is then needed to pass the bill.

Once a bill has passed through one chamber, it must go through the whole process again in the other chamber. If the bill passes through both chambers but is changed in the second chamber, the original author decides whether to accept the changes. If they do, the bill goes to the Governor. If not, a Conference Committee is created to reconcile the two versions of the bill and submit a final version for passage by both chambers.

The Governor then has three options: they can allow the bill to pass without a signature, veto it, or take no action. If vetoed, a two-thirds majority in each chamber can overrule the veto, but the Legislature must be in session to do so. A bill becomes a law on its effective date, which is usually the 91st day after final adjournment.

The role of the Governor in passing bills

The governor of Texas plays a crucial role in the process of passing bills into law. The governor, as the head of the executive branch, has significant influence at the beginning and end of each legislative session. Here are the key aspects of the governor's role:

Policy Recommendations and Priority Setting

The governor can recommend policies that legislators then introduce as bills. This occurs at the start of a legislative session, often during the State of the State speech. The governor can also declare certain priorities as emergencies, allowing the Legislature to vote on them within the first 60 days of a session before other legislation is considered. This gives the governor substantial influence over the legislative agenda.

Appointment Powers

The governor appoints several key officials, including the secretary of state, commissioner of education, and members of boards and commissions overseeing state agencies and departments. These appointees play a crucial role in implementing laws and directing state policies.

Veto Power

One of the governor's most significant constitutional duties is the power to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature. The governor has three options when receiving an enrolled bill: sign it into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without a signature. If the governor vetoes a bill while the Legislature is still in session, it can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in each chamber. However, if a bill is passed in the final days of a session and then vetoed, it can be challenging to override due to the limited time available.

Budgetary Influence

While the governor's direct budgetary powers are relatively limited, they can influence the process through persuasion and the threat of veto power. The governor is required to submit a budget proposal, but the Legislature often takes the lead on budgetary matters.

Convening Special Sessions

The governor has the authority to convene special sessions of the Legislature for specific purposes, allowing for focused attention on particular issues outside the regular legislative session.

Other Duties

The governor has several other statutory duties, including serving as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces, delivering a report on the state's condition to the Legislature at the start of each regular session, estimating taxation requirements, accounting for public monies, and granting clemency upon the recommendation of the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

The Texas Legislature

The process of passing a bill in the Texas Legislature involves several steps. Firstly, a bill is introduced in the House or Senate by a representative or senator. The bill is then referred to a committee, which studies and holds hearings on the bill before creating a report. The bill undergoes three readings in its chamber of origin and must receive a two-thirds majority vote to pass. If amended, the bill returns to the other chamber for approval of changes. If the other chamber does not agree with the changes, a Conference Committee is formed to reconcile the differences and create a final version.

Once a bill passes both chambers, it is sent to the Governor, who can choose to sign or veto it. If the Governor vetoes the bill, it can still become a law if two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote to override the veto.

The Conference Committee

A conference committee is a crucial step in the Texas legislative process, convened to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of a bill. This committee is formed when the originating chamber refuses to accept the changes made by the opposite chamber. The committee is composed of five members from each chamber, appointed by their respective presiding officers, with the task of reconciling the two versions of the bill.

The formation of a conference committee is indicated in the bill history or "Actions" list, where you will find the actions "House appoints conferees" or "Senate appoints conferees." The appointees are listed on the “History” page of the bill in the Texas Legislature Online system. It is important to note that conference committee meetings are generally not recorded, and formal meeting notices are not always published.

Once the conference committee reaches an agreement, a report is submitted to both chambers for approval or disapproval. This report must be accepted by at least three conferees from each chamber and must include the agreed-upon text of the bill, a side-by-side analysis comparing the text to both the House and Senate versions, and the signatures of the approving conferees. If the report is not accepted by either chamber, the committee may deliberate further or a new committee may be formed. However, if an agreement is not ultimately reached, the bill will not become law.

On the other hand, if the conference committee report is adopted by both chambers, the bill moves forward in the legislative process. It is then enrolled, signed by the presiding officers, and sent to the governor for further consideration and potential enactment into law.

The number of readings required for a bill

To pass a bill in Texas, it must be read three times in its chamber of origin and then another three times in the other chamber. The first reading occurs when the bill is referred to a committee, as determined by the Lieutenant Governor or Speaker, depending on the chamber. The second reading happens the first time the bill is heard on the House floor after it has left the committee. The third reading occurs when the bill is again presented to the full chamber for a final opportunity for debate and amendment by the chamber and the chamber's final approval.

The second and third readings in the originating chamber can include proposed amendments to the bill. Amendments can also be proposed during the second and third readings in the second chamber.

If a bill passes through both chambers but the second chamber makes changes, the original bill author decides whether to accept the changes. If they do, the bill goes to the Governor. If not, a Conference Committee is created, generally with three Representatives and three Senators, to reconcile the two versions of the bill and submit a final version for passage by both chambers. If they are successful, the bill goes to the Governor.

Once the Governor receives a bill, they have three options:

• Allow the bill to pass without a signature
• Veto the bill (although a two-thirds majority in each chamber can override this)
• Take no action on the bill for 10 days (or 20 days after 'Sine Die', the last day of the session, if the bill was received within the final 10 days of the session)

Frequently asked questions