The conference committee on House Bill 1, the proposed budget for the upcoming 2012-2013 biennium has been appointed and is hard at work. The House is represented by Rep. Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie); Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston); Rep. Myra Crownover (R-Denton); Rep. John Otto (R-Dayton); and Rep. John Zerwas (R-Houston). The Senate is represented by Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan); Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen); Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound); Sen. Tommy Williams (R-The Woodlands); and Sen. Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock).
Texas A&M University System’s chancellor, Mike McKinney, announced Tuesday that he plans to retire July 1, 2011.
Deadlines are approaching for House Bills. House Bills must be passed on second reading by tomorrow night at midnight in order to continue through the legislative process. The Senate does not have a corresponding rule. All bills must pass the Senate on third reading by May 25. However, for the bill to have a chance to make it through the House, Senate bills should be out of the Senate by the end of this week. The nights are long and tempers are short in both wings of the Texas Capitol as we reach the last 20 days of the regular legislative session.