Today is the last day for the Texas Senate to approve bills on second or third reading and the Texas House to approve bills on third reading. Legislators will then spend the next few days negotiating between versions of legislation that has passed both houses. The 83rd Session ends Monday, a day reserved for technical corrections. Negotiations related to the budget and key bills impacting the budget continue with the hope of agreement soon.
For you legislative junkies who want to keep up with the final hours of the legislative session, the best way to get the inside scoop is to follow the hashtag #txlege on Twitter. Members of the Texas Legislature, staff, lobbyists and the general public all provide up to the minute information.
As the regular session draws to a close, talk will turn to which legislators plan on running for reelection and which legislators will call it quits voluntarily. So far, there has only been one official announcement. Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) has said that he will not run for reelection in House District 50. We expect a few more announcements in the coming months.