Legislative pace is about to pick up in Austin

It’s time for serious business at the Texas Capitol.

By design, each 140-day regular legislative session starts slowly. But we can hope there will be real progress on the people’s business very soon.

The Senate has already passed some high-profile bills on the back of Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency declaration, including bills on “sanctuary cities,” child welfare, ethics and a “Convention of States” to amend the U.S. Constitution.

The House has moved more slowly, but it has passed two child welfare bills.

Next Friday, the 60th day of the session, is a key date.

Under the state constitution, that’s both the last day for unrestricted filing of bills and the date after which both the House and Senate can pass bills not declared an emergency by the governor.

Controversial issues are coming up.

Senate Bill 6, the “bathroom bill,” is perhaps the most controversial. It would require transgender people to use the restroom of their “biological sex” rather that that of their gender identity.

SB 6 is set for a Senate State Affairs Committee hearing, including public testimony, at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

Despite the emotions surrounding it, the future of SB 6 is uncertain. Abbott has been non-committal, and House Speaker Joe Straus has turned a cold shoulder.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is the bill’s champion, so it very well might pass the Senate. After that, not much.

Early odds are also not good for another Patrick favorite, Senate Bill 3, this session’s school choice bill.

State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, the chairman of the House Public Education Committee, said this past week that he questions whether SB 3 will even get out of the Senate — and if it does, Huberty said, it will be dead on arrival in his committee.

Perhaps the most significant legislative event of the past week happened in the House.

Appropriations Committee Chairman John Zerwas, R-Richmond, filed House Bill 2, a supplemental appropriation that’s designed to put the current 2016-17 budget in final balance.

Significantly, Zerwas proposes using $1.4 billion from Rainy Day Fund savings for this budget-balancing.

Abbott has warned against “looting” the Rainy Day Fund. Taking $1.4 billion from a fund that otherwise would hit almost $12 billion by the end of the next budget cycle is not looting.

This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Legislative pace is about to pick up in Austin."