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85th Texas Legislature Regular Session Update – April 18, 2017

The 85th Legislature has been assigning bills to house and senate committees, and some bills have made it out of committee. You can read more on the Texas Senate News page and on the Texas House of Representatives News page.

  • May 29, 2017: Last day of legislative session.
  • June 18, 2017: Last day the governor can sign or veto bills passed during the regular legislative session.
  • More than half of pre-filed bills have been assigned to a committee. Most of the bills assigned to a committee are waiting for a public hearing, or have already had a public hearing and are left pending. No bills have been passed by the legislature (other than resolutions).
  • Although not many bills have been voted on yet by The Senate and House of Representatives from the surrounding area of Houston, here are a few pertaining to the environment on this Google Spreadsheet. 
  • ACT (Alliance for Clean Texas) Lobby Day will be on April 25, 2017, at the Texas State Capitol in the Legislative Conference Center Room E2.002. You will have the opportunity to learn lobby basics, hear about environmental bills, and help push important bills. If you would like to RSVP to this event, please email rita.beving@gmail.com by Friday, April 21. If you would like to read more about this event, please visit the event’s Facebook page. 

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Updates on Committees & Bills in the 85th Legislative Session

  • Agriculture & Livestock – Scheduled to meet April 19. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 1535 – prohibition of pesticides on public road rights of way
    • Bills out of committee:
      • HB 572 – disposal of pesticides
  • Agriculture, Water, & Rural Affairs – Met on April 17. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • SB 189 – permit to drill injection wells
      • SB 538 – planning for responses to drought
      • SB 1454 – study/approval of lethal pesticides
    • Bills out of committee:
      • SB 1459 – destroy/remove/treat citrus trees in pest management zones
    • Bills voted on by Senate:
      • SB 546 – quality of water by public drinking water supply
  • Business & Commerce – Met on April 18. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • SB 103 – provision of bags
        • Senator Borris Miles signed a petition in favor of the bag ordinance
      • SB 733 – sanitation and safety requirements for certain artificial bodies of water
    • Bills out of committee:
      • SB 59 – energy and water management planning for state agencies and institutions of higher education
  • Energy Resources - Met on April 17. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 1168 – mineral use of land subdivided for energy development
      • HB 1931 – duties of State Energy Conservation Office, clean energy projects
    • Bills scheduled for a public hearing:
      • HB 2488 – treatment and recycling for beneficial use of drill cuttings (correlates with SB 1541) Update 04/06/017: This bill has been withdrawn from schedule. 
  • Environmental Regulation – Met on April 18. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 838, HB 1979, HB 2682 - emissions
      • HB 1437 – litter reduction
      • HB 1874 – recycling of certain household batteries
      • HB 1927 - alert system for release of toxic chemicals by manufacturing facility. Fire at LyondellBasell Refinery is an example to help support this bill. Read Air Alliance’s article here.
      • HB 2046 – funds to support recycling projects and infrastructure
      • HB 2086 & HB 2088 – permits on concrete batch plants
      • HB 2125 – recycling of architectural paint
      • HB 2662 – Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact waste disposal facility.
    • Bills scheduled for a hearing:
      • HB 2092 – prohibition of land application of grit/grease trap waste (correlates with SB 746)
    • Bills out of committee:
      • HB 1515 – dry cleaner environmental response program
      • HB 3090 – laws prohibiting outdoor burning of waste & combustible material
    • Bills voted on by House:
      • HB 402 –  air quality correlating with vehicles
      • HB 1619 – prosecution and punishment for outdoor burning
  • Intergovernmental Relations – Scheduled to meet April 19. Bills to note:
    • Bills voted on by Senate:
      • SB 744 – tree planting credit
  • Land & Resource Management – Scheduled to meet April 19. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 1625 – Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991
    • Bills out of committee:
      • HCR 106 – storm surge barrier on Texas coast
  • Natural Resources – Scheduled to meet April 19. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 1318 – regulation of production of wells
    • Bills out of committee:
      • HB 31 – regulation of groundwater
  • Natural Resources & Economic Development – Met on April 18. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • SB 746 – prohibit land application of grit/grease trap waste (correlates with HB 2092)
      • SB 1064 – outdoor burning
    • Bills out of committee:
      • SB 1046 – Texas emissions reduction plan funding
      • SB 1541 – treatment and recycling for beneficial use of drill cuttings (correlates with HB 2488)
    • Bills voted on by Senate:
      • SB 26 – Texas emissions reduction plan
      • SB 570 – regulation of scrap tires
      • SB 1045 – public notice requirements for air quality permit applicants
      • HB 2005 – studies of aquifer storage and recovery
  • Public Health: Met on April 18. Bills to note:
    • Bills voted on by House:
  • State Affairs – Scheduled to meet April 19. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee:
      • HB 2204 – water projects, treatment works, flood control measures
  • Urban Affairs – Met on April 18. Bills to note:
    • Bills pending/in committee: