The Making of Law in Texas: HillCo Partner’s 7-Step Guide

The Texas Legislature meets every odd-numbered year for its most important function – legislation. During these legislative sessions, several bills are proposed which go through a 7-step process before they can be made into law. The process can be a complicated one, but this easy guide made by HillCo Partners simplifies the entire process. Here is how a bill becomes law:

Filing the Bill

The first step for a bill to become a law is to file it in the respective chamber. A bill can be filed either in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Bills can be filed immediately after the General Election or any time during an active legislative session. Bills that could not be passed in the previous legislative session can also be carried onto the next legislative session. During this process, HillCo Partners maintains close contact with lawmakers to maintain a watchful eye over any new bills and their progress.

Committee Referral

The second step after filing is to refer the bill to a committee. During the 87th Legislative Session, only 32% of the bills made it through the committee stage. Each house has dedicated committees to discuss new bills. A committee is composed of members from the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each member of the Senate is part of multiple committees. The Chair of the Committee decides which bill will make it to the floor for debates.

Scheduling the Bill

Each bill that gets through the committee referral stage needs to be scheduled for a debate on the floor of the chamber. This task is managed by the Calendar Committee. Reports of the committee are forwarded to the calendar committee by the committee coordinator. Bills introduced in the Senate are scheduled by the Administration Committee.

Debating the Bill

Debating the bill on the floor of the chamber is the most important step in the law-making process. Any changes that are recommended during the debates are incorporated after the debate has ended. Each amendment is done by a vote of a simple majority. After this process, there is a second reading of the bill. The members then vote on the bill so that it may be floored for a third reading. All three readings must be done on separate days. The bill is then sent to the opposing chamber which follows the same reading process.

Bill Goes Back to the Original Chamber

After going through the opposing chamber, the bill is sent back to the original chamber. If the bill is approved by the opposing chamber, it is sent to the governor to be signed into law. If amendments have been proposed, a conference committee may be set up to reach a compromise between the two chambers.

Bill Reaches the Governor

A bill that has the assent of both chambers reaches the governor. The governor has three options available, they can sign it into law within 20 days of receiving the bill, make it into law without signature, or veto it. If a bill is vetoed, it returns to the original chamber, which can override the veto by a two-thirds majority.

Bill Becomes Law

The bill becomes law on the date that it is signed, after the lapse of 20 days if unsigned, or the day the chambers override the veto.

About HillCo Partners

Hillco Partners is an Austin-based government and public affairs consulting firm. The firm was founded by Neal T. “Buddy” Jones and Bill Miller. Neal T. “Buddy” Jones is a former legislator and the lead lobbyist at HillCo. He has been inducted into Capitol Inside’s Lobbyist Hall of Fame. The Texas Monthly has included Jones twice in their 25 most powerful people in the State of Texas.