Texas' Process for Making Laws

It's helpful to know about how bills (new laws) develop, how the state budget is made, and when advocates for children can provide input during the process. For more details on the political players, visit our page on Texas leadership, or check out http://www.legis.state.tx.us. For a glossary of terms, visit http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/glossary/glossary.html

Bills

In Texas, bills are officially authored by legislators and introduced in the House, the Senate, or both. Unofficially, legislative staff members and outside interest groups often play a leading role in creating bills. The Legislative Budget Board is charged with preparing cost estimates, called "fiscal notes," for bills that may cost the state money to implement.

Generally, bills are introduced to Committees, which then hear testimony on the bill and vote on whether it should be heard by the full House or the full Senate. This is an important opportunity to provide input, as are the times when votes are taken in each chamber. Near the end of a legislative session, bills may be attached to other bills as amendments, or may be inserted in the state budget as riders. Once a bill is voted out of the House or Senate, it must also be voted on by the other chamber and signed by the Governor to become law. Texas Legislature Online provides detailed information on how bills are introduced, considered, and processed - as well as how to track specific pieces of legislation. (For a great diagram of how a bill becomes a law, click here.)

Budget

While bills are primarily created by individual legislators, the state budget goes through a number of steps that involve all the key players:

• The budget for the State starts with the revenue forecast by the Comptroller. The amount of revenue that will be available is the constraint on state spending.
• The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) prepares preliminary estimates of budgets for all State agencies, usually to represent maintenance of current service levels plus any additional instructions received from the Legislature.
• The House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Finance Committee then separately examine the LBB estimates in light of the revenue forecast and other factors, and make recommendations for changes.
• Subcommittees may focus on specific groups of agencies, such as the Health and Human Services agencies, and make recommendations back to the Appropriations and Finance Committees.
• Once the House and Senate have each agreed amongst themselves on a budget, a joint committee must resolve the differences between the two.
• Finally, the Governor must approve the budget.

When to Speak Out

In Texas, there are many times during the legislative process when regular Texans can remind elected leaders about their priorities. For example, during the legislative session (between January and June of a year ending in an odd number), you can:

• offer written and oral testimony at:
  • budget hearings
  • bill hearings in committee
• make calls, emails, and personal visits to legislative offices as bills are up for vote (in committee or in the respective chambers)
• contact legislators in a conference committee to influence the outcome of a bill under consideration by conferees

• meet with legislators and their staff in their district offices
• provide written testimony on interim charges in advance of a hearing or if no hearing is held
• give written and oral testimony at:
  • interim charge hearings
  • Sunset Commission review hearings of state agencies
  • state agency rulemaking hearings
  • state agency hearings on strategic plans, new initiatives, stakeholder forums, etc.
  • commission and council meetings of state agency boards (public comment period)
  • hearings on proposed agency budgets

For further information about the legislative process and tips on how to provide testimony, get the Texans Care for Children Advocacy Manual.