The 81st Legislature: the end is near

AUSTIN (KXAN) - House Democrats finished up their five days off chubbing about three hours Tuesday’s midnight deadline to pass bills on 2nd. Reading. As a result, some big bills died on the House floor and were later revived as amendments in the Senate. However, the House parliamentarian ruled that some of those amendments were not germane and those bills were sent to conference committee for negotiation.

One bill that did make headway is funding for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Program. A conference committee came to an agreement late Saturday night and it now has to go back to the House for a final vote. Gov. Perry has threatened to call a special session is lawmakers don’t figure out how to pay for the next big storm by sine die.

”I suggest that members get to work so they don’t have to stay in Austin over the summer,” said the Governor.

Meanwhile, Speaker Joe Straus filed his papers to run for Speaker of the Texas House once again. He said he thinks he can win but wants to get through the last two days of the legislative session first.

Sine die is on Monday, June 1st and with strict deadlines, most of the major work must get completed by midnight on Sunday.