Dallas News by John Savage 7/28/2017
AUSTIN — The Senate and its president, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have been working at top speed to pass the 20 items on Gov. Greg Abbott's agenda for the special legislative session.
The chamber approved 18 bills in just the first week by working late into the nights and through the weekend. Much of the agenda Abbott laid out in June aligns with conservative proposals Patrick pushed during the regular session.
The House, on the other hand, is moving at a slower pace, a strategy House Speaker Joe Straus has called "deliberate."
We've compiled a scorecard of how the items are faring in the House and the Senate, but first, here's a refresher on how a bill becomes law in Texas.
After a lawmaker in the 31-member Senate or 150-member House files a bill, it's assigned to a committee. The committee needs to pass it to send the bill to the full chamber where it originated — the House or the Senate, which will vote on it. During this process, lawmakers can add amendments to the legislation.
If a bill makes it through both chambers, representatives from each body meet to resolve any differences between House and Senate versions of the bill. If they can agree, the measure heads to the governor, who can veto it or sign it into law.
With the clock ticking — only 20 days to go in the special session — here's a list of each of Abbott's 20 agenda items and where they are in the legislative process, with links to previous stories on the issues. Keep an eye on this story for updates, and follow our legislative coverage site, The 85th.
More:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-legislature/2017/07/28/scorecard-gov-abbotts-special-session-agenda-stands
