The Texas Legislature will be in session from January 8, 2019 through May 27, 2019. It is important to meet the prerequisites of filing legislation and get it filed early in the session to give it the best chance of passing. Legislators may pre-file bills beginning November 12, 2018. For local bills, which includes water district legislation, publication of notice of intent to file legislation must run for at least 30 days prior to filing the particular legislation but not more than 90 days. Therefore, notices could begin to be published as early as October 13, 2018.
While there is no notice requirement for general law bills, they must be filed before the 60th day of legislative session. Whether you are seeking passage of a local or general law bill, it is critical to be aware of these deadlines so that the legislation does not simply because it ran out of time.
For more information on filing legislation or on our governmental relations practice, contact Director Natalie Scott.