AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - The final gavel has fallen on the Texas Legislature's 2015 session.
House Speaker Joe Straus excused his chamber just before 1 p.m., shortly after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Senate, adjourned the upper chamber. Cheers, handshakes and hugs followed, as members took congratulatory photos on the floor.
The Legislature meets every two years in 140-day sessions. Unless Gov. Greg Abbott calls lawmakers into a special session to tackle specific issues, it won't return until January 2017.
Houston Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner, who will run for mayor of his hometown instead of seeking another term after a quarter-century in the Legislature, made the motion to end the session.
As his "last official act," Turner moved that the chamber "sine die," or adjourn for good so lawmakers can head home.
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