AUSTIN, Texas (KXXV) — The Texas Senate is reconvening Thursday night to discuss several bills, including Senate Bill 9, Senate Bill 7, Senate Bill 17, Senate Bill 4, and Senate Bill 1 for second readings.
Watch the Senate reconvene here:
Bills on the agenda
Senate Bill 9 - Relating to public school accountability and transparency, including the implementation of an instructionally supportive assessment program and the adoption and administration of assessment instruments in public schools, indicators of achievement, public school performance ratings, and interventions and sanctions under the public school accountability system, a grant program for school district local accountability plans, and actions challenging Texas Education Agency decisions related to public school accountability.
Senate Bill 7 - Relating to abortion, including civil liability for the manufacture and provision of abortion-inducing drugs, exemptions from the Texas Citizens Participation Act and Religious Freedom Restoration Act, authorizing civil and qui tam actions, amendments to the fee-shifting statute governing abortion litigation, immunity defenses and limits on state-court jurisdiction and relief, the parens patriae standing of the attorney general, and the jurisdiction of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals; providing for severability.
Senate Bill 17 - Relating to the operation and administration of and practices and procedures related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government, including court security, court documents and arrest warrants, document delivery, juvenile boards, constitutional amendment election challenges, record retention, youth diversion, court-ordered mental health services, the powers of the Texas Supreme Court, and jurors; increasing a criminal penalty; authorizing fees.
Senate Bill 4 - Relating to the composition of the districts for the election of members of the United States House of Representatives from the State of Texas.
Senate Bill 1 - Relating to campground and youth camp safety, also known as "Heaven's 27" Act.
The Senate reconvened until Friday at 10 a.m.
A Special Committee on Congressional Redistricting met earlier on Thursday to discuss House Bill 4, a companion bill to Senate Bill 4 that passed out of the House of Representatives on Aug. 20.
The special committee voted 5 to 3 in favor of reporting HB 4 to the full Senate with a favorable recommendation.
