1. City of College Station
83rd Texas Legislature
June 27, 2013

2. Legislative Snapshot
More than 5,800 bills filed
1,437 bills passed
26 bills vetoed by Governor Perry
‣95 Republicans, 55 Democrats in the Texas House
‣19 Republicans, 12 Democrats in the Texas Senate
Legislative Snapshot
More than 5,800 bills filed
1,437 bills passed
26 bills vetoed by Governor Perry
‣95 Republicans, 55 Democrats in the Texas House
‣19 Republicans, 12 Democrats in the Texas Senate

3. College Station Interests
HB 3296 The “Kyle Field” bill; revises the hotel occupancy rate in
Brazos County for the purposes of renovating Kyle Field.
EFFECTIVE 6.14
HB 3474 and HB 3475 Creates the Rock Prairie Municipal
Management Districts No. 1 and 2. EFFECTIVE 6.14

4. • State Budget
$196.9 billion two-year budget representing a 3.7% increase
over the current budget.
• $3.4 billion in additional money for schools through the
Foundation School Program
• $259 million in new state funding for mental health
programs
• $3.9 billion from the Rainy Day Fund to finance water
projects, deferral payments to schools and wildfire
fighting

5. • Education
HB 5 - Revises graduation programs, reduces the number of end-
of-course (EOC) assessments for students and implements other
changes related to accountability, assessment, and curriculum in
public schools. VARIOUS EFFECTIVE DATES
•Elections
HB 259 - Permits electioneering on the premises of a building
used as a polling place outside specified areas with reasonable
regulations concerning time, place, and manner of
electioneering. EFFECTIVE 6.14
SB 553 - Allows certain high school students to serve as early
voting clerks. EFFECTIVE 6.14

6. • Open Meetings/Open Records
HB 2414 - Authorizes a member of a governmental body to
participate remotely in a meeting by videoconference call and
authorizes a governmental body to hold a meeting by
videoconference call. EFFECTIVE 6.14
SB 1297 - Permits a governmental body to create an online
message board and clarifies that these message boards do not
constitute a public meeting as long as they meet the criteria
described by the bill. EFFECTIVE 9.1
SB 1368 - Revises the open records act by specifying that
electronic messages dealing with official business are public.
EFFECTIVE 9.1

7. • Tax
HB 500 - Makes revisions to the franchise tax including
making permanent the $1 million small business tax
exemption and makes a temporary reduction in the franchise
tax for all businesses for the next two years. VARIOUS
EFFECTIVE DATES
HB 800 - Reinstates the sales and use tax exemption for
certain research and development activities and establishes a
franchise tax credit to entities performing qualified research
and development activities. EFFECTIVE 1.1.14

8. • Transparency
HB 13 - Requires new duties of the Pension Review Board
including the online posting of the most recent financial data
received from public retirement systems and to notify local
officials of noncompliance. EFFECTIVE 5/24
SB 637 - Requires bond election proposals to include the
purpose of the bond election, the total amount of outstanding
bond obligations and interest in the local community, and the
estimated property tax rate required to pay off the debt on the
bonds. EFFECTIVE 9/1
SB 656 Adds requirements to the municipal budgeting
process including the approval of an adopted budget through a
record vote. The adopted budget is required to include a cover
page with specific, statutorily required information.
EFFECTIVE 9/1

9. • Water
HB 4/SJR 1 – Establishes the State Water Implementation
Fund for Texas (SWIFT) including $2 billion from the Rainy Day
Fund. It requires a constitutional amendment to use the
money from the Rainy Day Fund (SJR 1) to be voted on in
November 2013. HB 4 EFFECTIVE DATE 9.1

10. Failed Interests
•Campus Carry Legislation
•Newspaper Publication Legislation
•Payday Lending
•Sales & Use Tax Exemption for College Textbooks
•Transportation Funding

11. 1st Called Special Session
Governor Perry immediately convened the Legislature for a special session
May 27th following the regular session. The special session was initially
restricted to ratifying and adopting the interim redistricting plans ordered by
the federal district court for the Texas House and Senate and United States
House of Representatives. These three bills passed and were signed by the
governor yesterday, May 26th.
The session was subsequently expanded to include transportation funding on
June 10th and further expanded the following day to include the regulation of
abortion procedures and facilities and establishing a mandatory sentence of
life with parole for a capital felony committed by a 17 year-old offender.
None of these other issues passed in time to satisfy the constitutionally
imposed 30 day limit on special sessions. The first called special session ended
in the Senate early Wednesday morning without resolution.
Governor Perry immediately convened the Legislature for a special session
May 27th following the regular session. The special session was initially
restricted to ratifying and adopting the interim redistricting plans ordered by
the federal district court for the Texas House and Senate and United States
House of Representatives. These three bills passed and were signed by the
governor yesterday, May 26th.
The session was subsequently expanded to include transportation funding on
June 10th and further expanded the following day to include the regulation of
abortion procedures and facilities and establishing a mandatory sentence of
life with parole for a capital felony committed by a 17 year-old offender.
None of these other issues passed in time to satisfy the constitutionally
imposed 30 day limit on special sessions. The first called special session ended
in the Senate early Wednesday morning without resolution.

12. 2nd Called Special Session
Governor Perry announced yesterday afternoon that he is
convening the Legislature for a second special session beginning
Monday, July 1st
at 2 p.m. The special session includes the
following issues:
•Legislation relating to the regulation of abortion procedures,
providers and facilities.
•Legislation relating to the funding of transportation
infrastructure projects.
•Legislation relating to establishing a mandatory sentence of life
with parole for a capital felony committee by a 17 year-old
offender.
Governor Perry announced yesterday afternoon that he is
convening the Legislature for a second special session beginning
Monday, July 1st
at 2 p.m. The special session includes the
following issues:
•Legislation relating to the regulation of abortion procedures,
providers and facilities.
•Legislation relating to the funding of transportation
infrastructure projects.
•Legislation relating to establishing a mandatory sentence of life
with parole for a capital felony committee by a 17 year-old
offender.