SENATE MOVING LEGISLATION AS SESSION WANES

Sens. Robert Duncan (left) and Jeff Wentworth look over a proposed amendment during Tuesday's session.

(AUSTIN) — With only 13 days left in the 80th Legislative Session, lawmakers are working around the clock to pass bills before the gavel closes out the session until 2009. Tuesday, the Senate approved 25 bills in regular session, and more than 100 in the Local and Uncontested Calendar. Many of the bills moving in the Legislature aren't highlighted in the media, but can still have a big impact on the lives of average Texans.

One such bill is HB3564, sponsored by Lubbock Senator Robert Duncan, which would place Angelo State University into the Texas Tech University System. Angelo State currently is under the governance of the Texas State University System Board of Regents, but Duncan says it could be better served by being part of the Texas Tech System, with access to its research facilities and law school.

Other bills passed by the Senate Tuesday include:

• HB 75, sponsored by Wentworth, provides for judicial review of Health and Human Services cases where food stamps or Medicaid benefits are denied;
• HB 2455, sponsored by Seliger, adds court appearances to the list of allowed excused absences for school attendance;
• HB 167, sponsored by Hinojosa, would prohibit the seizure of a Bible or other religious text to settle bankruptcy claims and;
• SJR 57, by Williams, would permit the Higher Education Coordinating Board to increase bond issuance from $400 million to $500 million for certain scholarship programs.

The Senate will reconvene Wednesday, May 16, at 11 a.m.

###