With only ten days left in the session, things are beginning to feel a little tight. The good news is that SB16 – Sen Averitt’s omnibus clean air and energy efficiency bill – has been put on the House Major State Calendar for tomorrow, May 23. (That’s right – Saturday. The House is expected to meet both Saturday and Sunday this weekend to make it through as many bills as possible by the next big deadline – midnight on Tuesday.) ACT is issuing an Act NOW Action Alert in support of strengthening SB 16. Details of the alert will be posted later this morning after the ACT Clean Air team meets to review the final version of the committee substitute. An action alert will also be sent to the ACT/TexAN activist list.
On the renewable energy bills front, SB 545 has been sent to the House Calendars committee. SB 541 has beed reported favorably by the House Committee on State Affairs; the committee report has not yet been filed. ACT has two urgent recommendations on behalf of these bills:
- ACT urges the House Calendars Committee to place SB 545 on the calendar for Major State Affairs at its next meeting.
- ACT urges the House Committee on State Affairs to take all necessary steps to have the committee report on SB 541 in the House Calendars Committee before its next meeting.
Two more ACT high priority bills are poised to move to the next step. HB 821 (producer TV takeback recycling) was heard in Senate Business and Commerce yesterday afternoon and passed out on a 9-0 vote. It is now eligible for the Senate Intent calendar; ACT will continue to follow this bill and let supporters know if and when calls to the Lieutenant Governor’s office might be needed.
Finally, SB 184, Senator Watson “no regrets” greenhouse gas bill was reported favorably from House Environmental Regulation yesterday. The next step for this bill is for the committee report to be sent to the House Calendars Committee.
2011 ACT Legislative Agenda
ACT's 2011 Legislative Agenda is now available online. In 2011, ACT calls on the Texas Legislature to safeguard our health and our environment by adopting key recommendations in air, clean energy, land, waste & recycling, water and reform of our state government.
