Little done in Austin with 1 bill passed in 92 days of work Texas Legislature

Scorecoard in Austin: 92 days of work, 1 bill

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, and Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, talk about a redistricting proposal on March 23. Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, and Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, talk about a redistricting proposal on March 23. Photo: Harry Cabluck, AP Photo: Harry Cabluck, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Little done in Austin with 1 bill passed in 92 days of work 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The number of bills to reach the governor’s desk: One.

Meanwhile, major bills on windstorm insurance, transportation, reform of the state schools for the mentally challenged and modernizing the state’s unemployment system are slogging through the halls of the state Capitol.

“I have never seen a slower pace. I have seen a few sessions in my day, but I have never seen one this slow,” said state Rep. Al Edwards D-Houston, who is in his 15th legislative session.

The only bill to reach Gov. Rick Perry is one to allow CenterPoint Energy and Entergy to recover the cost of Hurricane Ike cleanup and repairs through a rate increase at the Public Utility Commission.

CenterPoint estimates it will be adding $2 to $2.50 a month to the average customer’s bill, while Entergy is predicting an extra charge of about $5.25 a month.

Without a doubt, the session has been one of the slowest paced in recent memory. By this point in 2007, there were nine bills on the governor’s desk; in 2005 there were three.

But numbers alone don’t tell the story of the 81st Legislature.

Other than the state budget — which has passed the Senate and will be debated in the House on Friday and Saturday — very little major legislation has been moved from either the House or Senate.

The actual number of bills passed by the Senate was up — from 211 in 2007 to 340 as of Monday — only because the Senate has had two full calendars of uncontested legislation, meaning bills that do not require debate.

There had been 103 bills to move out of the House by Tuesday.

The opening-day Senate battle over voter identification laws dampened the collegial atmosphere there, some say.

And the fight over replacing House Speaker Tom Craddick with Speaker Joe Straus delayed the organization of committees by weeks.

Perry on Feb. 3 listed six topics as emergency legislation, including the CenterPoint/Entergy bill.

His emergency item on paying for state government losses from the hurricane will be heard for the first time on the House floor today, but windstorm insurance reform is stuck in House and Senate committees.

“It’s not what happens at the middle of the session,” said Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “People aren’t concerned about the process, they’re concerned about the outcome.”

Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, who passed the electric recovery bill along with Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, said she is happy with the legislative session’s more deliberate pace.

“I’m glad the pace has slowed down. At least we are able to look at what we are doing and do a better job at reading the bills and discussing them in committee,” Thompson said.

Slow as it is, this legislative session has had the most bills ever introduced: 7,494. Two years ago, there were 6,359 introduced.

“We had a record number of bills introduced. That’s the bad news,” said state Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville. “The good news is that probably a record number of them will fail.”

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Legislative update

Developments in Austin from the Chronicle staff:

Smoking: Are you old enough to smoke? The Senate voted to up the legal age for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 19. Now the measure heads to the House.

More officers needed: The House passed a bill to make it easier for the Houston Police Department to recruit new officers by allowing recruits to get college credit from six months they spend at the academy.

Fallen firefighters: The Senate passed resolutions honoring Houston firefighters James Harlow and Damion Hobbs, killed Easter morning in a house fire.

The rookie lawmaker’s first bill: The House approved a measure by State Rep. Armando Walle, D-Houston, that allows a firefighter or police officer to a paid day off for working on Sept. 11 of each year. It was the freshman legislator’s first bill passed.

Hurricane repairs: House Bill 4586 would include money for emergency repairs after Hurricane Ike. The House will hear the bill Thursday.

State budget: The state House will start debate Friday on its $178.4 billion appropriations bill.

r.g.ratcliffe@chron.com

gscharrer@express-news.net