TACCA 87th Legislature Wrap-Up

June 2021

By all accounts, the 87th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature was a singular experience that no one wants to see repeated – ever. The session opened in the middle of a once-a-century pandemic and resulting lockdown that, coupled with falling oil prices, left the Texas revenue forecast looking very bleak. The Legislature convened on time, with strict COVID protocols that included most staff working from home, and remote committee registration and testimony for the first time. The Capitol was virtually empty as lobbyists learned to navigate remote meetings and presentations.

Then, a month into the session, Winter Storm Uri hit – estimated to be the most expensive Texas natural disaster. Instantly the Legislature’s focus shifted from coping with and paying for the pandemic to ensuring that ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission had the tools to prevent any future statewide grid failure, and that electric generation facilities and the gas facilities that fuel some of them were required to weatherize to protect the grid against future demand driven by both winter and summer extreme conditions.

In the midst of this pandemic/budget/electricity chaos, the regular work of the Legislature continued. Of 137 bills on TACCA’s tracking list, 27 are on the final list and have been signed by the Governor or are on his desk. He has until June 20 to veto, sign, or let bills become effective without his signature. Here are a few of the bills that are of particular interest to TACCA, in rough order of importance.