Senate approves a slate of bills on March 13, including driver's-license, rural water and broadcaster rules

The Texas Senate on March 13 adopted a series of bills and one concurrent resolution in expedited floor action, moving several measures from second reading to final passage in the same day.

The measures that received final passage included bills on driver's license address options for certain workers, the statutory definition used for rural water funding, how television and radio broadcasters calculate cost of goods sold for franchise-tax purposes, and numerous housekeeping and technical changes to state law. Roll call results recorded on the floor were mostly unanimous or near-unanimous.

Votes at a glance

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 523 — relating to the issuance of a driver's license to certain persons that includes an alternative to the license holder's residence address: final passage (passed to engrossment and final passage on March 13). Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover on final passage: Senator Zaffirini (motioned final passage).

- Senate Bill 971 — relating to the definition of a rural political subdivision for purposes of the Texas Water Assistance Program: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Sparks.

- Senate Bill 263 — relating to the computation of the cost of goods sold by television and radio broadcasters for purposes of the franchise tax: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Perry.

- Senate Concurrent Resolution 9 (SCR 9) — urging Congress to propose and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to maintain nine justices on the United States Supreme Court (the “Keep 9” resolution): adopted. Vote recorded on the floor: 27 ayes, 3 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Hughes.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 914 — authorizing certain cities to change the date on which their general election for officers is held (bracketed to the city of Alpine): final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Blanco.

- Senate Bill 766 — correcting references to the former Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission to the current agency name: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Zaffirini.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 1066 — raising bond thresholds for certain Parks and Wildlife contracts: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Perry.

- Senate Bill 688 — updating Texas law to align the state's meeting date for presidential electors with federal law: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 30 ayes, 0 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Hughes.

- Committee substitute for Senate Bill 569 — relating to provision of virtual education in public schools under certain waivers and modifications of the commissioner of education and to methods of calculating average daily attendance in an emergency: final passage. Vote recorded on the floor: 28 ayes, 2 nays. Sponsor/mover: Senator Bettencourt.

What this means

Many of these motions were taken under suspension of the Senate's rules, a procedural step that allowed bills to advance to final passage the same day they were taken up. Several sponsors described their measures as technical fixes, clarifications or responses to earlier statutory changes. The near-unanimous vote totals shown on the floor reflect that most measures did not draw extended floor debate.

Provenance: the transcript records the committee substitute and caption readings for each bill and the roll-call announcements and final passings on March 13 in the Senate chamber.