Texas Senate reads scores of bills and constitutional amendments on first reading, then adjourns

The Texas Senate convened and the secretary read dozens of bills and proposed constitutional amendments on first reading, with each item announced and referred to a standing committee, the presiding officer said.

The secretary, identified in the transcript as Speaker 2, read measure after measure by bill number and sponsor. Among the constitutional measures announced were "S j r 1 by Huffman proposing a constitutional amendment"—a measure described in the reading as "requiring the denial of bail for an illegal alien charged with an offense punishable as a felony" referred "to criminal justice"—and "S j r 2 by Bettencourt et al, proposing a constitutional amendment to increase the amount of the exemption of residents' homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district," which was sent "to local government." The secretary also read SJR 35 (Johnson), described as "proposing a constitutional amendment to repeal the constitutional provision providing that marriage in this state consists only of the union of 1 man and 1 woman," and SJR 37 (Birdwell), noted as "proposing a constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen." Each item was read with its committee referral.

The roll included a wide range of Senate bills on first reading. The secretary announced bills covering criminal justice, health and human services, business and commerce, transportation and education committees, among others. Examples from the reading include "Senate bill 701 by Hughes relating to mediation or arbitration of certain billing disputes between health benefit plan issuers or administrators and out of network facilities" (referred to Health and Human Services in the reading), and bills addressing autopsy procedures, licensing for health-related businesses, electricity pricing, and infrastructure issues. The transcript records these as announcements only; no debate or formal votes on the measures appear in the provided excerpt.

The session ended without recorded floor debate. As Speaker 1 stated in the transcript, "Pursuant to a motion previously adopted, the senate stands adjourned until 11AM, Tuesday, February the eleventh." No further procedural actions or vote tallies appear in the transcript excerpt.

What happened next: the Senate adjourned to reconvene at the time announced by the presiding officer. The reading of bills on first reading means that the measures were formally placed on the record and referred to the committees named during the reading; subsequent committee action or floor consideration is not recorded in this excerpt.