The latest on the 85th Session

This builds on the post below about dark money in Texas campaigns.

Legislators are already nervous about the next biennial budget.

- Lawmakers have mixed feelings about 2017 session.

“I think our focus will be largely on budget issues,” said Price who is also a member of several other House committees, including Human Services, a mental health panel he chairs, and Calendars, an influential committee that decides which bills go to the House floor for a vote.

“If the economy performs as we anticipate for the remaining of the year, beginning with the next session we will likely have less revenue to work with,” he said. “That will drive a lot of the policy work and policy decisions that we make in the 85th legislative session.”

Other legislators and statewide officials have similar concerns.

State Comptroller Glenn Hegar recently told nervous members of the Senate Finance Committee that though the Texas economy is more diversified than it was during the oil bust of the 1980s, in 2014 nearly 14 percent of the gross state product came from oil and gas revenues.

“So, I suspect that the Appropriations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee will be very busy, both during this interim and in the next session,” Price said.
Other legislators also see the 2017 session shaping up now that most legislative races have been decided.

“This helps us a great deal,” said Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, who didn’t draw an intraparty challenger or a Democratic opponent either.

“Obviously school finance will remain on the radar,” King, a member of the House Public Education Committee, said in reference to the lawsuit more than 600 school districts filed against the state four and a half years ago. The lawsuit is pending in the Texas Supreme Court and a ruling is expected any day now.

“Health care issues, transportation will always be there and the coffers will be a little less full than they were last session,” said King who also sits on three other House panels, including Calendars.

For Rep. John Frullo, R-Lubbock, the only member from the Texas Panhandle and South Plains delegation who drew a primary challenger but has no Democratic opponent in November, other issues shaping up include hailstorm insurance, public and higher education, economic development and transportation.