87th Texas Legislature Dates of Interest

The 87th Texas Legislature will formally convene for the biennial session on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at noon. The dates that follow outline the process that occurs before, during, and after the legislative session, and provide the structure upon which legislation will be introduced, considered, and amended by both the Texas Senate and the House of Representatives. The ultimate goal of this legislative process is the passage of laws that have the support of the majority of Texas legislators and the constituents they represent.

86th Texas Legislature: Interim

• July-December 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many interim hearings were not held as usual at the State Capitol. Instead, committees sought comments regarding interim charges from interested parties via email. Those with comments were asked to email a document detailing their concerns to the appropriate committee by a specified date. The documents were then distributed to the committee members, to be taken into account when making decisions for the upcoming session. However, some committees did opt to have limited in-person meetings at the Capitol in September, October, November, and December. A calendar of committee meeting dates can be found here.
• Tuesday, November 3, 2020: General election for federal, state, and county officers.
• Monday, November 9, 2020: First day legislators and legislators-elect may file bills for the 87th Legislature. During this week, a total of 745 bills were pre-filed in anticipation or the 87th session. This is significantly more than any session in the past decade.

87th Texas Legislature: Regular Session

• Tuesday, January 12, 2021 (1st day): The 87th Texas Legislature will convene and the regular session will begin. Upon this convening of the legislature, the comptroller of public accounts will deliver the Biennial Revenue Estimate to the governor and the 87th Texas Legislature. (Sec. 5(a), Article III, Texas Constitution; Sec. 301.001, Government Code)
• Friday, March 12, 2021 (60th day): Deadline for the unrestricted filing of bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and emergency matters submitted by the governor.
• Monday, May 31, 2021 (140th day): Last day of the 87th Texas Legislature.

Read about Interim Studies Established by the 86th Legislature.

Read about Legislative Appropriation Requests, Document Submissions for 2022-23 and about the Legislative Budget Board’s Strategic Fiscal Review of the 11 state agencies that are the subject of Sunset Advisory Commission Review, including the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Department of Agriculture.

This information was obtained from the Texas Legislative Council. The TLC is a nonpartisan legislative agency that serves as a source of impartial research and information.