Dying in Committee, Part 1

In all the column inches dedicated to the bills that get through the elaborate, nay labyrinthine, path through both chambers of the Lege and all their committees, it's easy to forget about the bills that never quite make it. Sadly, the ones that will (as they say under the dome) die in committee are starting to become apparent. Let's take an example:

What is it? House Bill 1782, the work of local Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin.

What would it do? This bill would wipe out a slice of the education code that allows a higher-education institute to take money given by the Legislature for an across-the-board salary raises and instead turn it into cash for performance-related pay rises.

Why would it be good? Because legislators who think they're voting out a pay raise for everyone are actually finding that some state employees are missing out because their boss just doesn't like them.

What's the odds of it passing? Pretty low: As of Monday, it was still stuck in the House Higher Education Committee. The Texas State Employees Union, which has been working on the bill with Howard, is saying that it'll be working on it in the interim – short hand for "we'll see you next session."