Legelines

• Seventeen days and counting: As sine die, the last day of the session (June 1), approaches, lawmakers are concerned that the calendars are filling up with bills that will never get a hearing. Senators are frustrated that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is putting the brakes on speedy passage. Meanwhile, the House has been caught up in a series of lengthy and time-consuming verification votes.

• The Senate voted 24-6 to ban trans fats in restaurants (Senate Bill 204), while the House State Affairs Committee approved a watered-down version of House Bill 5, ending smoking in enclosed public spaces such as offices and bars. The moves, both intended to cut heart and lung disease rates, have faced the normal chorus of accusations (between hacking coughs and heart palpitations) of government being too intrusive.

• The House this week passed HB 3646, its version of the school finance reform act. Mixing a push back to full-formula funding and a decreased emphasis on recapture, the bill could potentially open up the purse strings for the Austin Independent School District.

• School campuses could have four deputy voter registrars under HB 1654, passed by the House. The bill survived a last-minute attempt to tack on an amendment making the positions partisan appointments.

• After a mammoth two-day session, the House passed its version of the Texas Department of Transportation Sunset bill on May 8. Included from the 183 amendments considered was a measure by Rep. Gary Elkins, R-Houston, handing red-light camera management over to the state agency and canceling all local camera contracts.

• Score one for road safety: On May 11, the House passed SB 61, requiring booster seats in vehicles for children age 8 and younger, who are less than 4 feet, 9 inches tall. The current law applies only to children 5 and under, or less than 3 feet tall.

• In sporting news, Rep. Ralph Sheffield, R-Temple, became the new House Wii Bowling champion.

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