Over the weekend, Quorum Report reported that four Senate committees (Higher Education, Veterans Affairs and Military Installations, the Subcommittee on Floodings and Evacuations, and the Subcommittee on Base Realignment and Closure) have canceled their hearings for this week, to make way for the expected mammoth Voter ID session coming up today.

In fact, the Senate is running well behind the number of committee meetings it had held by this time last session, and several committees (Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Business & Commerce, Criminal Justice, Economic Development, International Relations and Trade, and Natural Resources) have yet to meet.

Only three committees (Government Organization, Higher Ed, and Intergovernmental Relations) have tracked with their attendance record from last session, and only Finance and the subcommittees on Flooding & Evacuations and Base Realignment and Closure have met more often.

Guess there must just be fewer bills for them to discuss this year. Full breakdown after the jump.

Administration – 1 meeting (number by this time last session: 2)

Agriculture & Rural Affairs – 0 (0)

Business & Commerce – 0 (2)

Criminal Justice – 0 (2)

Economic Development – 0 (1)

Education – 3 (4)

Finance – 20 (18)

Government Organization – 1 (1)

Health & Human Services – 3 (4)

Higher Education – 2 (2 as sub–committee)

Intergovernmental Relations – 4 (4)

Subcommittee on Flooding & Evacuations – 2 (0)

International Relations and Trade – 0 (2)

Jurisprudence – 4 (6)

Natural Resources – 0 (2)

Nominations – 3 (5)

State Affairs – 1 (2)

Transportation & Homeland Security – 4 (8)

Veteran Affairs & Military Installations – 1 (2)

Subcommittee on Base Realignment and Closure – 1 (0)

This article appears in March 6 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.