The Texas Legislature meets every odd-numbered year to debate and discuss new laws. This is an important time for the residents of Texas, as this period significantly changes the legal landscape of the Lone Star State. HillCo Partners, a government consulting and lobbying firm, is particularly active during these periods of legislative changes as it monitors and plays a key role in the legislative process. In this article, we will briefly go over the Texas legislative process and the role played by HillCo Partners at each stage of a bill.

The Texas Legislature is composed of two chambers. The House is made up of 150 elected members, and the Senate has 31 members. A bill enters circulation through four key channels. They can be introduced by the members, legislative committees, interested external parties, or from a previous session. HillCo Partners keeps a watchful eye on all these channels throughout all legislative sessions so they can keep their clients well informed of the changes.

Once a bill has been introduced, it is sent to a committee. A committee comprises members from the House and the Senate. Membership of these committees is often based on the seniority of the proposed members. The chair of each committee decides which bills shall be considered and when. At the end of their hearing, the committee will hold a vote to decide whether a bill will move on to the next stage. During this stage, HillCo Partners sends out advisories to their clients, informing them of the progress of a bill through the committee stage - for example, sending hearing outcomes, or alerting them to bills being retooled. After the committee votes on the bill, it is forwarded to the calendars committee, whose job is to schedule the bill to be floored.

A bill is floored on the scheduled date, where it is open to the scrutiny of all members of the legislature. This is called the second reading, when members propose amendments, and each amendment is incorporated following a vote. This process is followed by another vote to floor the bill for its third reading. A simple majority vote will then send the bill to the opposite chamber, where it will go through the same process before it can become law. HillCo Partners keeps its clients informed of the bill's progress through these decisive stages and alerts them if there is a chance the bill might be pulled down.

After the bill has gone through the opposite chamber, it returns to the originating chambers. If the opposite chamber accepts the bill as it is, then it is sent to the governor. If any amendments are proposed by the opposite chamber, a committee of the two chambers is formed to resolve the differences. Upon resolution of these differences, the bill will be sent to the governor. The governor will sign it and make it law. If the governor vetoes the bill, it returns to the original chamber. A two-thirds majority in both chambers can override the governor's veto.

A bill can also instantly be made into law if it is marked as "effective immediately" and receives a two-thirds majority in both chambers. HillCo Partners' clients receive updates from the communications team about bills that have been passed and if any have been vetoed.

HillCo Partners' team comprises experienced advocates who keep their clients looped into the entire legislative process. It has earned the admiration of public officials and political commentators in its 24-year history. During the 87th legislative session, the firm monitored 7,000 bills and resolutions.

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