AUSTIN — With only a week left in this year’s legislative session, for all practical purposes thousands of bills, including high-profile measures such as a texting while driving ban or prohibiting smoking in public places, are dead or on life support. And one of the most common complaints is the chair of the committee a proposal was sent to for the preliminary screening didn’t bring it up for a vote or even gave it a public hearing, in essence killing it.

AUSTIN — Forget term limits for statewide officials. The Texas House of Representatives on Wednesday, May 15, rejected a constitutional amendment that would have asked Texas voters to approve term limits for the governor, the lieutenant governor and four other statewide officials. By an 80-61 vote the 150-member chamber killed Senate Joint Resolution 13, the measure that would have limited the six officials to two terms. The four other positions were the attorney general, the comptroller, the land commissioner and the secretary of state.

AUSTIN — Compared to previous sessions, some things have radically changed in the 83rd Texas Legislature. Nowhere is this more evident than regarding illegal immigration. Simply put, the Republican-dominated body has made a 180-degree turn on the controversial issue. The turnaround has become more obvious during the final stretch of the 140-day session.

AUSTIN — A few weeks ago, Lubbock City Councilman Jim Gerlt went before the Texas House State Affairs Committee to testify against two bills his city opposed. Though Gerlt arrived at the State Capitol early afternoon, he had to wait nearly six hours before he could testify against the first bill and an extra hour before he could speak against the second proposal, both promoted by a giant utility company. Because Gerlt finished his testimony close to 8 p.m., this meant he would have to stay in Austin overnight and catch a flight back to Lubbock the next morning.