By Grusendorf                                          H.R. No. 439

         75R8541 JSA-D                           

                                 R E S O L U T I O N

 1-1           BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 75th

 1-2     Legislature of the State of Texas:

 1-3           SECTION 1.  Section 20, Rule 6, House Rules, is amended to

 1-4     read as follows:

 1-5           Sec. 20.  TIME LIMIT FOR PLACEMENT [VOTE TO PLACE] ON  A

 1-6     CALENDAR.  Within seven [30 calendar] days after a bill or

 1-7     resolution has been referred to the appropriate calendars

 1-8     committee, the committee must [vote on whether to] place the bill

 1-9     or resolution on one of the calendars of the daily house calendar

1-10     or the local, consent, and resolutions calendar, as applicable, to

1-11     permit the bill or resolution to be heard by the house on second

1-12     reading within seven days after the date the bill or resolution is

1-13     placed on a calendar, unless the committee by a two-thirds vote

1-14     elects not to place the bill or resolution on a calendar.  The

1-15     committee may not place a bill or resolution on a calendar for a

1-16     specific date ahead of another bill or resolution previously placed

1-17     on the same calendar for the same date. [A vote against placement

1-18     of the bill or resolution on a calendar does not preclude a

1-19     calendars committee from later voting in favor of placement of the

1-20     bill or resolution on a calendar.]

1-21           SECTION 2.  Section 21(a), Rule 6, House Rules, is amended to

1-22     read as follows:

1-23           (a)  When a bill or resolution is referred to [has been in]

1-24     the appropriate calendars committee [for 30  calendar days,

 2-1     exclusive of the calendar day on which it was referred,] awaiting

 2-2     placement on one of the calendars of the daily house calendar or

 2-3     local, consent, and resolutions calendar,  it shall be in order for

 2-4     a member to move that the bill or resolution be placed on  a

 2-5     specific calendar of the daily house calendar or local, consent,

 2-6     and resolutions calendar without action by the committee.  This

 2-7     motion must be seconded by five members and shall require a

 2-8     majority vote for adoption.

 2-9           SECTION 3.  Section  15, Rule 1, House Rules, is amended to

2-10     read as follows:

2-11           Sec. 15.  STANDING COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS.  (a)  The speaker

2-12     shall designate the chair and vice-chair of each standing

2-13     substantive committee and shall also appoint membership of the

2-14     committee, subject to the provisions of Rule 4, Section 2.

2-15           (b)  [If members of equal seniority request the same

2-16     committee, the speaker shall decide which among them shall be

2-17     assigned to that committee.]

2-18           [(c)]  In announcing the membership of the standing

2-19     substantive committees, the speaker shall designate which are

2-20     appointees and which acquire membership by seniority.

2-21           (c) [(d)]  The speaker shall appoint the chair and vice-chair

2-22     of each standing procedural committee and the remaining membership

2-23     of the committee.

2-24           SECTION 4.  Section 2(a)(3), Rule 4, House Rules, is amended

2-25     to read as follows:

2-26                 (3)  If members of equal seniority request the same

2-27     committee, the speaker shall assign [appoint] the member from among

 3-1     those requesting that committee.  Seniority, as the term is used in

 3-2     this subsection, is determined according to class, with the

 3-3     first-term members of each legislature constituting a class.

 3-4     Within a class, members shall draw lots to determine seniority

 3-5     [shall mean years of cumulative service as a member of the house of

 3-6     representatives].

 3-7           SECTION 5.  Section 2, Rule 4, House Rules, is amended by

 3-8     adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

 3-9           (e)  A house member who was a member of the house during the

3-10     preceding legislature may elect to retain any or all committee

3-11     memberships the member held at the end of the preceding

3-12     legislature.  An election under this subsection has priority over

3-13     all other committee selections and appointments and counts as a

3-14     seniority selection by the member making the election for purposes

3-15     of these rules.