This informative TEN Talk - Transparency in Texas Government: Understanding TPIA, TOMA, and FOIA - will demystify three powerful laws that give you access to government information and meetings. Whether you're a concerned citizen, community activist, or simply curious about how your local government operates, this session will equip you with practical knowledge about the Texas Public Information Act, Texas Open Meetings Act, and the federal Freedom of Information Act. Learn how to request public records at both state and federal levels, understand what information you're entitled to access, and discover how to effectively participate in open meetings. This informative hour will transform how you engage with government at all levels and empower you to become a more informed and effective advocate for transparency in your community.

The Attorney General’s Office is a great resource for open government information:

https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/open-government

To request assistance related to a request for information under the Public Information Act if you believe a governmental body has failed to respond appropriately to your request or is overcharging for your records: https://oag.my.site.com/OpenRecords/s/

The Attorney General’s Open Government Hotline: 512-478-6736, Toll Free: 877-673-6839

Did you know that you can do a search for open meeting agendas by agency on the SOS Website?

https://texas-sos.appianportalsgov.com/rules-and-meetings?interface=SEARCH_OPEN_MEETINGS

Remember that the results are not final until the Ballot Board meets to process late arriving military and overseas ballots, ballots mailed by election day but received by 5 pm the day after election day, cured ballots by mail in corrective action, and accepted provisional ballots. This will rarely change the outcome of the election, but when races are close on election night, you might want to consider having Poll Watchers appointed to observe the Ballot Board and Central Count procedures. Contact TEN if you need more information: info@texaselectionnetwork.org

SOS will soon be publishing an Election Advisory for 2025 defining the appointment procedures for the Democrat and Republican Party County Chairs. Until that time, we advise you to review the 2024 appointment procedures here: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/advisory2024-23.shtml to prepare you so that you can get started until the official 2025 Election Advisory is publicized. There were no special legislative sessions between July 2024 and now, but the 2025 session does not end until June 2, so SOS may not publish the 2025 guidelines until they are sure no new legislation affects the process. County Chairs, you don’t want to wait until the last minute! Please start working on your lists as soon as you can.

DON’T FORGET THE “TEXAS 2-STEP”!

1. If you are willing to work as an Election Judge or Clerk in a polling place, on the Signature Verification Committee or Early Voting Ballot Board, or in the Central Counting Station, please be proactive by contacting your party’s County Chair and don’t wait for them to contact you. Provide you residence address (and mailing, if different), phone number(s), email address, and VUID #.

In 1996, the U.S. Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which made it unlawful for noncitizens to vote in federal elections but stated that "aliens are authorized to vote for such other purpose under a State constitution or statute or a local ordinance."

The resolution sponsor has informed the committee that while Texas has statutory citizenship requirements for voting in Texas elections, no such requirements exist in the Texas Constitution. SJR 37 seeks to address this issue by including noncitizens among the persons not allowed to vote in Texas.

The constitutional amendment proposed by this joint resolution will be submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 4, 2025.

SJR 37 was engrossed in the Senate on 04/01/25 by a vote of 28-3.

HJR 161 passed in the House Elections Committee on 05/05/25 and was forwarded to Calendars.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT HISTORY IN TEXAS 

The 1876 Texas Constitution, the fifth since statehood, had 289 sections organized into 17 articles. Over the years, 234 new sections have been added, while 66 of the original sections and 52 of the added sections have been removed, so that the Texas Constitution today has 405 sections. For most of that time, the constitution has been updated at least biennially through amendments proposed by the legislature and approved by the Texas electorate. No legislative rules or other restrictions limit the number of amendment proposals, provided each receives the required two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House. Since 1876, the legislature has proposed 714 constitutional amendments. Of those amendments, 530 have been approved by the electorate, 181 have been defeated, and 3 never made it to the ballot.

The official text of the Texas Constitution is available here: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/

To display a statute as it existed on a particular date: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/StatutesByDate.aspx

To download a .pdf of the entire Election Code: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/SDocs/ELECTIONCODE.pdf

LEGISLATIVE REPRESENTATION BY COUNTY 

House: https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/ceo/ceoByCounty.cfm?chamber=h  

Senate: https://lrl.texas.gov/legeLeaders/ceo/ceoByCounty.cfm?chamber=s

Dates of Interest coming up in May

Monday, May 12, 2025 (119th day) Last day for House committees to report House bills and House joint resolutions [The House rules do not contain an express deadline for committees to report measures, but, technically, this is the last day for a House committee to report a House bill or House joint resolution in order for the measure to have any chance of being placed on a House calendar. However, this deadline does not take into consideration the time required to: (1) prepare the bill analysis; (2) obtain an updated fiscal note or impact statement; (3) prepare any other paperwork required for a committee report; or (4) prepare the committee report for distribution to the members of the House as required by the rules. Realistically, it normally takes a full day or more for a measure to reach the Calendars Committee after the measure has been reported from committee.]

Tuesday, May 13, 2025, by 10 p.m. (120th day) Deadline for the House to distribute its last House daily calendar with House bills and House joint resolutions [relates to House Rule 6, Sec. 16(a), requiring 36-hour layout of daily calendars before consideration, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(b), establishing the deadline for consideration]

Wednesday, May 14, 2025, by 9 a.m. (121st day) Deadline for the House to distribute its last House local and consent calendar with consent House bills [relates to House Rule 6, Sec. 13(a), requiring 48-hour layout of local and consent calendars before consideration, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(b), establishing the deadline for consideration]



Thursday, May 15, 2025 (122nd day) Last day for the House to consider 2nd reading House bills and House joint resolutions on the daily or supplemental calendar [House Rule 8, Sec. 13(b)]

Wednesday, May 21, 2025, by 9 a.m. (128th day) Deadline for the House to distribute its last House local and consent calendar with local House bills [relates to House Rule 6, Sec. 13(a), requiring 48-hour layout of local and consent calendars before consideration, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(a), establishing the deadline for consideration]

Friday, May 23, 2025 (130th day) Last day for the House to consider local House bills on the local and consent calendar on 2nd and 3rd reading [House Rule 8, Sec. 13(a)]

Saturday, May 24, 2025 (131st day) Last day for House committees to report Senate bills and Senate joint resolutions [The House rules do not contain an express deadline for committees to report measures, but, technically, this is the last day for a House committee to report a Senate bill or Senate joint resolution in order for the measure to have any chance of being placed on a House calendar. However, this deadline does not take into consideration the time required to: (1) prepare the bill analysis; (2) obtain an updated fiscal note or impact statement; (3) prepare any other paperwork required for a committee report; or (4) prepare the committee report for distribution to the members of the House as required by the rules. Realistically, it normally takes a full day or more for a measure to reach the Calendars Committee after the measure has been reported from committee.]

Sunday, May 25, 2025, by 10 p.m. (132nd day) Deadline for the House to distribute its last House daily calendar with Senate bills and Senate joint resolutions [relates to House Rule 6, Sec. 16(a), requiring 36-hour layout of daily calendars before consideration, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(c), establishing the deadline for consideration]

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (135th day) Last day for the House to consider local and consent Senate bills on 2nd and 3rd reading and all 3rd reading Senate bills and Senate joint resolutions on the supplemental calendar [House Rule 8, Sec. 13(c)]

Last day for the Senate to consider all bills and joint resolutions on 2nd or 3rd reading* [Senate Rule 7.25; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills] [*The Senate deadline for passing all bills and joint resolutions does not take into consideration the House deadline for passing Senate bills and joint resolutions. Realistically, to be eligible for consideration by the House under its end-of-session deadlines, Senate bills and joint resolutions must be passed by the Senate and received by the House before the 130th day. Accordingly, even though Senate Rule 7.24(b) indicates the 137th day is the last day for Senate committees to report all bills and joint resolutions, the practical deadline for Senate committees to report is before the 130th day.]

Thursday, May 29, 2025, before midnight (136th day) Deadline for the House to distribute Senate amendments [relates to House Rule 13, Sec. 5(a), requiring 24-hour layout of Senate amendments before consideration, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(d), establishing the deadline for acting on Senate amendments]

Friday, May 30, 2025 (137th day) Last day for the House to act on Senate amendments (concur or request a conference committee) [House Rule 8, Sec. 13(d)]

Before midnight: deadline for the House to print and distribute House copies of a conference committee report on the general appropriations bill [relates to House Rule 13, Sec. 10(a), requiring 48-hour layout of a conference committee report on the general appropriations bill before consideration during a regular session, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(e), establishing the deadline for adoption of conference committee reports]

Before midnight: deadline for the Senate to print and distribute Senate copies of conference committee reports on tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills [relates to Senate Rule 12.09(a), requiring 48-hour layout of certain conference committee reports before consideration in regular session, and Senate Rule 7.25, establishing the deadline for voting on a bill; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills.]

Saturday, May 31, 2025, before midnight (138th day) Deadline for the House to print and distribute House copies of all conference committee reports on joint resolutions and on bills other than the general appropriations bill [relates to House Rule 13, Sec. 10(a), requiring 24-hour layout of certain conference committee reports, and House Rule 8, Sec. 13(e), establishing the deadline for adoption of conference committee reports]

Deadline for the Senate to print and distribute Senate copies of all conference committee reports on joint resolutions and on bills other than tax, general appropriations, and reapportionment bills [relates to Senate Rule 12.09(b), requiring 24-hour layout of certain conference committee reports before consideration during the last 72 hours of a regular session, and Senate Rule 7.25, establishing the deadline for voting on a bill; Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules governing proceedings on bills]

As of 5/5/25, Number of bills this session...

Left pending in House Committee or Subcommittee: 2,372

Passed to Engrossment by the House: 511

Left pending in Senate Committee or Subcommittee: 920

Passed to Engrossment by the Senate: 182

Bills signed by the Governor: 3 (SB 2, SB 14, & SB 503)

REGISTER TO ACCESS PREVIOUS TRAININGS

Texas Legislature Online (TLO) REGISTER

Effective Legislative Advocacy at the Texas Capitol REGISTER

ISSUE FORUM: Countywide vs. Precinct Polling Panel Discussion REGISTER

Bifurcation of the Texas Voter Roll REGISTER

Candidate Training REGISTER

Ranked Choice Voting: What it could mean for Texas Elections REGISTER

Texas Election Update: REGISTER

I want to close by expressing my sincere gratitude for your commitment to being the difference that strengthens Texas from the grassroots up. Your active participation in the campaign, legislative, and electoral processes in Texas makes our state more vibrant and responsive to community needs. Thank you for being an engaged Texan who recognizes that lasting, meaningful change begins one Texan at a time.

Melissa Conway

Texas Election Network

Managing Director

832-648-0770

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