AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers have just 20 days left to pass bills in the 87th Texas Legislature.
Here's a look at some of the key bills that passed Tuesday:
House Bill 3: House Bill 3, the "Texas Pandemic Response Act," passed the House on all three readings Tuesday. The bill creates a 10-person oversight committee made up of the lieutenant governor, speaker of the House and lawmakers that can overturn the governor's executive orders during a pandemic.
The bill requires a special session be called if a disaster declaration lasts more than 90 days. It also requires the governor to get the Legislature's approval to extend certain orders for more than 30 days, including mask mandates. The bill now heads to the Senate.
House Bill 918: The Senate passed House Bill 918, which will allow Texans between the ages of 18 and 20 who are under a protective order to get a license to carry and legally carry a handgun for personal protection. Currently, Texans have to be 21 years old to get a license to carry. The Senate made one change to the bill, so it heads back to the House for approval.
House Bill 2586: The Senate passed House Bill 2586, which was written in response to February's deadly winter storms. It requires the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to conduct an annual audit of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The audit must be sent to the Legislature and posted online for the public to view. The bill now heads to the governor.
House Bill 4661: House Bill 4661 requires lobbyists to take sexual harassment training and lets the Texas Ethics Commission suspend a lobbyist's license for sexual harassment claims. Lawmakers wrote the bill after a staffer reported she was harassed by a lobbyist. Investigators said there wasn't any evidence of a crime, but the Capitol has long had a culture of allowing sexual misconduct.
The longest-serving woman in the House, State Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), authored the bill and gave a speech on the floor before it was formally passed.
"Nobody would have ever believed that we would be gutsy enough, No. 1, to have a leader to stand up for women in this state and say enough is enough," Thompson said, adding, "I'm proud to serve with each and every one of you because you stood for the right thing – not because it was popular because it was right to do."
In a rare move, the speaker of the House, State Rep. Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), voted on the bill to help it pass with a vote of 145-2. The bill now heads to the Senate.
Senate Bill 2122: A bill to provide more transparency in medical billing passed the Senate. SB 2122 requires health care providers to send patients itemized bills detailing each charge before they can request payment. The bill now heads to the House.
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