A Preview of the 2021 Legislative Session - The Legislature Explained

Texas lawmakers will meet next month to address the health and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but social distancing measures will likely disrupt the Legislature’s daily grind, said Ross Ramsey, executive editor of The Texas Tribune.“It's a social mechanism,” Ramsey said during a panel discussion explaining the Legislature and previewing the 2021 session. “This is where we go to debate, jump up and down, scream at each other, come out with a kind of forced agreement – and if you can't get together, it doesn't function right.”The conversation, moderated by Tribune CEO Evan Smith, highlighted the inner workings of the Texas Capitol, from how a bill becomes a law to the differences between the Legislature’s upper and lower chamber. Thousands of bills are expected to be filed during the session, but less than one in four of those will become law, Ramsey said.“It's all insider baseball,” Ramsey said. “Basically, you have to have approval – either expressed or tacit – from the House, Senate and governor in order to pass a law.”Despite a Republican-controlled state government, Ramsey said working across the aisle is common during the 140-day session. Lawmakers in January will tackle issues including the next state budget and redistricting.“Most issues in the Legislature aren't really Republican and Democratic issues,” Ramsey said. “There's a million ways to do this.”