Sunset Bills. Every session features one or more massive sunset bills. This session’s marquee events are the Texas Department of Insurance and the Texas Department of Transportation. The Department of Public Safety could also provide some fireworks.

The big issue on insurance is whether to regulate rates for property and casualty. The health insurance carriers and providers (doctors) are also fighting again on health insurance. This session’s battle is over whether the government should require disclosure of prices and profits of both providers and carriers.

The big issue on transportation is whether to allow private companies to operate Texas toll roads.

The Texas Youth Commission is also up for Sunset, which could have some serious implications as well.

TWIA—Hurricane Ike The Legislature will have a role to play helping the recovery from Hurricane Ike. Also, the Hurricane almost certainly breathes life into efforts to transform the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) – a state-run coastal windstorm insurer – into a solvent company that does not have to pass along losses to other insurance companies in the form of mandatory assessments. The big fight – who pays when TWIA runs out of money, the coastal folks or all Texas homeowners.

School accountability. Many parents feel the public schools overemphasize standardized testing. And state standards are so low that their very meaning can be called into question.

Lawmakers have studied accountability throughout the interim in preparation for working the new high school end-of-course exams into the curriculum. Expect lawmakers to take a serious look at school accountability this session.

Also look for legislative action on charter schools, both how they are funded and how many charters the State Board of Education may grant.

Lawmakers will also have to look at school equity and inflation issues and some lawmakers want to put more money into the public school system.

Eminent domain reform. Protecting property rights from government intrusion is the top priority of the Texas Farm Bureau. Both parties’ platforms call for passage of bills that grant more rights in eminent domain proceedings – where government requires landowners to sell property. The big battle will be between the Department of Transportation and property rights advocates over a concept called diminished access protection. The transportation agency is concerned diminished access could increase the cost of building toll roads.

Higher Education Affordability and Financial Aid. Lawmakers are becoming concerned about keeping higher education affordable as well as the structure of state financial aid programs. Keep an eye on both of these topics as the legislative session progresses.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of bills. There are several other sunset and other important bills not mentioned here. And new interesting bills will come up during the legislative session. But hopefully this provides a road-map to a good portion of the closely watched bills for the coming weeks.

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