Senate bill-passing rush: 18 in 7 days

Senators gather around Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, during debate in the Texas Senate. Senators gather around Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, left, during debate in the Texas Senate. Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press Photo: Eric Gay, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Senate bill-passing rush: 18 in 7 days 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN -- Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick thinks it's a new land-speed record for passing legislation.

When the Texas Senate adjourned Wednesday, Patrick back-patted his Senate colleagues by announcing the upper chamber had set a "record pace" for passing bills in the special legislative session that began just over a week ago.

"Longtime legislative veterans say there is no precedent in either chamber for the passage of 18 bills in seven days -- from referral to committee hearing to floor debate and final passage," Patrick said.

"In the past week, (senators) have logged almost 57 hours in committee hearings and over 33 hours on the Senate floor to pass 18 bills on the special session call," he added.

While some lawmakers questioned whether the new record is actually a record, all agreed the Senate's fast pace has been quite notable.

Gov. Greg Abbott has said he wants 20 issues approved by the Legislature during the 30-day special session, issues ranging from the bathroom bill to property tax reforms, a teacher pay hike, limits on the power of cities and continuation of several medical-regulatory agencies.

The Senate is expected to approve bills on the two remaining issues in coming days.

Critics have accused the Senate of rushing through the legislation, but Patrick and other Senate leaders said there's no reason for delay since most measures were approved by the Senate during the regular session that ended in May.

At the State Capitol, Patrick's pronouncement was generally viewed as a dig at the Texas House, which is approaching the consideration of Abbott's 20 issues much less speedily.

Though the House has approved a measure designed to keep Texas' medical regulators in operation -- a bill that was derailed during the regular legislative session that ended in May -- committee hearings on Abbott's remaining issues are just beginning to gin up.

The Senate is out until Friday.