House passes THC ban, clears path for negotiations on school finance

Late tonight (May 21), the Texas House passed SB 3 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), a bill banning THC products. House members had repeatedly delayed floor votes on the measure to exert pressure on the Senate to advance HB 2 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado), the session's school finance and teacher pay bill. 

Late in the session, when each chamber's priority bills are being debated in the opposite chamber, House and Senate leaders will often stall progress on those priority bills until they see their own priorities addressed. In this case, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has repeatedly stated that SB 3 is perhaps the most important bill of the session to him, going so far as to threaten a special session on the THC issue if it does not pass. House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock) opted to delay votes on SB 3 because the Senate had reportedly not conceded much to the House in negotiations on HB 2, which are still ongoing. 

With SB 3 now back in the Senate, HB 2 will likely be heard on the Senate floor later this week. Early rumors about the negotiations indicated that the House would concur with any changes the Senate makes, sending it directly to the governor's desk, but further delays could mean that the bill will end up in a conference committee anyway.

Information on HB 2 changes by the hour. Once the dust has settled, TCTA will provide a clearer picture of the final version of the bill.