AUSTIN, Texas — Lawmakers are running out of time to take care of business at the Texas Capitol.
There are more than 300 bills in the Senate on Wednesday's calendar, which is the last day for them to pass House bills. There's still a lot of work to do there.
On Tuesday, it was a late night for the house regarding Senate Bill 10. The bill focuses on getting children connected with mental health services to curb school violence. That bill died and then was resurrected again, according to The Texas Tribune.
It came back to life as an amendment on a school safety bill that passed the House. The same state representative who killed the legislation that would ban chains for dogs reportedly tried to shut this one down.
"This motion to consider is about more than just one bill,” said Rep. Jonathan Stickland Bedford. “I think it's about what house we want to operate in where the rules matter and I hope some of you know this that there are times I have taken very tough political votes and done very tough political things to protect our right to be heard to protect your right to continue the debate."
In the Senate, they passed House Bill 1387. It removed a cap on the number of trained school employees who can carry guns on campus, according to The Texas Tribune. They're called school marshals. That's headed to the governor's desk.
A bill increasing the legal smoking age in Texas is also headed to the governor's desk. It passed the house and senate. If Governor Abbott signs it, you'll have to be 21 to buy tobacco products, unless you have a military ID.
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