April 2023

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
Sharon Coleman, CFA Legislative Legal Analyst

In March, both houses of the Texas Legislature considered identical bills that would lower the state licensing threshold for cat and dog breeders. Initially left pending in committee, House Bill 2238 and Senate Bill 876. Both committees have now voted favorably on the bills with one minor amendment for dog conformation breeders. A floor vote is the next step.

For the committee hearings, Texans commenting on both bills found they had to navigate different processes. The Texas Senate still embraces the old, familiar method of using an email form to contact individual legislators rather than the committee. But committee members often limit emails to district constituents, thus missing out on vital feedback. People can submit written testimony in person if they cannot speak at the hearing.

Committees in the House, however, can take advantage of an app that makes it easy for constituents to comment on a bill scheduled for a public hearing. People wanting to comment must affirm state residency to use the House Public Comment portal. The 100 comments on HB 2238 were submitted to the committee and then posted on the bill web page after the hearing. This process lends itself to quick, informal statements, but savvy advocates will still include a position statement at the beginning of their comment and avoid any ambiguity. Failing to do so requires the legislative staff to interpret – or misinterpret – the commenter’s position when making their tally!

The Texas House is not alone in embracing changes in the digital age. California and Washington are among those making it easier for constituents to voice their opinions to legislative committees. Some legislative bodies make it easier to contact one’s legislator, but not committees where a lot of important work is done.

The duplicate bill, HB 274, was assigned to the same committee as HB 2238 but has not been scheduled for a hearing yet.