The Look Ahead: What to Expect at the Texas Legislature the Week of May 8

AUSTIN — Good morning, y'all, and welcome to The Dallas Morning News' weekly political preview: The Look Ahead. Join us here every Monday morning for a peek at the week to come in the Texas Legislature.Just 21 days until the end of the session, but who's counting? We'll be here until the bitter end. You can watch along with us at The 85th, where our team posts updates on every subject under the dome.Mark your calendars Thursday is the last day the House can vote on bills that originated in the lower chamber on second reading (preliminary approval) and Friday is the last day the lower chamber can give final approval to any House bill. You can expect chubbing — conversation used to stall legislation — and a plethora of amendments featuring components of other bills that are at risk of not making the deadline (think "bathroom bill"). But before that, Monday is the last day that House committees can send lower chamber bills to the full body for consideration. You can expect that many committees will meet while the House is in session to vote out pending legislation to make sure it has a chance at getting on the calendar. But the House calendar isn't set in stone. Lawmakers continue to adjourn before finishing debate on the day's calendar, sending bills they didn't take up to the calendar for the following day. So just because a bill is on the calendar doesn't mean that it's going to get a debate on that day.   Continue reading...