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Texas Live Events Coalition

How the Texas Legislature Works

Laws governing venues, crowd safety, ticketing, alcohol, labor, permits and taxes are written in Austin. Most are shaped in committee, weeks before a floor vote, by the people who showed up. This page explains the process and where our industry can be heard.

Who makes the laws

The Texas Legislature has two chambers:

  • House of Representatives: 150 members, elected every two years. The House elects its presiding officer, the Speaker.
  • Senate: 31 members, elected to four-year terms. The Senate is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor, who is elected statewide.

Every Texan has one State Representative and one State Senator. Find yours with Contact Your Legislator.

When it meets

  • Regular session: every odd-numbered year, starting in January and running no more than 140 days. The next regular session begins January 12, 2027.
  • Special sessions: called by the Governor, up to 30 days each. Only the Governor decides which subjects are taken up.
  • The interim: the even-numbered years between sessions. Committees study assigned topics and hold hearings. This is often the best time to explain an issue, because nobody is racing a deadline.

Legislators can file bills starting the Monday after the November general election (November 9, 2026). The last day to file most bills is the 60th day of the session (March 12, 2027).

How a bill becomes law

  1. Filed in the House or Senate and given a number (HB 123, SB 45).
  2. Referred to committee by the Speaker or Lieutenant Governor.
  3. Committee hearing. The public can testify or register a position for or against the bill. This is the most important step for our industry. Most bills that fail die here, many without ever getting a hearing.
  4. Reported out of committee, sometimes rewritten as a “committee substitute.”
  5. Floor debate and vote in the first chamber, where amendments can be added.
  6. Same process in the second chamber: committee, hearing, floor vote.
  7. Conference committee if the chambers passed different versions, to settle one final text.
  8. The Governor signs it, vetoes it, or lets it become law without a signature. A two-thirds vote in each chamber overrides a veto, but a veto issued after the session ends cannot be overridden.

Most new laws take effect on September 1 after the session, or 91 days after adjournment. A bill takes effect immediately only if it passes each chamber by a two-thirds vote.

After a law passes: agency rules

Many laws are put into practice by state agencies, such as TABC, the Comptroller or the Fire Marshal, through administrative rules. Proposed rules are published in the Texas Register and open for public comment, usually for at least 30 days. A law can pass quietly, and the rules that follow can still decide how it affects your business. TXLEC tracks both.

Where TXLEC fits

TXLEC watches bills and rules that affect Texas live-event businesses. We verify each one against official sources and tell members what matters and when to act. See the Legislative Watch for the bills we are currently following.

Official sources