Perry Designates Additional Emergency Items for Legislature

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today declared additional emergency items for the 2007 legislative session. The emergency designation will allow lawmakers to begin considering these issues in the initial 30 days of the legislative session.

The emergency items include:

• The general appropriations bill;
• Legislation relating to making supplemental appropriations and reductions in appropriations;
• Legislation relating to making appropriations to the Texas Education Agency for the purpose of school district property tax rate reductions;
• Legislation relating to the management of the water resources of the state, including the protection of instream flows and freshwater inflows;
• Legislation relating to the allocation and use of the sporting goods sales tax revenue to fund state and local parks; and
• Legislation relating to the prosecution, punishment, and supervision of certain sex offenders and to certain crimes involving sex offenders.

“The sooner these legislative items are addressed, the sooner taxpayers will see results on these important issues,” Perry said. “By designating these issues emergency items, the Legislature can begin working on them very soon.”