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It's Alive! HB 602 Moves Out of Committee I reported last week that House Bill 602, which would benefit Texas microbrewers, ran into serious trouble week at the Legislature. Well, good news: Somehow (I'm still chasing the story), the bill moved out of Senate committee this morning, reported favorably without amendments, and has been recommended for the "Local & Uncontested" calendar. I have more details on The Austin Chronicle's Newsdesk blog, please go give it a read.

Next up: It needs to pass the Senate. If the Senate makes any amendments — presumably it won't, if it's on Local & Uncontested [UPDATE: I've been told by the office of bill author Rep. Jessica Farrar that being on "local and uncontested" is not a guarantee of smooth passage. It could also end up on the "intent" calendar, which meanst it will be debated. The spokesman said "some senators are not fully convinced." — it would have to go to conference committee to iron out the differences with the House version, and then to the governor's desk for passage or a veto. This bill definitely isn't out of the woods yet, but this is a hopeful sign.
Posted by Lee at 5:17 PM Labels: Texas Legislature Trim said...

Hi Lee - your second link doesn't go to the Chronicle blog, it goes to the same location as the first link... Any rewards for finding this and reporting it???
 
Hey, thanks! Sure, if I ever meet you, I'll buy you a beer.
