Coming up in the Lege: As we know, discussion of HB8, the so-called “Jessica’s Law”, was tabled last week, to be picked up again today. According to Vince, a floor substitute that deals with some of the objections about the bill’s application of the death penalty will be brought forward in its place. He has a large PDF with the revisions.
Also on tap for today is a hearing by the House Local Government Ways and Means Committee to discuss HB1552, Rep. Mike Villarreal’s proposal to require sales price to be included on any deed filed in the state. This would be a step towards more equitable taxation, since many high-end and commercial properties are grossly underappraised. I don’t know if the Republicans will have the stomach for this, but we’ll see.