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HCR 106

Adopting a Joint Rule of the Senate and House of Representatives assigning to each bill passed by the legislature a legislative act number.

89th Legislature (2025) Introduced by Greg Bonnen

Texas proposes joint legislative rule assigning act numbers to all passed bills to standardize law identification and improve legal accessibility.

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#legislature(i0520) #resolutions--rules(i0660)
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Bill Summary · HCR 106

Legislative bill overview

HCR 106 proposes to adopt a joint rule for both the Texas Senate and House that would assign a legislative act number to each bill passed by the legislature. This is a procedural rule change that would establish a standardized numbering system for enacted legislation. The bill aims to create a formal tracking and identification mechanism for all passed bills.

Why is this important

A unified legislative act numbering system improves transparency and accessibility by making it easier for the public, legal professionals, and government agencies to identify, reference, and locate specific laws. Currently, Texas bills may be tracked by their original bill number (HB or SB designation), but assigning separate "act numbers" creates an additional official reference point that becomes the permanent legal citation. This enhances governmental efficiency and public understanding of which bills become law.

Potential points of contention

  • Implementation complexity: Establishing a new numbering system requires coordination between chambers and may create administrative burden during transition, potentially causing confusion if the new system isn't clearly defined in the rule
  • Redundancy concerns: Critics may argue that existing HB/SB numbers already serve as adequate identification, making act numbers an unnecessary bureaucratic addition with minimal practical benefit
  • Retroactive application unclear: The bill doesn't specify whether act numbers would apply only to future legislation or require retroactive assignment to previously passed bills, which could affect historical legal research and citation practices

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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