AUSTIN— Lt. Governor David Dewhurst today praised the Texas Senate for a successful 81st Legislative session. The 140-day, biennial legislative session convened on January 13, 2009 and was gaveled out Sine Die ("without a day") on Monday, June 1st.

"I am extremely proud of the Texas Senate for working hard all session long and accomplishing so much that will keep our state's economy strong, our citizens safe and our future full of opportunity," Lt. Governor Dewhurst said. "While other states are slashing budgets and shedding jobs, we found ways to tighten the state's belt while still cutting taxes for Texas families and businesses and investing in job creation."

Lt. Governor Dewhurst congratulated legislators for passing a biennial budget (SB 1) for Texas that funds essential services, funds a safety net for the needy, disabled and frail, continues record local school property tax cuts and increases funding for public and higher education and transportation, all while being prudent with taxpayer money by keeping state spending below the rate of inflation and population growth.

Other key legislation passed by the Texas Senate includes:

The Texas Senate also passed landmark measures to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of health care in Texas. Senate Bill 6 makes health insurance more affordable for small businesses through the innovative Healthy Texas Program. SB 7 makes an historic shift in health care delivery by focusing on quality outcomes for patients and promotes innovation in patient care with an emphasis on technology. SB 8 requires the state to develop and distribute critical information regarding the use of "best practices" in health care to both improve quality of care and reduce costs. SB 10 creates a pilot program in the Employees Retirement System by aligning payments with quality of care rather than number of procedures performed.

"This session was a success because the Texas Senate continues to put the people of Texas first in every decision we made, and we will continue to meet the challenges of this great state as the legislature prepares for the next session in 2011," Lt. Governor Dewhurst said.

Legislation that passed the Senate but did not become law includes important measures to protect against voter fraud by requiring citizens to prove their identity before casting a ballot (SB 362), and requiring pregnant women be given the option to view an ultrasound of their fetus before getting an abortion (SB 182).

SB 1 (Ogden) - Appropriations bill. [Finally passed]

SB 3 (Shapiro) - Reforms the public school accountability system by focusing on core skills needed to master English language arts, math, science and social studies, and by emphasizing college and career readiness. [Passed Senate; finally passed as HB 3]

SB 6 (Duncan, Nelson) - Establishes the Healthy Texas Program to make employee health insurance significantly more affordable for small businesses. [Passed the Senate, finally passed in SB 78]

SB 7 (Nelson) - Improves the quality, safety and efficiency of Medicaid and CHIP by paying doctors and hospitals for quality outcomes rather than the quantity of procedures. Improves health care technology, creates a standardized patient health care information system, and encourages the use of pilot programs to promote innovation in health care. [Passed Senate; portions finally passed in HB 1218]

SB 8 (Nelson) - Requires the Texas Health Services Authority to develop and disseminate information about best medical practices to improve the quality of health care and reduce costs. [Passed the Senate, died in the House]

SB 9 (Zaffirini) - Establishes a framework for the creation of more Tier 1 universities in Texas, to attract more research funding, venture capital and top students who leave to attend Tier 1 universities outside the state. [Passed Senate; finally passed as HB 51]

SB 10 (Duncan) - Creates a pilot program in the Employees Retirement System to improve health care outcomes and reduce costs by aligning payments with the quality of care rather than the quantity of procedures. [Passed Senate; finally passed in HB 4586]

SB 11 (Carona) - Enhances penalties for gang-related crimes, establishes programs to prevent youth involvement in gangs, and provides for the electronic monitoring of certain criminal street gang members. [Passed Senate; finally passed in HB 2086]

SB 12 (Carona) - Contains a number of provisions to improve state's preparedness for and response to natural disasters. [Passed Senate; portions finally passed in HB 4409]

SB 14 (Fraser) - Improves the funding structure for the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association to better protect communities along the Gulf Coast. [Passed Senate; finally passed in HB 4409]

SB 16 (Averitt) - Improves air quality by encouraging the development of clean air technologies and more efficient buildings, vehicles and appliances; develops a greenhouse gas registry. [Passed Senate; portion finally passed in HB 1796]

SB 17 (Nichols et. al) - Creates a first right of refusal guarantee for local and state government entities to build toll projects; requires that all other financing options are exhausted before a private entity can build a toll road in Texas; contains provision to ensure toll roads are built with the maximum practical and financial benefit to taxpayers and motorists. [Passed Senate; portions in several House bills]

SB 18 (Estes) - Changes existing law to limit the government use of eminent domain and ensure that affected property owners are fairly compensated. [Passed Senate; portions finally passed in HJR 14]

SB 19 (Patrick) - Increases the state's business tax exemption from $300,000 to $1 million for the first year, and to $600,000 in subsequent years, to help small businesses save more of their hard-earned money and reinvest in Texas. [Passed Senate; finally passed as HB 4765]

SB 20 (Williams) - Creates a more uniform and equitable property appraisal method to ensure that taxpayers are treated fairly. [Passed Senate; portions finally passed in HB 3454]

SB 175 (Shapiro) - Reforms the Top 10% college admission rule to provide universities with more flexibility to admit students from highly competitive schools. [Finally passed]

SB 362 (Fraser) - Combats election fraud by requiring voters to present one form of photo identification, or two forms of non-photo ID, in order to vote in Texas elections. [Passed Senate; died in the House]

SB 1443 (Zaffirini) - Limits any increase in tuition and fees charged to undergraduate students at four-year Texas universities to 3.95% per year. [Passed the Senate, died in the House]

SB 2083 (Shapiro) - Improves funding for public schools by raising the basic allotment per student, provides an $800 pay raise for teachers, and increases rate for weighted average daily attendance. [Passed Senate; finally passed as HB 3646]