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Texas Lawmakers Convene Special Legislative Session

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Jul 1, 2009 12:03 pm US/Central

Texas Lawmakers Convene Special Legislative Session

AUSTIN (AP) ― Texas lawmakers have convened the special legislative session in Austin.

The Texas House gaveled in just after 10 a.m. Wednesday to kick things off.

Just before Noon, a House committee approved a measure to keep important state agencies operating.

The House Committee on State Affairs unanimously approved the bill -- a cornerstone of the special session -- about an hour after the Legislature convened.

The bill by Rep. Carl Isset, R-Lubbock, will keep five state agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation, operating until the next regularly scheduled session in 2011.

The plan for this session -- which Gov. Rick Perry called after the regular session ended June 1 -- is to wrap things up quickly, the governor says.

Perry called called to extend the shelf life of some critical state agencies and allow the Department of Transportation to issue $2 billion in bonds for building roads.

Perry says the unfinished business from the regular session can be done in time for the holiday weekend.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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