The 70th Texas Legislature met from January 13, 1987, to June 1, 1987. All members present during this session were elected in the 1986 general elections.
Sessions
Regular Session: January 13, 1987 - June 1, 1987 1st Called Session: June 2, 1987 - June 3, 1987 2nd Called Session: June 22, 1987 - July 21, 1987
Party summary
Senate Affiliation Members Note Democratic Party 25 Republican Party 6 Total 31
House of Representatives Affiliation Members Note Democratic Party 90 Republican Party 60 Total 150
Officers
Senate Lieutenant Governor: William P. Hobby, Jr. (D) President Pro Tempore (regular session): Carl A. Parker (D) President Pro Tempore (called sessions): Roy M. Blake (D)
House Speaker of the House: Gibson D. "Gib" Lewis (D)
Members
Senate
Dist. 1 Richard M. Anderson (D), Marshall
Dist. 2 Ted Lyon (D), Mesquite
Dist. 3 Roy Blake, Sr. (D), Nacogdoches
Dist. 4 Carl A. Parker (D), Port Arthur
Dist. 5 Kent A. Caperton (D), Bryan
Dist. 6 Gene Green (D), Houston
Dist. 7 Don Henderson (R), Houston
Dist. 8 O.H. "Ike" Harris (R), Dallas
Dist. 9 Chet Edwards (D), Duncanville
Dist. 10 Bob McFarland (R), Arlington
Dist. 11 Chet Brooks (D), Houston
Dist. 12 Hugh Q. Parmer (D), Fort Worth
Dist. 13 Craig Anthony Washington (D), Houston
Dist. 14 Gonzalo Barrientos (D), Austin
Dist. 15 John Whitmire (D), Houston
Dist. 16 John N. Leedom (R), Dallas
Dist. 17 J. E. "Buster" Brown (R), Lake Jackson
Dist. 18 Ken Armbrister (D), Victoria
Dist. 19 Frank Tejeda (D), San Antonio
Dist. 20 Carlos F. Truan (D), Corpus Christi
Dist. 21 Judith Zaffirini (D), Laredo
Dist. 22 Bob Glasgow (D), Stephenville
Dist. 23 Eddie Bernice Johnson (D), Dallas
Dist. 24 Grant Jones (D), Abilene
Dist. 25 Bill Sims (D), San Angelo
Dist. 26 Cyndi Taylor Krier (R), San Antonio
Dist. 27 Hector Uribe (D), Brownsville
Dist. 28 John T. Montford (D), Lubbock
Dist. 29 Tati Santiesteban (D), El Paso
Dist. 30 Ray Farabee (D), Wichita Falls
Dist. 31 Bill Sarpalius (D), Amarillo
Key legislation This session was, to date, the most prolific in history; exceeding previous records set in 1983 and 1985. The legislature filed 4,179 bills of which 1,185 were passed by the governor.
Senate bills responding to news-making events on various state university campuses were passed. These included a bill in response to a fraternity hazing death at the University of Texas and various bills directly addressing booster involvement in campus athletics. The latter bills were implemented to prevent events that had resulted in the so-called "death penalty" being assessed against Southern Methodist University by the NCAA. This issue was a particularly sore spot for governor Bill Clements since he had been the head of the university's board of trustees during the scandal and had purportedly authorized payments to student athletes in direct violation of NCAA policy.
Key legislation regarding the sale of alcoholic beverages was passed in this session. These included regulating the sale of alcohol and passage of an open container bill to prevent drinking of alcoholic beverages while driving an automobile. Other legislations related to intoxicants address "designer drugs" and placed legal liabilities on those establishments serving alcoholic beverages.
The Senate approved observing the third Monday in January as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Senate Bill 485, 70th Legislature Regular Session. Chapter 159. Approved May 25, 1987, and Effective August 31, 1987, as an optional holiday.State holidays - Texas State Library
Two special sessions were held. The first, called by Clements, commenced June 2, 1987, and ended the following day. It was specifically designed to address issue related to insurance and civil liability, otherwise known as tort reform. The second special session addressed 72 various topics from passing the state budget to wastewater treatment, between June 22 and July 21, 1987.
Sources Texas holidays
"Senior Trustees Quit as S.M.U. Revamps Board" by Peter Applebome, New York Times May 9, 1987 (Accessed March 1, 2008).
References
External links