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More than a year's hotel tax, still unspentThe Texas Calendar Kill
The calendar kill is the most powerful tool in Texas politics that most citizens have never heard of. Understanding which bills die this way reveals who really controls the legislative agenda.
Read this in the original
This entry provides context and source notes. Its detailed explanation remains in the original build; a separate visual breakdown has not yet been authored here.
- Start with the question and coverage below.
- Open the original to inspect the records, controls and evidence behind the finding.
- Check the source dates and methodology before comparing figures or drawing a conclusion.
What you’re looking at
Visualizing the bills that pass committee but die because the Speaker or Lt. Governor never schedules a floor vote — the most powerful and least visible form of legislative control.
The question behind it
This dashboard tracks 31,019 bills across four legislative sessions (86th-89th) to reveal which bills were killed by calendar — passed committee but never received a floor vote. It maps kill patterns by topic, tracks the Speaker's alignment influence, and identifies repeat victims.
Why it matters
The calendar kill is the most powerful tool in Texas politics that most citizens have never heard of. Understanding which bills die this way reveals who really controls the legislative agenda.
Open the full visualizationSources & method
- LegiScan API (bill data)
- Texas Legislature Online
- Texas Ethics Commission (lobbyist data)
- Speaker election roll call votes
Method
Bills classified as "calendar killed" if they passed committee but received no floor vote by session end. Kill rates calculated per session, per topic, and per Speaker alignment. Lobbyist mapping via TEC registrations.