Today the Texas Special Legislative Session begins:
Governor Greg Abbott unveiled an agenda of 11 items for the legislature to tackle in its first special session of 2021 when it convenes later this week.
The whole agenda includes:
Bail reform Election reform Border security Social media censorship Article X funding Family violence protection Requirement for student athletes to compete within their own sex Restriction on abortion-inducing drugs Supplemental payment to the Teachers Retirement System More comprehensive critical race theory ban Property tax relief Foster care system appropriation Cyber security appropriation Items like election reform, social media censorship, and a more comprehensive ban on critical race theory were already identified by Abbott as part of the agenda.
After House Democrats walked out of the chamber on the last night of the regular session — breaking quorum and killing various pieces of legislation, most notably the election bill — Abbott declared that he would call a special session to tackle some of those items in addition to the fall special dealing with redistricting and federal coronavirus funds.
Another bill that died that night was bail reform, which was among Abbott’s emergency item list. It is included on the special session call.
Abbott then vetoed Article X of the state budget which governs funding for the legislature due to, in his words, the legislature not “showing up and doing their job.”
House Democrats petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to block Abbott’s veto of legislative funding and also appealed to Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) earlier this week to commit to stalling any special session agenda item until Article X funding is restored.
Here’s Abbott on the special session:
I've outlined a list of Special Session priority items that put TX first. I look forward to working with the #txlege as we build a brighter future for all Texans.
Items include:
*Bail Reform
*Election Integrity
*Border Security
*Social Media Censorshiphttps://t.co/bUIoWZiSX5 pic.twitter.com/RXqDyALWrV— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 7, 2021
Notably missing from the agenda: A ban on the genital mutilation of minors.
Michael Quinn Sullivan noted via email:
The items placed on the call by Gov. Abbott can be thought of as the “primary effect” – which is to say, how the coming contested primary is impacting the governor’s actions. The items on the call read like a laundry list of what the Texas Senate under Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has actually done… and what the Texas House under Speaker Dade Phelan failed to do.
Whether Speaker Phelan intends to help enact the governor’s agenda remains to be seen but he did announce a brand new committee to deal with them:
The day before Abbott released the agenda, Phelan announced the creation of a new committee: the House Select Committee on Constitutional Rights and Remedies. “The issues that will be submitted by the Governor for our consideration in the upcoming special session impact some of the most fundamental rights of Texans under the U.S. and Texas Constitutions,” Phelan said.
“These issues, by their very nature, are complex. A select committee with expanded membership and expertise is the ideal forum for ensuring the thoughtful consideration of diverse viewpoints as these constitutional issues are expressed, debated, and decided by the House.”
The committee will be chaired by Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) and vice-chaired by Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston).
The other members on the body include:
John Bucy (D-Austin) Travis Clardy (R-Nacogdoches) Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth) Jacey Jetton (R-Richmond) Ann Johnson (D-Houston) Stephanie Klick (R-Fort Worth) Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) J.M. Lozano (R-Kingsville) Oscar Longoria (D-Mission) Joe Moody (D-El Paso) Victoria Neave (D-Dallas) Matt Shaheen (R-Plano) James White (R-Hillister)
That committee doesn’t fill one with confidence. Geran was Joe Straus’ righthand man for many years, and an aide once filed a false child protection report against a primary opponent. Klick was one of only 16 Republicans to vote for creation of a Critical Race Theory-friendly Office of Health Equity in the regular session.
Then there’s a the question of whether Democrats will walk out again to avoid the election integrity bill from passing, just as they did during the regular session.
Stay tuned…