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AUSTIN, Texas – The third special session of the Texas Legislature ended early Tuesday morning, with most, but not all, of Governor Greg Abbott’s priorities being approved by lawmakers. Legislature has passed six out of ten tasks assigned by Governor Abbott, including the redistribution of cards and a law banning transgender youth athletes from participating in sports teams that match their gender identity.
What you need to know
- The third special session of the 87th Texas Legislature ended early Tuesday morning
- Six of Governor Greg Abbott’s ten priority items were passed during the 30-day session
- This included a law that limits the participation of transgender athletes in school sports and newly restricts tickets
- A law banning COVID-19 mandates and one that increases the penalty for illegal voting was not passed. Whether or not Governor Abbott will convene another special session this year remains to be seen
But some of Abbott’s big ticket items didn’t make it to the finish line. Legislature has not passed a law banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates by Texan companies or governments, although Abbott’s ordinance banning the mandates is still in place.
“The fact that Republicans have been pushed back so much on this makes us feel that there is a split within the party over how to approach this issue and that has certainly reduced the chances of such a law being passed “Said Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.
They also did not agree to increase the penalty for illegal voting. Earlier this year, legislators passed a comprehensive electoral law that reduced the penalty for illegal elections from a second-degree crime to a class A crime. In September, Governor Abbott, who had already signed the bill, urged lawmakers to reverse that change at that special session, but House spokesman Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, declined.
“Apparently, Governor Abbott didn’t read the bill before signing it in the big press conference and then tried to change it later,” said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie.
So far, Abbott has given no indication whether it would convene another special meeting to address the outstanding issues.
One of the most important issues for lawmakers was to redraw the state’s political maps based on the latest census data.
“The fact that they could, and under the circumstances, really was a huge win for them [Republicans]. This reallocation plan is definitely being litigated and we won’t see the end of this story until the courts have their last word on it, but it has definitely cemented the strength of the Republicans they have been building on since 2001, “Rottinghaus said.
The negotiated cards for Congress, State House, Senate, and State Board of Education did not add districts where colored voters would form a majority, even though 95% of the state’s population growth would be driven by colored people.
Instead, the new cards were created to cement the power of the GOP across the state and protect the incumbents. Legal challenges are already underway.
“The Republican Party has used political gerrymandering as a weapon to remove and suppress the electoral rights of Latinos throughout the state of Texas,” said Domingo Garcia, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “The dirty political tricks that were done this year, even by Texas standards, big BS.”
Lawmakers also decided how to allocate billions of dollars in federal COVID aid funds. In a negotiated version of Senate Bill 8, lawmakers decided to allocate more than $ 7 billion to state unemployment benefits and $ 2 billion to hospital staffing, to name a few.
Governor Abbott also belatedly urged lawmakers to “improve higher education”. In a last-minute deal, the chambers agreed to provide around $ 3.3 billion to finance construction projects for higher education institutions across the state.
In the final hours leading up to the adjournment, lawmakers also rushed to pass a bipartisan property tax relief law that would encourage voters to pass a constitutional amendment to increase homestead exemptions.
This would save about $ 176 per year for the average homeowner.
“The house is theirs for a lifetime, so it could bring well over $ 5,000 in lifelong benefits,” said Senator Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston I think that was the highlight of the session. “
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