AUSTIN, Texas (CN) — After Texas Democratic lawmakers walked off the House floor in late May to kill a controversial Republican elections bill, Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to recall the legislative branch for a special session. Now, he has unveiled his agenda for the summer session that starts Thursday.
After Abbott signed multiple laws this past session favorable to the ideological right, many referred to the regular session as the most conservative in years. Despite that assessment from both those who supported and scorned the session, the Republican governor still seeks to push the envelope when it comes to voting rights, immigration and other controversial social issues.
Abbott issued a proclamation Wednesday listing 11 items he is asking legislators to address. As expected based on the governor’s recent comments, the agenda includes election integrity, bail reform, border security and critical race theory. He also wants lawmakers to take up social media censorship, transgender youth in sports and legislative funding.
The other items on the agenda – family violence prevention, restricting abortion-inducing drugs, teachers' retirement payments and cybersecurity funding – are new issues the governor did not raise during the regular legislative session.
Aside from social issues, Texans on both sides of the aisle have called for lawmakers and Abbott's administration to do more when it comes to the state's energy infrastructure, though that issue was not listed in the governor's proclamation.
Voting Rights
Arguably the most controversial issue expected to return this special session is the GOP push for “election integrity” and voting restrictions.
With mere hours left in the regular session, House Democrats staged a walkout, breaking quorum and killing Senate Bill 7. The bill was Texas Republicans' answer to bogus claims of widespread voter fraud peddled by former President Donald Trump and others who falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen.
SB 7 would have banned 24-hour and drive-through voting, innovations that were used by Harris County, Texas’ largest county and home to Houston, to increase turnout and prevent further spread of Covid-19 during the fall peak of the pandemic. The bill would have also barred election officials from soliciting vote-by-mail applications.
After the legislation went to a conference committee, several new provisions were added on by Republican members behind closed doors. The additions to the bill would have made it easier for elections to be overturned, limited early voting hours on Sundays and set new ID requirements for mail-in ballots. These new provisions in large part sparked the drastic measures taken by Democrats to kill the legislation.
Immediately after SB 7’s fate was clear, Abbott posted a tweet that said, “Election Integrity and Bail Reform were emergency items for this legislative session. They STILL must pass. They will be added to the special session agenda.”
Texas lawmakers could get their second chance to join states like Georgia and Florida that passed similar voting legislation this year, but Democrats have pledged to use all the tools necessary to block the legislation, leaving the possibility of another walkout on the table.
Bail Reform
Caught in the crossfire during Democrats' walkout over kill SB 7 was House Bill 20, another part of Abbott's legislative priorities for the regular session. If passed, it would have changed the bail system in Texas by banning people accused of violent or sexual crimes from using personal recognizance, or no-fee, bonds to get out of jail. The bill would have also placed restrictions on the ability of organizations to post bail on behalf of someone accused of a violent or sexual crime.
Bail reform was a key goal for Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. Since HB 20 died in the regular session along with the Republican voting bill, the governor said this issue would return for the special session.
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