Abbott Posts Losing Record on Emergencies
as Legislature
Running Out of Time on Taxes
Capitol Inside
May 29, 2023
Texas lawmakers invested copious amounts of blood, sweat and time into their work during 139 days in a regular session that ends on Monday. But it wasn't enough to get the job the done on the lion's share of the GOP leadership's highest priorities and expect to be back for a special session at taxpayer expense at some point in the near future with property tax relief and school vouchers as the marquee items.
The Texas House in stark contrast needed only four days to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday after a clandestine probe became public last week. The Senate has the task of putting Paxton on trial when it's back in session with two or three weeks to accomplish that after receiving 20 articles of impeachment formally from the House.
House leaders appeared to be working behind the scenes today on the possibility of raising a property tax measure from the grave with votes in both chambers to suspend the rules before the session's expires at midnight. Speculation on a potential Senate Bill 3 revival on Monday was fueled in part by a private meeting late last night in Abbott's office with GOP Speaker Dade Phelan. The speaker did not appear to be happy after leaving the governor's office according to reports from the field.
The Republican-controlled Legislature failed to pass high-priority legislation that revolved on border security, cartels and the criminalization of migrants. Texas lawmakers came up empty in a bid to impose Christian beliefs on the public schools with a Ten Commandments poster mandate that died in the House without a vote on the floor last week.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's bid to extend a critical race theory ban to public universities fizzled on the lower chamber floor last week as well without a vote. The list of Senate bills that were destined to flop in the House contained an anti-ESG measure that would have cracked down on corporations that defied the state's abortion and gun laws.
Governor Greg Abbott hasn't revealed any potential plans for bringing lawmakers for Paxton's impeachment trial and second shots on school choice, taxes and other issues that he may choose to revive in a special session call. The governor has remained mum on the property tax legislation's collapse in the midst of a House and Senate standoff on appraisal caps.
Abbott declared property tax reduction as the number one emergency at the regular session that goes out of business today. But Abbott stayed out of the debate on taxes - focusing instead on a statewide tour of private Christian schools to promote the vouchers plan that he'd vowed to have lawmakers pass even though it never appeared to have a chance in the House.
Abbott's posted three wins and four losses on the issues that he'd designated as emergencies in February. Abbott came up empty in a push for tighter bail laws and higher criminal penalties for human smuggling and migrants who enter the state illegally. Two major border security bills went down in flames in the House. A measure that would have made U.S. citizenship a prerequisite for voting in Texas died in the west wing to the dismay of conservatives.
Abbott on the other hand may see the failure of several power grid-related measures as a victory that will make it possible to put his plan into effect with executive and administrative orders. Patrick fared better on paper with watered-down versions of second-tier priorities on their way to Abbott in bills that restrict or ban drags shows, public school pornography, transgender medical care, trans females in college sports, college tenure and diversity in hiring practices at public universities.
But Patrick overestimated his ability to guide a school choice plan into law - and he'd promised to force a special session if he came up empty on vouchers in the Legislature's biennial gathering.
more to come ... |
