Governor Abbott Announces Special Session Agenda (begins 10:00AM Thurs. July 8)

Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott ^ | July 7, 2021 | Governor Greg Abbott

[Texas Fossil]

Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation that identifies eleven agenda items for the Special Session that begins at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 8. 

"The 87th Legislative Session was a monumental success for the people of Texas, but we have unfinished business to ensure that Texas remains the most exceptional state in America,” said Governor Abbott. "Two of my emergency items, along with other important legislation, did not make it to my desk during the regular session, and we have a responsibility to finish the job on behalf of all Texans. These Special Session priority items put the people of Texas first and will keep the Lone Star State on a path to prosperity. I look forward to working with my partners in the Legislature to pass this legislation as we build a brighter future for all who call Texas home."

Special Session agenda items will include:

• BAIL REFORM: Legislation reforming the bail system in Texas to protect the public from accused criminals who may be released on bail.
• ELECTION INTEGRITY: Legislation strengthening the integrity of elections in Texas.
• BORDER SECURITY: Legislation providing funding to support law-enforcement agencies, counties, and other strategies as part of Texas’ comprehensive border security plan.
• SOCIAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP: Legislation safeguarding the freedom of speech by protecting social-media users from being censored by social-media companies based on the user’s expressed viewpoints, including by providing a legal remedy for those wrongfully excluded from a platform.
• ARTICLE X FUNDING: Legislation providing appropriations to the Legislature and legislative agencies in Article X of the General Appropriations Act.
• FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION: Legislation similar to Senate Bill 1109 from the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, requiring schools to provide appropriate education to middle- and high-school students about dating violence, domestic violence, and child abuse, but that recognizes the right of parents to opt their children out of the instruction.
• YOUTH SPORTS: Legislation identical to Senate Bill 29 as passed by the Texas Senate in the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, disallowing a student from competing in University Interscholastic League athletic competitions designated for the sex opposite to the student’s sex at birth.
• ABORTION-INDUCING DRUGS: Legislation similar to Senate Bill 394 from the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, which prohibits people from providing abortion-inducing drugs by mail or delivery service, strengthens the laws applicable to the reporting of abortions and abortion complications, and ensures that no abortion-inducing drugs are provided unless there is voluntary and informed consent.
• THIRTEENTH CHECK: Legislation similar to House Bill 3507 from the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to a “thirteenth check” or one-time supplemental payment of benefits under the Teacher Retirement System of Texas.
• CRITICAL RACE THEORY: Legislation similar to House Bill 3979 concerning critical race theory as originally passed by the Texas Senate in the 87th Legislature, Regular Session.
• APPROPRIATIONS: Legislation providing appropriations from additional available general revenue for the following purposes:
  • property-tax relief;
  • enhanced protection for the safety of children in Texas’ foster-care system by attracting and retaining private providers for the system; and
  • to better safeguard the state from potential cybersecurity threats.

View the Governor's proclamation.

[Texas Fossil]

The ComDem's blocked important legislation at the end of the general session, which made this necessary.

The State of Texas is under assault at the Mexican border and on many issues withing the state of Texas. All caused by O'Biden and his anti-American Vermin.

[Dr. Thorne]

Too little, too late, Greg.

Allen West will be the next governor of Texas and will enact all the conservative reforms you eschewed. Your lukewarm actions and subsequent shoulder shrugs where you blamed others are now examples of your obvious unwillingness to follow the desires of Texans across the state. Bye bye.

[Rusty0604]

Thanks!

[marktwain]

I would like to see them pass a motorist defensive escape bill similar as was passed in Florida.

Texas law is very bad in this regard.

[TexasKamaAina]

You can tell he’s got an election coming up.

[Zathras]

Better late than never but this should have happened 20 years ago.
Hopefully the TX GOP goes full on attack against the Rino infiltrators and the remnant of the LBJ machine.

[Guenevere]

Bttt

[marktwain]

Allen West will be the next governor of Texas and will enact all the conservative reforms you eschewed. Your lukewarm actions and subsequent shoulder shrugs where you blamed others are now examples of your obvious unwillingness to follow the desires of Texans across the state. Bye bye.

The Texas Governor does not have as much power as do most governors, by design.

I like Allen West, but his election does not make the reforms certain of passage.

[ConservativeMind]

He's made an unscheduled laundry list of items to make it look like he's as good as Allen West would be, but Allen West didn't have hand-picked underlings who caused the deaths of dozens of people and bankrupted companies by NOT following their own policies and procedures. He made sure liberals from outside of Texas ruled in ways to hurt as many as possible.

Additionally, he required masks for everyone in any county with 20 believed infected COVID-19 positive people while illegally closing “unessential businesses,” for which no such definition exists in Texas law.

[Texas Fossil]

Agree

[Texas Fossil]

Yes. I agree.

[ptsal]

Looks like too many items on the plate. Where is the governor’s priority list?

Even with the majority in the house and senate, these rascals will fiddle around and not get much done. /#SadDay

[Clay Moore]

“Where is the governor’s priority list?”

There is only one item on Grabbot’s list. Getting elected governor in 2022 and president in 2024. Nothing else matters.

[SanchoP]

Allen West will be the next governor of Texas -

I'm already "talkin' him up" to my neighbors. It kind of surprised me how people that don't really follow politics are fed up with Abbott. The pandemic and the winter power outage are hanging around his neck like a dead skunk.

[Irenic]

Property taxes, property taxes, property taxes!

Also, what’s this with the feds sending people door to door over vaccines—what can they do to curtail this?

Abbott...meh.

[bert]

He has done more than all of you purist sour grapes naysayers combined

Zealots are a conservative problem of the first magnitude

[ChuckHam]

I like West. However, he’s not going to beat Abbott. Don’t take this as a endorsement of the governor.

[dfwgator]

I plan to vote for Huffines.

[Jrabbit]

Really? 🙄

[jimjohn]

AMEN.