WEEK IN REVIEW

WEEK IN REVIEW

SECOND SPECIAL SESSION ENDS WITH NO THC LEGISLATION

(AUSTIN) - The second called session of the 89th Legislature ended late Wednesday night, capping a session that saw the passage of new, more Republican-friendly congressional maps, bills to prevent future flooding tragedies, and a number of leadership priority bills that didn't pass during the regular session. It was those maps, and the subsequent quorum break by House Democrats, that stole headlines away from the topic that brought lawmakers back into Austin in the first place: Governor Greg Abbott's veto of a total ban on THC products in Texas. Both chambers approved the ban during the regular session, but Abbott favored some sort of regulatory plan that still allowed adults to purchase consumables containing some amount of the psychoactive chemical. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who controls the Senate agenda, was adamant in favor of the ban that passed both chambers during the regular session. "My position remains unchanged; the Senate and I are for a total THC ban," Patrick posted on social media late last night. With no agreement reached between the chambers, the pre-session status quo will remain in effect.

While it remains to be seen if the governor calls another session to deal with the issue, most of the other items on the special session agenda were sent to his desk. This includes the controversial congressional map, which he signed into law on August 29th. That map would elect five more Republicans to the state congressional districts given 2024 voting trends. The legislature passed bans on medical abortion pills and on transgender women from using spaces designated for women in public buildings and facilities. The legislature also approved an overhaul of the state's public school accountability system, tossing the existing STAAR exams and replacing them with a series of three, shorter tests to be administered at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the school term. Another bill on the governor's desk would permit pharmacists to dispense the anti-parasitic medication ivermectin over the counter. Lawmakers also empowered the attorney general to look into allegations of election crimes if local officials decline to prosecute.

Abbott called the first special session before catastrophic flooding struck the central Texas region on July 4th, but that issue was quickly added to the agenda for both special sessions. Lawmakers sent the governor bills that would spend nearly $300 million in flood relief and funding for future projects to improve preparation, planning, and warnings about flash flooding. That includes a bill that would require municipalities to install and operate warning sirens in high-risk areas, though the state will cover the cost. There was also a sweeping youth camp safety measure, passed in response to the twenty-five young girls and two staff members who died when the floods struck Camp Mystic in Kerr County. That bill will forbid housing campers in cabins that lie within flood plains and would strengthen requirements for emergency planning and training for both camp staff and guests. An omnibus flood bill that would've addressed emergency planning across the state failed to pass the legislature, though the House and Senate each voted to create an investigatory committee to look into the state and local response to the historic floods to see where officials succeeded and where they failed. Lawmakers also passed a bill cracking down on fraudsters who seek to take advantage of victims of natural disasters.

Bills that failed to pass one chamber or the other include a measure that would exempt certain police personnel files from disclosure requirements and one that would ban cities and counties from using public funds to hire Austin lobbyists. A bill that would've lowered the rollback election trigger for property tax hikes also fell to disagreement between the two chambers. Abbott hasn't said whether he'd call lawmakers back a third time to deal with these issues, and others like THC consumables, though the governor is empowered to call as many sessions dealing with as many topics as he likes.

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