ABC13
A fourth special session is set to begin Tuesday evening after the third ended with a whimper without a deal on school vouchers - Gov. Greg Abbott's top priority - as well as several border security bills he had asked for.
Abbott announced the fourth special legislative session begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
"The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling," Abbott said in a news release. "However, there is more work to be done. I am immediately calling lawmakers back for Special Session #4 to complete their critical work to empower Texas parents to choose the best education pathway for their child while providing billions more in funding for Texas public schools and continuing to boost safety measures in schools. We must pass laws that will enhance the safety of all Texans by increasing funding for strategic border barriers and mirroring the federal immigration laws President Joe Biden refuses to enforce. Texas will also arrest people for illegal entry into our state from a foreign nation, and authorize the removal of anyone who illegally enters our state, with penalties up to 20 years in prison for refusing to comply with removal. To crack down on repeated attempts to enter Texas illegally, illegal re-entry will be penalized with up to 20 years in prison. I look forward to working with members of the Texas Legislature to better secure Texas and pass school choice for all Texas families."
Abbott said the agenda items will include school choice and border security, which fell short in the third special session.
The House adjourned sine die just after 10 a.m., preventing the passage of any legislation that still remains in the Senate. The upper chamber convened at 4 p.m.
Over 30 days of largely unproductive lawmaking, plagued by bitter Republican infighting between Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, the Legislature passed just two of the five items on the governor's initial agenda from Oct. 5, and none of the five items he later added. Phelan said Abbott would call a fourth special session beginning Tuesday afternoon, though whether that can break the stalemate is far from guaranteed.
Never in the Legislature's 176-year history have lawmakers met for more than three special sessions in a year with a regular session. With the nominally part-time lawmakers away from their families and principal jobs for more than half of 2023, the mood inside the Capitol is dour.
The Legislature granted Abbott's request for a ban on employer COVID-19 vaccination mandates. The bill, shepherded by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, and Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, passed through the Republican-dominated chambers with ease.
The biggest point of contention was Abbott's request for a voucher bill that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private and religious schools. An effort to do so in the regular session in the spring was defeated by a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans.
More:
https://abc13.com/texas-house-adjourns-2023-third-special-session-without-passing-school-vouchers-or-border-security/14022769/
