Texas Scorecard by Brandon Waltens September 4, 2025
The special sessions were marked by a two-week quorum break by Democrats, as well as a slew of new laws. The Texas House and Senate have adjourned sine die, bringing to a close the second special session of the summer called by Gov. Greg Abbott.
The session followed a tumultuous first special session in which Democrat members of the House broke quorum for two weeks to delay passage of a new congressional map. When lawmakers eventually returned for the second 30-day session, that map was quickly approved and sent to Abbott’s desk for his signature.
Much was made during the session of proposals to crack down on lawmakers who deliberately break quorum in the future. In the final hours, the House passed a resolution tightening its own rules to impose stiff new penalties, including fines, loss of leadership posts, budget cuts, and recalculation of seniority for absent members.
While redistricting was the original focus, Abbott had a variety of other issues on the call.
Lawmakers did manage to move several of Abbott’s priorities across the finish line. Measures were passed cracking down on abortion-inducing drugs delivered through the mail, advancing the Women’s Privacy Act to keep men out of women’s spaces, and restoring the authority of the attorney general to prosecute election fraud cases—power that had been stripped away by a previous court ruling. Additionally, lawmakers addressed flood control and emergency alerts systems, following the tragic July 4th flooding deaths in Central Texas.
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-legislature-wraps-up-summer-special-sessions/
