Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation applauded Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to call a second special session, a necessary step for conducting the business of the people of Texas. After an incomplete 87th Legislative Session, and a Special Session in which Democratic lawmakers fled the state and left the House without a quorum, elected officials must now focus on the important work still left to be done—election integrity, bail reform, property tax relief, and crucial funding for Texas K-12 public schools.
“Texans do not have the luxury of leaving their jobs for weeks on end. No wonder Texans are frustrated by a few dozen runaway legislators stopping progress on common-sense election reform and lower property tax bills,” said Kevin Roberts, TPPF’s Chief Executive Officer. “With this new call for a second special session, we look forward to getting that important work done. Thankfully, given the hard work of all the great public servants who have been in the Capitol every day, fulfilling their duty to their constituents, I am optimistic that these important bills will get passed. Texans should be grateful to Gov. Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan—and all the legislators who didn’t abandoned their duties.”
“We’re optimistic that Texas’s lawmakers will return to the task of increasing protections for our elections, fixing our broken bail system, enacting needed additional reforms to improve foster care, boosting border security, and providing billions of dollars in property tax relief,” said Chuck DeVore, TPPF’s President of National Initiatives. “Texans want and need their elected representatives to return to work.”