Governor Greg Abbott has called a second special session of the Texas legislature for this weekend, adding six issues to his wish list despite the fact that nothing can pass if House Democrats remain out of state.
The Texas Tribune is reporting that Abbott’s agenda list has grown to 17 items, including the spending of federal COVID-19 relief funds and potentially changing the legislative rules regarding quorums.
Also on the agenda are items meant to prohibit mask mandates in schools, tighten enforcement at the US border, and prevent students from playing on sports teams of a different sex than they were assigned at birth, according to CNN.
However, none of Abbott’s proposals will reach his desk as long as Democrats remain in Washington D.C. On July 12, Democrats in the Texas State Legislature boarded planes and left Austin before the first vote on an election bill in the special legislative session ordered by the governor.
The Orlando Sentinel reported that the move marked the first time since 2003 that Texas Democrats, shut out of power in the state Capitol for decades, have crossed state lines to break a quorum.
Abbott’s call for a second session comes as Texas Democrats remain in Washington, focused on pressuring President Joe Biden and Democratic members of Congress on passing federal voting rights legislation.
Abbott followed through on his promise to call for the second session, making sure the session begins the day after the first one ends. This means it will start on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
It also means that lawmakers will have to start everything over, including filing bills and holding committee hearings.
According to KXAN, Democratic Rep. James Talarico said he’d be happy to return and work on a list of the state’s serious problems.
“But instead, Governor Abbott has announced a special session that is filled with conspiracy theories – conspiracy theories about stolen elections, conspiracy theories about trans children, conspiracy theories about critical race theory,” he said.
