By rssfeeds-admin At the time Abbott called for the session, THC, abortion legislation, and other topics headlined the agenda.
But then the deadly July 4 floods in Central Texas moved to the top of legislators’ minds.
“The flooding in Kerrville is going to be front and center, I believe, at least at the beginning of the special session. But some other issues are going to come to the fore as well,” Quorum Report Editor, Scott Braddock, said.
With more now on the agenda, will 30 days be enough for elected officials?
2025 marks the third consecutive legislative year that lawmakers are recalled for a special session.
“This has become, I guess, more normal than it probably should be,” House District 69 Representative James Frank said.
Frank and others are back in Austin to tackle issues across the Lone Star State.
“It’s going to be a flurry of activity at the Capitol,” Braddock said.
The debate over THC will spark once again.
The legislature sent an all-out ban to Governor Abbott’s desk before vetoing the bill. Abbott has asked lawmakers to regulate the industry like the state has for alcohol.
Frank agrees with the governor.
“I do think it went a little bit too far,” Frank said. “There’s just give and take. The better we do a job of communicating, the less times we need to go back for a special session.”
Braddock believes Abbott could get his way, but he said to keep a close eye on how bills move through the Senate.
“This is one of the rare fights that we’ve ever seen, between Patrick and Abbott,” Braddock said. “For example, the response to the flooding in Kerrville, [Patrick] could use that as leverage to try to get his way on the THC ban.”
Frank said redrawing congressional lines is thinking of the future for Republicans. With midterms around the corner, he said it’s crucial for the party to keep control of the U.S. House.
“How can we put ourselves in the best position to continue to govern?” Frank said. “I like the direction the country is going right now and want to keep that.”
Braddock said the move could change the course of the nation. If new lines aren’t drawn after 30 days, lawmakers could return a second time.
“It’s going to be one of the most high-stakes fights that we’ve seen,” Braddock said.
Frank also eyes scrapping the STAAR test.
“We didn’t get it figured out between the House and Senate, really at the last minute. And, so kind of nice to have another shot at that,” Frank said.
Speaker Dustin Burrows released his appointments for the Texas House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting.
House District 68 Representative David Spiller will serve on that committee.
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