Texas legislature braces for potential last night amidst THC regulation rumors

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — While the 30-day window for the Texas Legislature’s second special session doesn’t expire until September 14, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, R-Texas, said he’s aiming for Sine Die on Wednesday.

“Our plan is to be out of here next Wednesday,” Patrick said on the Senate floor on Aug. 27.

Both the Texas House and Texas Senate are set to meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Entering the day, both had quite small slates of unfinished business.

On the House side, the chamber is set to discuss and vote on Senate Bill 1—the ‘Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act.’ The bill, which aims to implement strict standards to promote summer camp safety from natural disasters, drew the ire of a trio of Hill Country camps over the weekend who asked lawmakers for “meaningful financial support,” to help them implement elements of the bill.

On the Senate side, they’re set to debate House Bill 7—which allows private citizens to sue companies or providers who send abortion-inducing drugs to Texas.

Already on the governor’s desk

Gov. Greg Abbott issued his proclamation for a second special session on Aug. 15. He added and amended the proclamation until there were 23 items up for consideration. Before Wednesday night, the legislature had passed bills related to nine of the items.

One of the biggest items the body passed was Senate Bill 3, which requires the Texas Water Development Board to identify areas in flood-prone areas to install warning sirens. The bill also creates a grant program through the governor’s office that municipalities can apply for to help pay for the emergency upgrades.

“With limited cell phone coverage in many of these areas, we must rely on proven technology,” State Rep. Terry Wilson, R-Georgetown, said when laying out the bill on the House floor.

Lawmakers also passed bills that dealt with creating an affirmative defense for victims of human trafficking if they can prove they were coerced to commit a crime, allowing pharmacists to dispense ivermectin without a prescription from a doctor, and permit exemptions for dam projects that help with soil erosion.

One of the most controversial bills passed was the new congressional map that gives Republicans an edge to pick up five additional seats in the midterm elections. It was that redistricting process which forced House Democrats to flee the state in an attempt to kill the first special session and gain national support from blue states to start their own mid-decade redistricting process.

Unfinished business

There are still key items that have yet to cross the finish line including what to do with intoxicating hemp products. Abbott wants the legislature to pass bills that will regulate the industry, but Patrick has said he will not settle for anything less than a total ban of THC products. THC is the intoxicating compound in hemp that gives someone a high.

The Texas Senate passed a complete ban in August but the bill has stalled in the House. State Rep. Gary VanDeaver, R-New Boston, chairs the House Public Health Committee. He said on Tuesday that it appeared no solution was in sight.

“We’ll eventually find our path, but we’re just not there at this point,” VanDeaver said. However, less than 24 hours after saying that, the Public Health Committee is scheduled to meet and discuss THC legislation on Wednesday night. It’s unclear if there is a proposal they will vote on.

The House and Senate will also have to find an agreement on property tax relief. The Senate and House passed different versions of Senate Bill 10 — which is designed to make it harder for taxing entities to raise property tax rates without voter approval. Members of the House feel the Senate’s version does not go far enough.

“This is not the answer to our prayers in property tax,” State Rep. Mitch Little, R-Lewisville, said when opposing the bill on the House floor.

Both chambers will also debate what to do with the STAAR test, which is the standardized test some public school students take at the end of each year.