After a month and a half — much of which was spent waiting for quorum-breaking Democrats to show up — the Legislature adjourned sine die late Wednesday night on the second called Special Session from Governor Abbott.
While politics often fails to lead to perfect policies and there’s always more work yet to be done, Texans will be better off for what we’ve accomplished during this time.
The more you know: “Sine Die” (pronounced sigh-nee dye in the US, although my years of studying Latin cause me to cringe at that) is a Latin term meaning “without day.” In the Texas Legislature, that means the session is permanently over without any plans to come back.
More Winning
Over the last few weeks, we made substantial progress on several different conservative priorities. Here’s some of the big victories worth celebrating.
✅ Relief for Flood Victims in the Hill Country
One of the top priorities for the special sessions, we worked hard to craft legislation that will provide immediate funding to aid in the recovery efforts as well as legislation aimed at safeguarding Texans from similar future disasters with flooding sirens and requiring better emergency preparedness at youth camps.
✅ Cracking Down on Abortion Pills
We passed HB 7, a bill that originally died in the regular session, which will crack down on the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs, particularly those that are being sent into the state.
✅ Protecting Women’s Privacy
SB 8, also known as the Texas Women’s Privacy Act, will ensure that private spaces like bathrooms, locker rooms, and prisons are kept separate based on biological sex.
✅ Phasing Out the STAAR Test
Similar to a bill that the House tried passing during the regular session, HB 8 will phase out the STAAR test and replace it with a testing program that will still allow the state to track the academic growth of students without becoming the cumbersome focal point for teachers.
✅ Building a Stronger Republican Majority
The new congressional map will help secure a strong Republican majority in Congress in the next election, with seats redrawn to better reflect Texas’ conservative values. At a time when Democrats continue drifting deeper into Marxist and anti-Christian ideology, we need to press our advantage as we have an opportunity to strengthen a pro-American agenda in Congress.
✅ Allowing OTC Ivermectin Sales
HB 25 will allow pharmacists in Texas to sell ivermectin without a prescription over the counter, allowing more medical freedom in the state.
✅ Safeguards Against Future Quorum Breaks
Although we were unable to secure the strong punishments I wanted to see levied against the Democrats who abandoned their elected responsibility, we passed HB 18 that will prohibit quorum breaking members from fundraising off of such future stunts and also amended the House Rules to clarify that the punishments for future quorum breaks include much stronger fines, reductions to members’ seniority, and removals from committee leadership positions — things that Democrats hold dear.
✅ Securing Texas Elections
SB 12amends Texas statute to clarify that the attorney general has the authority to prosecute election fraud crimes, and SB 54 corrects a bill passed in the regular session that may have been exploited for a type of same-day voter registration.
Things Left on the Table
There will always be more battles left to fight in politics, and this special session was no exception.
For starters, the chairman of the House State Affairs Committee once again stymied efforts to ban taxpayer funded lobbying. There will be a political reckoning for his actions, either at the ballot box or in the chamber, and I’m confident that we’re within reach of getting it done. By this time two years from now, it should be law.
Another big let down came when the Senate gutted a bill that I joint-authored with Chairman Cody Harris that would have put a pause on a controversial project that could jeopardize aquifer levels in East Texas. There is still a lengthy permitting process that should prevent the project from being fast tracked, but I am disappointed that the Senate killed an effort that would have ensured the protection of our most basic shared natural resource.
And, of course, another big issue that the Legislature must continue to work on is property tax reform and relief. While my colleagues pursued something with good intentions to that end in SB 10, the relief that might have come from that would accomplish little to help the average homeowner. Real reform is going to take a lot more work, and I look forward to finding a solution that will actually help Texans without hurting cities that manage their budgets responsibly. We need to turn the system on its head and figure out a way to incentivize local jurisdictions to be good actors, and only penalize those who fail to do so.
Coming Up…
In the days and weeks ahead, I’m looking forward to spending more time at home with my family, friends, and neighbors in Tyler and the rest of House District 6.
The East Texas State Fair is just around the corner, which will include a rodeo for the first time this year. I’m looking forward to celebrating those festivities with my family and all of my staff who will be in town for a few days to tour the district.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office if you ever need anything or have any policy ideas that you think might be worth exploring. We are always happy to help!