Governor Greg Abbott at the request of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, called for special session of the Texas Legislature, was to begin Monday at 9 p.m.
Only the governor can call a special legislative session. Lawmakers can only pass bills related to the agenda the governor sets.
According to a statement issued by Abbott, the special session will be focused on property tax relief and border security.
“Many critical items remain that must be passed,” Abbott said, which he asserts will require multiple special sessions.
“We must cut property taxes. During the regular session, we added $17.6 billion to cut property taxes. However, the legislature could not agree on how to allocate funds to accomplish this goal. Texans want and need a path towards eliminating property taxes. The best way to do that is to direct property tax
reduction dollars to cut school property tax rates.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick earlier sent a letter to Abbott requesting the special session with a list of bills he considered important to address.
As Tuesday afternoon rolled around, Patrick announced the unanimous passage of SJR 1 and SB 1 Property Tax Relief related to homestead exemptions. Voters will make the final decision on SJR by approving the constitution amendment in November.
Other bills that may come up in more special sessions include banning critical race theory in education, criminal sentencing and bail, foreign ownership of property in Texas, election issues, drag queen reading programs, anti-ESG legislation, border security and the TSTC Endowment Fund.