He made good on the promise, designating the proposal a priority bill for the session and passing it out of the Senate late last month.īut it is still unclear how far it will go in the House. Patrick laid an unusually early marker for this session when he boldly declared in February 2022 that he wanted to end faculty tenure at public universities. Both chambers have included funding for Abbott’s “education savings account” proposal, but they appear to be far from reaching an acceptable compromise that could pass both chambers. That’s all on top of a lack of consensus on a school choice plan. The Senate, for its part, did not commit $1 billion from the House plan to freeze tuition hikes at public universities and colleges for two years. The House’s budget did not include money for Patrick’s $10 billion push to incentivize the building of natural gas power plants. The two chambers still have some work to reconcile their differences. Your donation during our spring member drive helps power our public service journalism. Some of the agencies up for review this year are the beleaguered Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Public Utility Commission, which Patrick has feuded with before.ĭid you know that the San Antonio Report is a nonprofit newsroom? Patrick could do something similar this year by holding up the state budget or other “sunset” bills that are before the Legislature. In 2017, Patrick forced a special session by blocking the passage of a must-pass “sunset” bill that would have extended the life of several state agencies, including the Texas Medical Board, after the House did not pass prohibitions on transgender-friendly bathrooms and locker rooms and on his priority property tax legislation. “But I can create one by not passing a key bill that has to pass.” “I can’t call a special session,” he said in April.
Under the Texas Constitution, only the governor can call a special session, but Patrick has found ways to force overtime in the past. Budget and other bills that could force a special sessionĭuring an April media campaign, Patrick had no qualms with threatening to force a special session if bills he supported did not receive House approval. House leaders have never said homestead exemptions are off the table, but a behind-the-scenes conversation on where those exemptions end up could be key to a property tax cut plan. Bettencourt is also pushing for $5.38 billion in additional funds to go toward buying down school district taxes, which are a major portion of property taxes.Ībbott hasn’t put his thumb on the scale for either proposal. In the Senate, Houston Republican Paul Bettencourt has pushed for increasing the state’s homestead exemption from its current $40,000 to $75,000, with an additional $20,000 exemption for homeowners 65 and older. But their chambers have taken vastly different approaches. Patrick, who leads the Senate, and Phelan, who presides over the House, agree on the goal. During his reelection campaign last fall, Abbott promised to deliver the biggest tax cut in the state’s history. Greg Abbott, Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan. Property taxesĬontrolling the rising costs of property taxes is a priority for the state’s Big Three officials: Gov. With long days ahead and only four weekends before the session adjourns for the summer, here are some of the biggest unresolved issues to follow before the final gavel falls on Memorial Day. And he has suggested that he may force a special session if he does not get his way on two of his priorities: property tax relief and power-grid reforms. Patrick has accused the House of moving too slowly this session, predicting an oncoming “train wreck” of piled-up legislation. Dan Patrick’s priority bills have been piling up in the House. And keep an eye on May 20, the deadline for House committees to pass Senate bills, a critical juncture given how Lt.
#Texas legislative session 2021 full
House committees have until Monday to advance House bills, while Thursday is the last day for the full House to initially approve its bills. Bill-killing deadlines are rapidly approaching, adding to the pressure.
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