CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Monday, state lawmakers ended the 88th session of the Texas Legislature. However, Gov. Greg Abbott called them back into a special session so that they can continue their work.
Although there could be more to come, for now, the governor wants two specific issues to receive the House and the Senate's time and attention: decreasing property taxes and increasing border security.
When lawmakers began their 140-day session in Austin back in January, the hope was to pass key bills that state leaders had identified as priorities.
While some of that happened, the governor says he wants more for the people of Texas, and it will take several special sessions to get it done.
Abbott is now looking for a plan that will simply send the money to school districts so that they can lower their tax rate – a savings for both homeowners and business owners.
He also wants to revisit border security—more than just the $5.1 billion already earmarked for that purpose. Specifically, the governor is asking for tougher penalties for those involved in human smuggling and operating a stash house.
By law, a special session can last no more than 30 days, and lawmakers can only pass bills on the items Abbott has put on the agenda.
But with school vouchers and teacher pay raises still sitting out there, this will likely not be the only special session that we see this summer.
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