The Special Session kicked off an ominous week where the world lost Ozzy, Theo, and the Hulkster. Let’s hope the rest of the special session will be less tragic. However, after the Lt. Governor’s total ban on THC was vetoed by the Governor, the Lt. Governor did what anyone would do, and he teed up another total ban on THC, but with more lipstick. It looks like their weekly breakfast meetings will be serving eggs and tension.
Putting the “special” in special session
The House convened Monday for 10 minutes and promptly adjourned until Thursday. Ditto for Thursday, adjourning until 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, hearings on redistricting and flood relief were scheduled. The Senate took longer to get themselves sorted out on Monday but then just like Vin Diesel it hit the nitrous oxide button and rocketed ahead, as it usually does. In a nutshell:
- The Senate convened around 1 p.m. Monday.
- While they debated redistricting issues, Senate bills were filed on various topics, including regulating THC, authorizing the AG to prosecute election crimes, and banning so-called “taxpayer funded lobbying.” (More on those below.)
- At 5 p.m. Monday, the Senate postponed all applicable rules to hear those three bills on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. in the Senate State Affairs Committee.
- Those bills were heard Tuesday morning and voted out of committee unanimously. They are scheduled to be heard on Monday, July 28, by the entire Senate where they will likely be voted out and sent to the House.
SB 5: THC
The bill to ban most forms of THC was refiled in this special session as SB 5 by Perry (R-Lubbock). This sequel to SB 3 from the regular session is very similar to that vetoed bill but includes new carve-outs for various agricultural products and certain interstate commerce practices. Whether those changes are enough to appease the governor’s concerns remains to be seen. Kaufman County Criminal DA Erleigh Wiley testified in support of the bill, along with other law enforcement representatives. After several hours of testimony, the bill was approved by the Senate State Affairs Committee. It now awaits a floor vote (July 28), then it’s off to the House.
SB 11: Election crime prosecutions
The bill to authorize the AG to unilaterally prosecute Election Code crimes after six months of inaction by a local prosecutor was refiled as SB 11 by Hughes. This idea died twice in the House during the regular session as SB 1026 by Hughes and HB 5138 by Shaheen. It was laid out by the chairman, the committee heard minimal testimony (and none that was new), and then the bill was approved. It will be brought to the Senate floor on July 28.
SB 12: Taxpayer funded lobbying
The bill to take yet another crack at stopping certain groups from participating in the legislative process was refiled as SB 12 by Middleton. This bill is similar to SB 19 from the regular session, which ultimately died in the House after being amended in the Senate in a manner that made clear that it did not apply to a group of organizations that included TDCAA; however, that was contrary to its author’s wishes. The language in SB 12 starts anew without that amendment, but it does have one change: It specifically does not apply to organizations that solely serve sheriffs or law enforcement officers. (Lucky them.) Like the bills above, the committee heard very little new in the way of testimony and then passed it on to the full Senate for consideration on July 28.
The irony of a bill designed to limit the input of local officials being fast-tracked in this manner to … well, limit the input of local officials … is the kind of thing we love about the Texas legislature. You really can’t make it up.
Next week
Because this is a special session, advanced notice on many happenings will be rare. That is not a bug in the system, it is a feature—and one that legislators will take full advantage of when they want to avoid or short-circuit dissent. Prepare accordingly as both chambers meet on Monday.
Quotes of the Week
“I’m proud to be from the [Rio Grande Valley], and I’m proud to say that in the RGV, people vote for the person, not the party.”
—Tejano superstar Bobby Pulido discussing his possible congressional bid in South Texas to challenge Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg
“Your periodic reminder that, in claiming his innocence, Roberson said *in writing* that the woman he was sleeping with spiked Nikki off the floor and then they went back to sleep. She didn’t die of pneumonia.”
—Representative Mitch Little (R-Lewisville) commenting on the new execution date set for Robert Robertson.
“That means a person could be immune not only for acts of prostitution that are linked to their own prior victimization, but also for raping a child, murdering a law enforcement officer, or engaging in acts of terrorism.”
—Governor Greg Abbott discussing his veto of SB 1278 that will be brought back for discussion during the special session. SB 1278 provided legal protections for human trafficking victims coerced into crimes during their captivity.
“This is turning Texas into a nanny state. This is about the alcohol lobby and the pharmaceutical lobby. You want to talk about poison. Pharmaceuticals are the poison.”
—Mitch Fuller, a representative for Texas VFW, testifying against Senate Bill 5, the newest proposed ban on THC.
“We will regulate it by banning it because we have tried regulation.”
—State Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock), author of SB 5, during Tuesday’s Senate committee hearing on the bill.