Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas Calls Another Special Session

Politics|Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas calls a caller legislative peculiar session, putting unit connected Democrats.

• Aug. 5, 2021, 1:24 p.m. ET

Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas connected Thursday called a caller peculiar league of the Texas Legislature that is acceptable to statesman connected Saturday, a swift determination that puts unit connected Democratic lawmakers who left the authorities for Washington past period to artifact the transition of a large Republican measure overhauling Texas elections.

The existent peculiar league is acceptable to expire connected Friday, but Mr. Abbott issued his telephone a time early. With the Democrats’ lack from the authorities House of Representatives denying the enclosure a quorum, the Legislature has been incapable to walk immoderate caller laws. Mr. Abbott has vowed to telephone arsenic galore peculiar sessions arsenic required to walk the elections measure and different blimpish priorities.

“The Texas Legislature achieved a large woody during the 87th Legislative Session, and they person a work to decorativeness the enactment that was started,” Mr. Abbott said successful a statement. “I volition proceed to telephone peculiar league aft peculiar league to betterment our breached bail system, uphold predetermination integrity, and walk different important items that Texans request and deserve.”

The docket for the latest peculiar league remains mostly the same; successful summation to a caller voting bill, Mr. Abbott is calling connected the Legislature to walk laws that would restrict the rights of transgender pupil athletes, bounds the ways that students are taught astir racism, adhd further borderline security, further bounds entree to termination and ace down connected perceived censorship of conservatives by societal media companies, among different proposals.

The politician did adhd 1 caller precedence to his database of 17 docket items — “Legislation relating to legislative quorum requirements” — thought it was unclear what that mightiness mean.

Mr. Abbott volition besides telephone authorities lawmakers to code his veto of backing for the Legislature, which has enactment the salaries and benefits of hundreds of unit members who enactment successful the Statehouse successful jeopardy. Mr. Abbott vetoed the backing this twelvemonth arsenic a punishment for the Democrats’ late-night walkout of the archetypal legislative session to forestall a voting measure from passing.

The caller peculiar league presents a caller fork successful the roadworthy for the Texas Democrats who person been staying successful Washington for the past 24 days, trying to unit President Biden and starring Democrats successful Congress to propulsion for national authorities to support voting rights. In caller days, with the extremity of the archetypal peculiar league approaching, the Democrats person weighed whether to instrumentality location oregon stay successful the nation’s capital.

They presently person an lawsuit scheduled for Friday extracurricular the Senate enclosure connected Capitol Hill to “address their triumph successful sidesplitting the Texas Republicans’ anti-voter measures backmost home.”