- Governor Abbott has formally called a special session of the Texas Legislature to begin on July 21, with 18 items on the special session call
- Items to be considered in the special session include disaster preparedness, Congressional redistricting, and several other items of interest to conservatives
- Democrats have personally attacked Abbott over his inclusion of conservative legislation for the special session
Governor Greg Abbott issued a formal proclamation on Wednesday afternoon calling a special session of the Texas Legislature to convene on July 21. Abbott’s proclamation included 18 items for lawmakers to consider during the session.
“We delivered on historic legislation in the 89th Regular Legislative Session that will benefit Texans for generations to come,” said Governor Abbott. “There is more work to be done, particularly in the aftermath of the devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country. We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future.”
Four items related to disaster preparedness and response topped Governor Abbott’s list of items included on his call for the special session.
Congressional redistricting was also included on the special session agenda. As first reported by Brad Johnson of The Texan, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to Governor Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton earlier this week, notifying the State of Texas that four current congressional districts “constitute unconstitutional racial gerrymanders.”
The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, urges state officials to immediately rectify the problems with the current Congressional map or face potential legal action by the Department of Justice.
Other issues included on the special session call include the elimination of the STAAR test, property tax relief, regulation of hemp-derived THC products, additional restrictions on abortion, protecting women’s privacy, and empowering the Attorney General to prosecute election fraud cases.
It remains to be seen whether Democrats will attend the special session or if they will attempt to break quorum to obstruct the passage of legislation.
Mindful of the optics of fleeing the state and delaying the passage of disaster-related legislation in the wake of the recent tragic flooding in the Texas Hill Country, Democrats have chosen to personally attack Governor Abbott for including multiple items for the special session.
“Governor Abbott listed flood preparedness at the top of his special session call, but then buried it under a pile of cynical, political distractions. While families need relief funds and infrastructure to prevent the next disaster, the Governor is more focused on redrawing political maps, prosecuting election officials, and further restricting women’s healthcare,” said State Representative Gene Wu, who serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.
The complete list of items listed on Governor Abbott’s special session proclamation is listed below:
FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS: Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
FLOOD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
RELIEF FUNDING FOR HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION & RECOVERY: Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.
ELIMINATE STAAR TEST: Legislation to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability.
CUT PROPERTY TAXES: Legislation reducing the property tax burden on Texans and legislation imposing spending limits on entities authorized to impose property taxes.
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THC: Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.
REGULATE HEMP-DERIVED PRODUCTS : Legislation to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.
PROTECT UNBORN CHILDREN: Legislation further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion.
BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING: Legislation prohibiting taxpayer-funded lobbying, including the use of tax dollars to hire lobbyists and payment of tax dollars to associations that lobby the Legislature.
PROTECT HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1278 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that protects victims of human trafficking from criminal liability for non-violent acts closely tied to their own victimization.
POLICE PERSONNEL RECORDS: Legislation that protects law enforcement officers from public disclosure of unsubstantiated complaints in personnel files.
PROTECT WOMEN’S SPACES: Legislation protecting women’s privacy in sex-segregated spaces.
ATTORNEY GENERAL ELECTION POWERS: Legislation proposing a constitutional amendment allowing the Attorney General to prosecute state election crimes.
REDISTRICTING: Legislation that provides a revised congressional redistricting plan in light of constitutional concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Justice.
TITLE THEFT & DEED FRAUD: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 648 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that provides strengthened protections against title theft and deed fraud.
WATER PROJECT INCENTIVES: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1253 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that authorizes political subdivisions to reduce impact fees for builders who include water conservation and efficiency measures.
STATE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 2878 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to the operation and administration of the Judicial Department of state government.
