Second special session ends

The second special session ended Sept. 4 after a few key pieces of legislation were sent to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature. 

After the first special session was stalled due to House Democrats leaving the state to protest congressional redistricting efforts, Abbott immediately called a second session with the same agenda items. Aside from redistricting, relief for the July 4 flood victims, reforms to enhance safety around flash flood areas in the state, banning THC products, and repealing the STAAR test were among the major items considered.

Here are the major bills that passed both chambers:

SB 1 by Sen. Charles Perry (R-Lubbock): Increases safety requirements for youth camps near rivers.

HB 1 by Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo): Increases safety requirements for youth camps near rivers.

SB 3 by Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston): Requires installation of outdoor warning sirens in flash flood-prone areas.

HB 4 by Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi): Creates a new congressional district map for Texas.

HB 8 by Rep. Brad Buckley (R-Salado): Repeals the STAAR test, replacing it with three shorter exams taken throughout the year. Also adjusts the A-F accountability system. Read more about HB 8 here.

SB 8 by Sen. Mayes Middleton (R-Galveston) and several others: Restricts bathroom use in government buildings and schools to sex assigned at birth.

Notably, efforts to ban THC products failed in both the regular and special sessions. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick conceded the issue for now, but vowed to renew his efforts in the future. 

While there are some murmurs of Abbott calling a third special session to button up a few issues related to flood relief, legislators will return home in the meantime to resume their non-legislative lives. TCTA will keep you up to date on any potential special sessions as information becomes available.