As Texas House Speaker Joe Straus gaveled in on the first day of the special session, a lawmaker shouted from the back, “and we’re off (to the races).” Let that be an indication of the ambitious Governor’s call that includes 20 items in 30 days.
Representative Larry Gonzales, R-Round Rock authored House Bill 1, the sunset legislation that would keep key health oversight agencies open. The Governor prioritized the sunset bill for both chambers during the special session.
“Number one, my focus is just on the sunset bill,” Gonzales said. “We’ll look at the other bills on the call as they come up.”
“The health and mental health of all Texans is what we’re talking about here,” he added. “That is of the utmost importance, is the for purposes in which we’ve been gathered, is to pass the sunset bill.”
Many Republican lawmakers made a point of passing all 20 of the items on the call, while many Democrats announced their opposition to the other 19 items.
“I’m open to good ideas no matter who they come from,” said Rep. Diego Bernal, D- San Antonio. “Now, no party or the other has a monopoly on good ideas. If we see a good idea, and if it fits the call, we’re all about it.”
The House Committee on State Affairs scheduled a hearing on the sunset legislation for Wednesday afternoon.
In the Senate, Republicans suspended the rules that required 48 hours notice to hold a committee hearing, met with disappointment from Democrats.
“These are important measures, we’re in special session, and as the Lieutenant Governor conceded when I questioned him with a parliamentary inquiry, if we had abided by the rule, given the 48 hour notice, we would have been having the bill heard and voted on on Thursday,” Senator Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso said after the committee hearing was held.
“Today is a sad day for the democratic process in the Texas Senate,” Rodriguez added. “Today, the leadership ignored longstanding senate rules that are intended to protect the right of members and the public to have enough time to study bills and to have input in those bills.”
The second reading of the medical board legislation was scheduled for Wednesday in the Senate.
Lawmakers were met with protestors both outside on the Capitol grounds and inside the rotunda throughout the day.
Former State Senator Wendy Davis, a champion for women’s reproductive rights, was one of the demonstrators.
Many of the protestors pushed for a repeal of Texas’ ban on sanctuary cities. Democratic lawmakers responded with a bill filed Tuesday.
Some protestors feared the worst ahead of the passing of Senate Bill 6, the so-called “bathroom bill.”
Other items to look for over the next month include school finance reform, property taxes, and abortion.
