Page 10 - Builder Brief November 2021 Issue

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
TEXAS' THIRD SPECIAL SESSION COMES TO A BUMPY END
The third special session ended early Tuesday morning, October 19th. The Texas Senate and House of Representatives finally agreed on the new boundaries for U.S. Congressional and State Legislative districts. These districts determine who represents Texans in federal and state government for the next ten years.
The congressional lines are redrawn every ten years based on data from the census. However, the census numbers were delayed due to the pandemic. Democrats objected to the new congressional maps but did not have a majority in the Texas House or Senate. Our elected Democrats' primarily objected to the lack of districts created where eligible voters of color would be the majority. Democrats argued legislators should create these districts since 95 percent of the growth in Texas over the last ten years came from people of color.
This legislative session has been one of the most contentious we have seen in the last 25 years. Before the end of the regular session on May 31st, most House Democrats left the House floor during the debate over bills that would have affected how elections are conducted in Texas. This walkout prevented the House of Representatives from having a quorum to act on pending legislation. As a result, several of Governor Abbott's priority items did not have the opportunity to be considered.
After the regular session adjourned, Governor Abbott removed funding in the budget for salaries and insurance for legislative agencies and over 2,100 staff members. This bold move laid the groundwork to defund the legislative branch for the next fiscal year that started September 1st. Everyone knew that the governor would call a special session to address redistricting. Most Capitol insiders thought that the special session would be in September or October. However, due to the governor's desire to push his priority legislation, he called the first session to begin on July 8th.
During the first special session, Governor Abbott included bail reform, teacher retirement payments, election integrity, property tax relief, border security, and funding the legislative branch of the Texas government. It took only a few days for the House Democrats to protest the controversial election reform bills. Over 50 members of the House left the state and went to Washington, D.C., which again prevented a quorum. The first special session ended on August 6th. Governor Abbott immediately called the House and Senate back for the second special session the next day. The governor rolled most of the items on his first special session agenda over to the second session and added the appropriation of more than $10 billion for COVID-related healthcare expenses along with COVID strategies and requirements for school-aged children.
It wasn't until the end of August that legislators held hearings and debated legislation. House Democrats returned to the chamber on August 23rd. It was then 15 bills passed. These bills included bail reform, funding for border security, property tax relief, funding the legislative
KRISTI SUTTERFIELD
branch of the government, election reform, and an extra paycheck for retired teachers.
The third special session kicked off on September 20th. It focused on redistricting, the appropriations of billions of American Rescue Plan Act dollars, and the controversial topic of whether local or state governments can mandate COVID-19 vaccines. Legislators also passed a bill to restrict transgender student-athletes from playing on sports teams aligned with their gender identity. Stay tuned for more information on the state's new maps for congressional and state House districts. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the first lawsuit challenging the new legislative district maps. The lawsuit states that the districts are intentionally discriminatory.
We don't know if the governor will call a fourth special session to address his unfinished agenda items. These items include the prohibition of vaccine mandates by any Texas entity, including hospitals and private businesses, and increasing the penalty for illegal voting.
Thank you for your membership. I want to invite you to get involved with the Association. If you are interested in serving on the Government Affairs Committee, please call me at (210) 696- 3800.
Warm regards,
10 NOVEMBER 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION