Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R) expressed hopes for achieving savings at the beginning of his second special session and anticipated having enough lawmakers present to conduct business on Monday.
“I’ve been informed that we’re aiming to reestablish a quorum on Monday. It’s interesting—I haven’t seen any direct comments from those not present, but it seems to be something folks are expecting,” Burrows mentioned.
If a quorum is attained, Burrows indicated that the relevant law would be introduced immediately, with a hearing scheduled for the following week. His intention is for lawmakers to wrap up the second special session before the Labor Day weekend arrives.
Additionally, Burrows noted that Texas Democrats would have to return to the state Capitol if they chose to come back over the weekend. Meanwhile, lawmakers attending the session would be granted the opportunity to go home for the weekend.
“If that occurs, I’ll ask those who’ve gone home for the weekend to return promptly. You’ll have a six-hour heads-up, so try not to travel too far,” he advised.
Texas legislators from both chambers ended their first special session early Friday, prompting Governor Greg Abbott (R) to swiftly call for a second one.
The Republican agenda includes passing several items, notably a new congressional map anticipated to provide five additional pick-up opportunities in the House next year.
In response, Democratic lawmakers sought to enable Republicans to advance their congressional plans, which led to Texas Republicans struggling to meet the quorum needed to pass the new bill.
However, on Thursday, Democrats indicated their willingness to head home if two conditions were satisfied: Republicans would need to postpone their first special session, and California would need to introduce a new congressional map that could mitigate potential gains for Texas Republicans based on their current plans.
