Republican priority bills fail as tensions persist between Texas House and Senate

[RandySF]

In a fitting end to an antagonistic legislative session that grew exponentially more dramatic in its final days, Texas House and Senate lawmakers’ inability to compromise has pushed several Republican priority bills to their demise.

One by one, once-prominent pieces of legislation fell by the wayside this weekend as the deadline for the two chambers to come up with final, agreed-upon versions of bills slipped by. The failure to pass measures on school choice, border security and, for now, property taxes all but assures Gov. Greg Abbott will call the Legislature back for a taxpayer-funded special session to try again.

Abbott’s office did not immediately respond Sunday to questions about the failed bills or whether he’ll call for a special session.

The House and Senate have been increasingly at odds on priority issues this session, most notably with House Speaker Dade Phelan and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick routinely and publicly shaming each other over their opposing property tax relief proposals. The tension came to a head earlier this week, when the House killed numerous of the Senate’s dearest bills — some of which the chambers had previously agreed on — ahead of another midnight deadline.

As the clock ticked Saturday into the evening, lawmakers first acknowledged the failure of a multibillion-dollar school funding bill after Senate changes turned it into a last-ditch effort to enact a voucher-like program in the state. Abbott had threatened to call a special session if the Legislature didn’t pass a school choice bill to allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition.



https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/28/texas-legislature-republican-bills-deadline/

[barbaraann]

1. So, the Senate is more "conservative" than the House.

Interesting article!