Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation identifying 19 agenda items for Special Session #2, which begins at noon, Friday, August 15. Given the ongoing absence of Democrats, Governor Greg Abbott has proactively announced a second special session for Friday, scheduled to begin less than two hours after the first overtime session concludes in the Texas House.
State Republicans, led by House Speaker Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), increased their efforts to address the ongoing quorum break. They implemented fines, initiated lawsuits, and issued civil arrest warrants for over 50 Democratic members who had dispersed across the country. Despite concerted legal efforts by the Texas House and Attorney General Ken Paxton to locate and bring back the absent Democrats, no arrests were made, including for those who remained in Texas.
On Thursday, the Democratic members expressed their willingness to return to Austin, contingent upon two conditions: the Texas House must adjourn sine die (without a set date for resumption) on Friday, and California must release its own redistricting map. Both of these conditions were already being addressed prior to the announcement, and by Friday, they had been successfully met.
While the lower chamber faced delays during the quorum break, the Texas Senate continued to advance its agenda. The upper chamber held floor hearings and effectively passed all of its priority legislation throughout the week.
In the lead-up to Friday, Governor Greg Abbott utilized social media to convey his message that if Democrats did not return to vote on the new map, he would consider calling “special session after special session” until this important priority was achieved. This proactive communication emphasizes the commitment to moving forward and addressing legislative needs.
This upcoming session will focus on the same important agenda items that were not resolved previously, with redistricting and disaster response taking precedence. Governor Abbott is encouraging lawmakers to engage in productive discussions on key issues, including the regulation of consumable hemp products, property tax relief, the reconsideration of the STAAR test, and various socially conservative measures. This session offers a valuable opportunity for legislators to come together and find solutions that benefit all Texans.
“Delinquent House Democrats ran away from their responsibility to pass crucial legislation to benefit the lives of Texans,” said Governor Abbott. “Because of their dereliction of duty, Texas families and communities impacted by the catastrophic Fourth of July flooding have been delayed critical resources for relief and recovery. Numerous other bills to cut property taxes, support human trafficking survivors, eliminate the STAAR test, establish commonsense THC regulations, and many others have all been brought to a halt because because Democrats refuse to show up for work. We will not back down from this fight. That’s why I am calling them back today to finish the job. I will continue to use all necessary tools to ensure Texas delivers results for Texans.”
The Special Session agenda items include:
CAMP SAFETY: Legislation to ensure and enhance youth camp safety.
FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMS: Legislation to improve early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
FLOOD EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS: Legislation to strengthen emergency communications and other response infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
RELIEF FUNDING FOR HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: Legislation to provide relief funding for response to and recovery from the storms which began in early July 2025, including local match funding for jurisdictions eligible for FEMA public assistance.
NATURAL DISASTER PREPARATION & RECOVERY: Legislation to evaluate and streamline rules and regulations to speed preparedness for and recovery from natural disasters.
ELIMINATE STAAR TEST: Legislation to eliminate the STAAR test and replace it with effective tools to assess student progress and ensure school district accountability.
CUT PROPERTY TAXES: Legislation reducing the property tax burden on Texans and legislation imposing spending limits on entities authorized to impose property taxes.
PROTECT CHILDREN FROM THC: Legislation making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.
REGULATE HEMP-DERIVED PRODUCTS: Legislation to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning lawful hemp-derived products.
PROTECT UNBORN CHILDREN: Legislation further protecting unborn children and their mothers from the harm of abortion.
BAN TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING: Legislation prohibiting taxpayer-funded lobbying, including the use of tax dollars to hire lobbyists and payment of tax dollars to associations that lobby the Legislature.
PROTECT HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1278 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that protects victims of human trafficking from criminal liability for non-violent acts closely tied to their own victimization.
POLICE PERSONNEL RECORDS: Legislation that protects law enforcement officers from public disclosure of unsubstantiated complaints in personnel files.
PROTECT WOMEN’S SPACES: Legislation protecting women’s privacy in sex-segregated spaces.
ATTORNEY GENERAL ELECTION POWERS: Legislation that strengthens the Attorney General’s authority to investigate and prosecute state election crimes.
REDISTRICTING: Legislation that provides a congressional redistricting plan.
TITLE THEFT & DEED FRAUD: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 648 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that provides strengthened protections against title theft and deed fraud.
WATER PROJECT INCENTIVES: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 1253 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, that authorizes political subdivisions to reduce impact fees for builders who include water conservation and efficiency measures.
STATE JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT: Legislation, similar to Senate Bill No. 2878 from the 89th Legislature, Regular Session, relating to the operation and administration of the Judicial Department of state government.
