Dear TTP Citizen Advocates,

The drama in the Texas Legislature continues!  On the same day that the 88th session ended, Governor Abbott called the first of many special sessions to address property tax relief and human trafficking.

18 days in to the 30 day special session, nothing has been accomplished!  The House passed HB1 (their version of tax relief) and HB2, increasing penalties for human trafficking.  Then they adjourned Sine Die.  (means they're not coming back til the next special session is called).

The Senate is refusing to take up HB1 because it doesn't include the homestead exemptions the Senate wanted, so it's going nowhere, and HB2 was adopted by the Senate but with amendments, and since the House adjourned Sine Die, they cannot debate and approve the amended version, so it's going nowhere.

Lt Governor Patrick, in a statement to Texas Scorecard has said his "good faith" with the speaker is broken.

“For the last night of session, there was a disagreement over two bills, and they said, ‘If you’ll pass our bill, we’ll pass yours.’ We passed their bill in good faith, and they killed ours. So, my good faith with the speaker is kind of broken,” said Patrick.

Are you getting the picture?

At least the Senate is there - working, holding hearings, and God bless them they approved 13 Resolutions like this one:  SR10 - Recognizing Ellis County Precinct Two for their commitment to workplace safety.  Or this one:  SR1, Recognizing the re dedication of Daniels Cross Elks Lodge 1578.  Now I'm sure we're all proud of Ellis County Precinct Two for their safety concerns, and thrilled about the Elks Lodge, but really?  You can read the list of other "Resolutions" here.  One would think that our legislators could make better use of their time.

Clearly NOTHING is going to get done in this special session since the House has adjourned. I guess we wait for ANOTHER special on the same topics.  So we sit an watch the war between the House and the Senate continue.  Great use of State resources!

Meanwhile, Speaker Phelan has created a NEW education committee supposedly to address the issues and matters that affect educational opportunities for K-12 students.  This is apparently in preparation for the Special that will be called for School Choice legislation.  The Committee is comprised of several representatives who openly oppose school choice.  So this should be interesting.

For an amazing summary of all the failures of the 88th Session, I urge you to read  this article by Luke Macias, with detailed lists of all the good priority legislation that was left wanting at the end of the session.  Luke's list is more exhaustive than the one I shared with you a couple weeks ago.

I wish I could give you some action items to address these things, but honestly, with the House and Senate locking horns like this, I have no idea what to do!  Maybe pressure Speaker Phelan to work better with the Senate to accomplish something - anything?  Senate members hands are tied because the House is not in session, and House members who would like to be working and cooperating with Senate are not allowed to do so because the House has adjourned.  Maybe prayer is the best solution to this problem, so let's try that.

For Texas,

Fran Rhodes, President

PS:  If you've missed previous Certified True Texan workshops, we still have a few for this year.  CTT Weekend Workshops with 6 classes will take place on July 21 and 22 in Granbury.  We encourage our friends in Johnson, Hood, and Erath counties to take advantage of this workshop event close to you.  For friends in other parts of the State - it's worth the trip!

We will also be hosting Constitution Boot Camp at 6 different locations and dates in September.  For all the details, registration links, and schedules, visit our website CTT page.