Good morning,

Suddenly, it is fashionable to admit the legislative session has been mostly a bust for conservatives.

Here is today's Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan 

Thursday, May 27, 2021
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• Yesterday morning began with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick demanding that Gov. Greg Abbott immediately call a special session of the Texas Legislature in June.
   
• As Brandon Waltens reports, Patrick pointed to the failure of the Texas House to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying, stop social media censorship, and save girls’ sports from being overwhelmed by boys claiming to be girls.
   
• Lt. Gov. Patrick was immediately echoed by the Texas House Freedom Caucus, referring to their chamber’s “failure to pass conservative priorities.” 
    
• Yet neither Patrick nor the Freedom Caucus would identify who was to blame.
     
• If they were to be honest, they would acknowledge it was the work of Gov. Greg Abbott, House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont), House Republican Caucus Chairman Jim Murphy (R-Katy), and Calendar Committee Chairman Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock).
     
• Phelan, Murphy, and Burrows have spent the legislative session advancing Abbott’s narrow agenda, and blocking anything the governor hasn’t wanted brought to his desk. For example, while the Senate passed signifant reforms limiting the power of the governor in pandemics and other emergencies, the House pushed measures codifying Abbott’s unconstitutitonal actions in 2020.
    
• Abbott issued a tone-deaf response a couple hours later, tweeting that there was “still time” for conservative priorities to reach his desk. Either we’re supposed to believe Greg Abbott doesn’t know how the legislative process works, or he is banking on running out the clock.

• Ironically, Patrick doesn’t actually have to wait for Abbott.
     
• During a legislative session, the lieutenant governor holds all the cards. For example, Lt. Gov. Patrick could have refused to call up the state budget for consideration by the Senate, or the other “must-pass” bills that are required to continue the operations of state government beyond Sept. 1. That would have forced a special session to address the unaccomplished priorities.
     
• And, yet, immediately after issuing his demand for a special session, Patrick put the Senate immediately to work finalizing the budget – giving up that important card.

• Jeramy Kitchen lists the Republican members of the Texas House who have joined in the call for a special session.

• “There should only be a special legislative session if the intent is to address the legislative priorities of the Republican Party of Texas. It would be the highest level of disrespect and disregard to those called upon to elect Texas Republicans to not have their priority issues resolved.” – Lt. Col. Allen West, chairman of the Republican Party of Texas

• The Texas House gave final approval yesterday to Senate Bill 1336 by Kelly Hancock (R-North Richland Hills). This long-sought fiscal priority of conservative activists had only one Republican shown in opposition: State Rep. Tom Craddick (R-Midland), a former speaker of the House.

• As mentioned above, the Texas House chose to reject a proposed law that would defend school-aged girls facing the threat of boys snatching up women’s sports scholarships and related opportunities. Jacob Asmussen explains what happened, and what it means.

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