With only five calendar days remaining in the current special session, many of the Governor’s legislative priorities appear to be running out of time—and it seems increasingly unlikely any public education policy will pass before the 30-day period ends. The only pieces of legislation to reach the Governor’s desk to date include SB 4 (Flores), which increases penalties for human smuggling, and SB 7 (Middleton), which prohibits private employers from adopting or enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Little to no legislative activity occurred in the House this week as the lower chamber failed to gain a quorum on Monday and Tuesday. House members returned to the Capitol to resume business Wednesday evening. Since then, the House has stood at ease and is expected to return Monday or Tuesday. The Senate met every day this week and stands at ease until Sunday, November 5, at 4:00 p.m.
Negotiations regarding a voucher program devolved earlier this week following the Governor’s expansion of the special session call to include school funding measures. With his announcement, the Governor indicated a deal had been struck with Speaker Phelan, all but ensuring the passage of his school choice plan. The Speaker’s team respondedby clarifying that the only thing agreed to was that the House would consider the policy and votes had not been committed. House Public Education Chairman Brad Buckley told reporters the window of opportunity to pass a bill this special session was “too tight.” Meanwhile, the Lt. Governorexplained his lack of interest in the House version of the bill, stating the best path forward is to pass SB 1 into law. The lack of activity, coupled with a fast-approaching deadline on Tuesday, November 7, has led observers to conclude that the policy will not move any further during the third special session.
The North Texas Commission has fielded a statewide coalition of business groups aligned in support of public education. The Grow Texas Talent Initiative is calling on state legislators to increase teacher pay, raise the basic allotment, and keep taxpayer dollars in public schools. Late last month, the NTC was featured on NBC 5’s Lone Star Politics and Spectrum News to discuss our recent stance against vouchers in this Dallas Morning News op-ed.
Upcoming Elections
With only five calendar days remaining in the current special session, many of the Governor’s legislative priorities appear to be running out of time—and it seems increasingly unlikely any public education policy will pass before the 30-day period ends. The only pieces of legislation to reach the Governor’s desk to date include SB 4 (Flores), which increases penalties for human smuggling, and SB 7 (Middleton), which prohibits private employers from adopting or enforcing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
If your organization would like an in-depth explanation of the interworkings of the Capitol or an Election Primer, do not hesitate to get in touch with Christopher Lee (christopher@ntc-dfw.org), Director of State Relations, to schedule an NTC presentation.
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