Will Gov. Abbott call a special session over bathroom bill and taxes?
Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday he is not yet ready to talk about a special session to address what he considers insufficient efforts to restrict bathroom use by transgender people and rein in property taxes. The regular legislative session ends Monday.
“We’ve got plenty of time to continue in this regular session. I think it is highly inappropriate for a football player playing in the fourth quarter to start talking about going into overtime,” Abbott said after signing a bill that cracks down on teacher misconduct.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who presides over the Senate, said last week that he wants a special session called if the House could not pass bills that have cleared the Senate to provide property tax relief and limit transgender people from using bathrooms that conform to their gender identity in schools, universities and government buildings.
The House this week passed a measure that would ban transgender-friendly bathrooms in schools. Patrick said the bill didn’t go far enough.
Abbott suggested on Thursday that the House and Senate should work to broaden the transgender bathroom bill.
“The main thing I want to see is the House and Senate coming together. This is going to require compromise efforts by both sides but we must see, especially students in schools, having privacy, safety and security maintained but also we would want to do all we can to help women have privacy, safety and security to the fullest extent possible,” he said.
Abbott also echoed Patrick’s call for property tax relief. The House did not vote on Senate Bill 2, which would have required cities and counties intending to raise taxes by 5 percent or more to hold elections ratifying the increases. Currently, the “rollback rate” is 8 percent, and residents must petition for elections.
“One thing I’m looking for are real constraints on the rise of property taxes on our fellow Texans,” Abbott said. “The rate rollback is one way to do it. The specific number is something we’re working up.”