Abbott signs first measures from special session
The political dam finally broke. Twenty-five days into the 30day special session, the Texas Legislature overcame a series of political impasses and began sending Gov. Greg Abbott what he’s wanted all along: bills to sign into law.
In a flurry of activity, the Legislature sent the Republican governor four bills Friday, including measures to keep the Texas Medical Board functioning and another cracking down on alleged voter fraud. By the end of the day, Abbott had signed three bills and a fourth could become law Saturday.
Still, it’s a paltry amount with just five days remaining given that Abbott has demanded lawmakers pass 20 priority items during the special session. High-profile bills on property-tax reform and the bathroom bill are among those that remain in jeopardy of dying before the session ends Wednesday.
The biggest priority, and the primary reason for the special session, is at least done. The House on Friday morning passed senate bills 20 and 60, which together, keep the Texas Medical Board and four other government agencies operating.
Without the legislation, the agencies would cease operations at the end of the month as part of the state’s sunset review process. Texas law requires regular review of state agencies to see whether they should be continued, reformed or disbanded. Without a positive vote from the Legislature, an agency can be disbanded.
“These bills were necessary in keeping important state agencies running, and keeping Texans healthy,” Abbott said in a statement after signing the sunset bills.
Abbott’s signature also keeps operating: the Board of Examiners of Psychologists, Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists, Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors, and Board of Social Worker Examiners.
Ballot-fraud bill signed
Shortly after signing that bill, Abbott gave his approval to Senate Bill 5 to increase penalties for mail-in ballot fraud. The bill makes it a felony instead of a misdemeanor to intentionally submit false information on a mail-in ballot application or knowingly submit or alter an application without a voter’s knowledge.
Democrats mostly opposed the bill, worried about a provision in the bill that would make it a felony to try to influence a person — including a family member — when they have a mail-in ballot.
“This bill has many unintended consequences,” Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, said.
But Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, has argued the legislation is needed because mailin ballot voting is a prime target for illegal voting and election fraud.
The bill comes after a Dallas case where a grand jury indicted a man for allegedly taking a woman’s blank mail-in ballot, filling in a candidate’s name and delivering it to the county’s election department.
The Senate also sent Abbott the first of a series of abortion-related bills. The Senate voted Friday to accept House Bill 13, which would impose new reporting requirements on doctors and facilities that perform abortions — specifically when there are complications.
Doctors would be required to report abortion complications within three business days and include information like the age of the patient, her marital status, her race and a description of the complication. The legislation calls for an annual report to aggregate the data that would be available online.
Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, said the legislation will help the state begin compiling reliable data on the frequency of complications.
Abbott could sign that bill as early as Saturday morning.
Progress on others
While those were the only bills to break through to the governor, several others made progress Friday.
• Tree ordinances: The Senate mostly agreed with House Bill 7, a bill that bars cities from stopping private property owners from cutting down trees that have less than a 24-inch diameter. By a 17-14 vote the Senate agreed to most of the legislation and sent it back to the House which could give if final approval in the next few days.
• Abortion coverage: A Senate committee gave approval to a House bill that would bar health-care policies bought through ObamaCare exchanges and in private insurance plans from covering abortions. To get coverage for an abortion, a person would need to buy a separate supplemental plan. With the 6-2 committee vote, the Senate is now in a position to vote that bill — HB 214 — off to the governor as early as Saturday.
• Annexation: The House on Friday tentatively agreed to give voters veto power over attempts by big cities to annex their community, although it’s unclear whether the Senate will go along. The House voted 115-24 in favor of Senate Bill 6, which would allow voters in counties with a population of at least 500,000 people to vote in a referendum to block a city’s attempt to scoop up their communities. The Senate prefers the automatic voter referendum apply to any county with a population of at least 125,000.
“The whole reason we’re here is because cities have abused annexation for decades,” said Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Humble, the bill’s sponsor. “We have an obligation to give those people a right to vote if they decide they want to be annexed. And if the city makes the case that the best opportunity for them to be a part of the city of Houston, or San Antonio, or Austin whatever city it is, they have to be able to make their case to be able to do that.”
Annexation battle
Annexation issues have been touchy at the Legislature this year. A proposal during the regular session died on a filibuster by a Senate Democrat, and lawmakers have faced an uphill battle getting the measure passed during the special session.
Houston has a long record of aggressive annexations over the last 100 years, often leading to lawsuits or claims by residents that they don’t receive adequate city services. Houston repeatedly doubled in size after annexing neighboring communities.