{"id":585954,"date":"2021-07-08T11:05:16","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T15:05:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=585954"},"modified":"2021-07-08T11:05:23","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T15:05:23","slug":"texas-kicks-off-special-legislative-session-heres-what-theyre-trying-to-get-passed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-kicks-off-special-legislative-session-heres-what-theyre-trying-to-get-passed\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Kicks Off Special Legislative Session \u2013 Here\u2019s What They\u2019re Trying To Get Passed"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-kicks-off-special-legislative-session-heres-what-theyre-trying-to-get-passed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=585954&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s special legislative session focuses the GOP-backed voting reforms, combatting critical race theory in schools and prohibiting transgender women from partaking in women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n<p>The session begins Thursday, and Abbott released the <a href=\"https:\/\/gov.texas.gov\/news\/post\/governor-abbott-announces-special-session-agenda\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">agenda<\/a>&nbsp;24 hours earlier. Other issues on the table include pushing back against social media \u201ccensorship\u201d and funding for the state\u2019s legislative branch, which Abbott vetoed after the election bill failed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe 87th Legislative Session was a monumental success for the people of Texas, but we have unfinished business to ensure that Texas remains the most exceptional state in America,\u201d Abbott said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LtGovTX\/status\/1412843017094971399\">tweet<\/a> that the legislature would pick up the election legislation first, and that committee hearings would begin Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Senate Bill 7, which would overhaul Texas elections, failed to pass the state senate in May after Democrats walked off the floor in protest. It would limit mail-in voting, change early voting hours and completely ban drive-thru voting, which was predominantly used in large cities like Houston.<\/p>\n<p>It empowers partisan poll watchers and increases penalties for elections officials who violate state laws or make mistakes while tabulating ballots. The bill also makes it easier for a judge to overturn an election in the state if the number of votes cast illegally is enough to change the outcome of the race. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/02\/elections-2020-texas-voting-rights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Democrats Are Sounding The Alarm Over Texas\u2019 Elections Bill. Here\u2019s What It Actually Does)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7232515\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"33\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7232515\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7232515\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-scaled-1.jpg\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-scaled-1.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-620x414-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-768x513-1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-1536x1025-1.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-2048x1367-1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7232515\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former president Donald Trump speak during a visit to the border in June. \u2013 (SERGIO FLORES\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Abbott <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/19\/texas-governor-voting-reform-legislature-funding\/\">vetoed<\/a> the legislature\u2019s funding after Democrats\u2019 walkout, affecting the pay of both state lawmakers and their staff. Abbott\u2019s veto <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/01\/greg-abbott-suspend-lawmakers-pay-democrats-walk-election-bill\/\">did not come without warning<\/a>, but his opponents immediately labeled it an <a href=\"https:\/\/texashousedems.com\/turner-with-tyrannical-veto-of-legislative-branch-abbott-is-out-of-control\/\">abuse of power<\/a>, and asked the state Supreme Court to override it.<\/p>\n<p>The special session, which begins Thursday at 10 a.m. local time, does not include anything about upgrading Texas\u2019 electric grid, which <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/02\/16\/texas-power-outages-no-heat-electric-wind-turbines-frozen-increased-demand-energy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">failed during a deadly February storm<\/a>. Officials also asked residents months later to conserve energy amid a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/06\/14\/texas-ercot-electric-grid-february-blackouts-summer-heat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">record heat wave<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Abbott has already announced another special session for the fall, which he said will address Texas\u2019 redistricting and allocating billions of dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds.<\/p>\n<p>The first session, which focuses on top conservative priorities, comes as Texas GOP Chair Allen West launched a <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/07\/04\/allen-west-announces-run-for-texas-governor\/\">primary campaign<\/a> against Abbott, alleging that he is not conservative enough.<\/p>\n<p>Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact <a href=\"mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott\u2019s special legislative session focuses the GOP-backed voting reforms, combatting critical race theory in schools and prohibiting transgender women from partaking in women\u2019s sports.The session begins &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2314241,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Texas Kicks Off Special Legislative Session \u2013 Here\u2019s What They\u2019re Trying To Get Passed","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-585954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/GettyImages-1233738294-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Texas Kicks Off Special Legislative Session \u2013 Here\u2019s What They\u2019re Trying To Get Passed","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2314241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}