The gavel will soon come down for good, on Texas’s second special session. It ends Sunday.
This has been, without a doubt, one of the more conservative sessions that we've seen in the past couple of decades. If you look at the laws that have been passed, there are clearly laws that in prior sessions would have not made it this far,” said Kimi King, UNT Political Science Professor and Chairwoman.
King points to bills like the heartbeat bill, and the elections law, passed since the Texas legislature met in the three sessions so far this year.
“This is what voters voted for, and republicans are passing the policies that they campaigned on. So, and then we are going to go to the elections , and we are going to campaign on it again, and we are going to win again like we have for the past 20 or 30 years,” said Matt Rinaldi, State Republican Party Chairman.
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Democrats, were able to get some concessions, despite being in the minority. For example, getting changes to the original election bill, and calling national attention to the issue. State Senator Royce West said they used the tools available to them. But at the end of the day, republicans control the governor's office, the house and the senate.
“We have got to be center left on many issues, and more importantly, we have to get out more so now then we've ever, to convince people to register and to also vote. You know, you continue to hear us say that over and over and over again, but we haven't done a very good job so that’s what we're going to have to come up with, a better blueprint in order to make certain make that happen,” said State Senator Royce West, D-Dallas.
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West says once they get it out, and he believes they will, that will make a difference in what priorities get through. And after months of back and forth, sometime contentious battles, the two sides must meet again soon to tackle the difficult process of redistricting.
