It remains to be seen whether Governor Greg Abbott will call state lawmakers back to Austin for yet another special legislative session after both houses of the legislature adjourned the fourth special session on Tuesday.
Previously, the governor has vowed to continue calling special sessions until state representatives and senators pass his legislative priorities.
The primary remaining matter that has yet to make it to the governor’s desk centers on school vouchers, which would allow families to use public school funding to pay for private school tuition.
Prior to this year, the legislature had never met for more than three special sessions in a year with a regular session, according to the Texas Tribune.
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Being a state lawmaker is supposed to be a part-time job, with the official duty amounting to an average of about 70 days spent in Austin every year. But this year, the legislature has been in session for more than 220 days.
Two longtime Austin insiders who cover the State Capitol for the Quorum Report stressed to NBC 5 that all that extra time in session has taken a real toll.
“Part of the governor’s strategy, whether intentional or not, has been to make this so cumbersome that it is impossible to have a citizen legislature,” said Harvey Kronberg, Publisher of the Quorum Report. “Some of the [legislative] retirements are being attributed to Paxton pressuring them out, but in at least one or two cases, I know they simply have to go home and make a living.”
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“And the response from the governor’s staff was, ‘Well that is y’all’s problem. If you can’t get the members to the house floor that is not on us at the governor’s office,’” said Scott Braddock, Editor of the Quorum Report. “So, at this point, it would not be productive [to call a fifth special session], but that does not mean that the governor will not do it.”
