October 2, 2023 – Governor Greg Abbott made good on his promise to keep ordering special sessions of the Texas Legislature until an agreement could be reached on some sort of “school vouchers” program.
A September 26th letter signed by Governor Abbott and addressed to Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, did not indicate the focus of this special session. But the governor has said repeatedly the next special session would focus on public education, including the issues of school vouchers and public school funding.
Abbott’s decision comes nearly four months after lawmakers failed this year to either allocate new money to help school districts make ends meet amid rampant inflation and a volatile economy, or reach an agreement on “school choice,” a moniker for proposals that would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to pay for their children’s private schooling. School choice has been one of Abbott’s top legislative priorities this year.
Lawmakers are to return to Austin on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. This year’s regular legislative session ended in a stalemate between the House and Senate over education savings accounts, a voucher-like program that would allow parents access to a state-managed account to pay for private school tuition and other educational expenses.
The relationship between the House and Senate was also further strained after the Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton on impeachment charges brought on by the House, which could make it even more difficult for the chambers to reach an agreement on school vouchers. But Abbott recently said that if lawmakers fail to pass a school choice proposal, he won’t hesitate to bring lawmakers back. And he promised political consequences for those who get in the way.
“If we do not win in that first special session, we will have another special special session and we’ll come back again,” Abbott said last week in a tele-town hall about the issue. “And then if we don’t win that time, I think it’s time to send this to the voters themselves.”
