Vol 32, Issue 22 Print Issue

The Week in the Rearview Mirror

The 84th regular legislative session concluded on Monday with lawmakers passing campus carry legislation on the final weekend but unable to come to a consensus position on far-reaching ethics reform. Gov. Greg Abbott said he did not expect to call lawmakers back before the next regular session in 2017.

Abbott signed into law this week legislation that would allow the prescription of low-THC cannabis oil to treat patients suffering from intractable epilepsy. At the same time, Abbott insisted that marijuana should not and will not be legalized for medical or recreational use in Texas on his watch.

House Speaker Joe Straus filed papers to seek re-election as the chamber's presiding officer. If he wins, it would be his fifth term, tying him with Gib Lewis and Pete Laney for the most ever.

Natural gas drilling resumed in Denton this week after state lawmakers passed legislation that overturned a ban on hydraulic fracturing approved by voters in the city last year.

As an inquiry broadens into whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton violated securities law, a special prosecutor involved in the investigation indicated Thursday that he might have more time to pursue the issue than previously expected.

The tenure of Brett Giroir, the prominent leader of the Texas A&M Health Science Center who chaired a state task force on Ebola last year, came to an abrupt end on Monday. Afterward, he said he was told to resign or be terminated “within 30 minutes.”

Political People and their Moves

Saying "It's time," former Gov. Rick Perry formally kicked off his second campaign for president on Thursday in an airplane hangar in Addison. Flanked by a pair of Navy SEALs and speaking in front of a military cargo plane of the type he flew in the Air Force, Perry emphasized his military service that promises to be a calling card of his next campaign for the White House.

Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, and Reps. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston; Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen; Joe Farias, D-San Antonio; and Allen Fletcher, R-Cypress, all announced they are not returning for the next legislative session.

Mayor Ivy Taylor and former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte held their last candidate forum in the San Antonio mayoral runoff election, which has become more and more dominated by personal attacks in recent days. Early voting in the contest finishes Tuesday with the runoff election scheduled for Saturday, June 13.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called for expansive reforms to election laws, including the expansion of early voting periods and automatic voter registration, during an address at Texas Southern University in Houston on Thursday.

A group of Dallas-area lawmakers have announced the formation of the IH-635 East Legislative Caucus, which will work to help with continued development of the highway, running from U.S. 75 to I-30. The caucus members are Sens. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood; Don Huffines, R-Dallas; Van Taylor, R-Plano; Reps. Cindy Burkett, R-Sunnyvale; Angie Chen Button, R-Garland; Linda Koop, R-Dallas; Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas; and Jason Villalba, R-Dallas.