For House Democrats, the story of the second special session is much different from that of the first one. The excitement of leaving the state had worn off, the media spotlight had dimmed and the pressures to return home were mounting.
Texas Legislature 2021
The 87th Texas Legislature approved hundreds of new laws during its regular session that ended in May 2021, including a near-total ban on abortions. Lawmakers then returned to Austin for three special sessions aimed at passing additional conservative priorities. Although House Democrats fled the state for weeks, lawmakers eventually passed new voting restrictions. They also approved new political maps and a proposed constitutional amendment that could lower property tax bills.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Analysis: Man bites dog, tries to make amends
Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation designed to protect dogs earlier this year. Now he’s asking the Legislature to fix it — before next year’s elections.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott calls special legislative session for redistricting, other conservative priorities starting Sept. 20
On top of redistricting, Abbott wants lawmakers to take up bills on restrictions for transgender student athletes and the allocation of billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott signs Texas voting bill into law, overcoming Democratic quorum breaks
SB 1 makes up Republicans’ third attempt to pass a far-reaching law that restricts how and when voters cast ballots. It takes particular aim at voting initiatives used in diverse, Democratic Harris County in the 2020 election.
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Coronavirus in Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott wanted state lawmakers to ban mask mandates in public schools. They didn’t.
As Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to punish any school district that defied Abbott’s ban on mask mandates, Republican legislators were largely indifferent on the matter.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas’ second special session of the year is over. Here are five things you need to know.
Lawmakers will return to Austin at least one more time this year to redraw the state’s political maps. Only Gov. Greg Abbott knows when that will be and if there will be additional special sessions beyond that.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Abortion ban, permitless carry, elections bill: The week that solidified Texas’ hard right turn after the 2020 election
Texas’ new near-total abortion ban, one of the most restrictive in the nation, punctuated a week that brought into stunning relief just how far the state’s political pendulum has swung to the right since the 2020 election.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas doctors association condemns abortion ban, says it encourages “vigilante interference” in doctor-patient relationship
The Texas Medical Association called two anti-abortion bills unconstitutional and criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for not blocking the broader law from going into effect.
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Texas Abortion Restrictions
Bill limiting abortion-inducing pills heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk to be signed into law
Senate Bill 4, which was advanced by the Texas House on Monday evening, would bar access to abortion-inducing pills to patients who are more than seven weeks pregnant.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas abortion law a “radical expansion” of who can sue whom, and an about-face for Republicans on civil lawsuits
Senate Bill 8, which allows anyone to sue anyone who performs or aids in an abortion, marks an unprecedented change to who has standing to bring a lawsuit. The tactic is also an emerging trend in Republican-dominated states that may compromise constitutional rights, some legal experts said.