Here are the priorities for Texas lawmakers as they return for legislative session
Members of the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate back in Austin Tuesday with a bulging wallet for a session where they’re expected to focus on property tax cuts and education funding.
Their return to the Capitol comes after a tense 2021 session packed with conservative priorities.
When they last met, Texas lawmakers gained national attention as they pushed legislation to limit abortion access, allow the permitless carry of handguns and to address election integrity.
Lawmakers were in Austin longer than usual, after Democrats walked off the floor, breaking quorum in an attempt to block the election legislation they said would disenfranchise voters.
“It’s generally the case that the tone is a little bit more ... even and friendly in a non-election year session,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political science professor. “I think that, if that pattern holds, that yeah, we’ll see some red meat, but it’ll primarily be a pretty balanced diet.”
The Texas Legislature meets for 140 days every two years, unless a special session is called by the governor.
Budget surplus could guide 2023 Texas legislative session
Lawmakers are entering the session with billions of dollars to work with.
Texas Comptroller Glen Hegar on Monday announced $32.7 billion surplus, $5.7 billion more than Hegar’s prior estimate. Lawmakers have more than $188 billion available for general purpose spending, though they are limited in how much of that can be spent.
With a big surplus comes opportunities to tackle property tax relief and funding for health care, education and infrastructure like transportation projects and water needs, said Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, a Southlake Republican.
“All of us want to go down there and get the people’s work done, and I’m feeling like that is what we’re going to be able to accomplish,” he said.
The biggest objective on lawmakers’ plates are cutting taxes and funding public schools, Rottinghaus said.
“Because there’s so much money, the fight about how to spend it will take up more of the oxygen, and that’s going to reduce the amount of time they have to fight over other kinds of political issues,” Rottinghaus said. “So it’s odd that money will create… more of a communal feel, but I think that’s the way it will go.”
He added that political fights are often done publicly, whereas budget fights tend to be done in private.
Some “red meat” issues will likely be considered, Rottinghaus said. For instance, lawmakers may consider proposals to limit access to gender-affirming care for transgender kids and designating businesses that host drag shows as sexually oriented businesses.
The debate over whether or not to allow school vouchers and what should be taught in schools could be the most heated policy debates, Rottinghaus predicted.
The question when it comes to property tax cuts is how to make the relief sustainable, said Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican. It’s an answer that’s currently unclear.
“But I’m sure that’s going to be part of the discussion that we have,” Goldman said.
Do tensions linger from 2021?
Tensions were high between lawmakers after 2021’s quorum break. Many Democratic lawmakers, working to block an election bill, walked off the floor and traveled to Washington. Special legislative sessions that lasted until October followed, and the election legislation was ultimately passed, though it was more favorable to Democrats than prior versions.
Coming into the latest session, Goldman maintained lawmakers will be happy to see each other, but said hard feelings will linger.
“I think there’s no question there’s still some hard feelings that the Democrats went on vacation to Washington D.C. ... for no reason whatsoever,” Goldman said. Goldman was elected as chairman of the House Republican Caucus on Monday.
But Chris Turner, a Grand Prairie Democrat who chaired the committee at the time, thinks 2021 is in the past. The caucus has since elected San Antonio Democrat Trey Martinez Fischer as chair.
“It’s in the rear-view mirror,” Turner said. “A lot has happened since then, and we can’t spend time focusing on what happened two year ago.”
On Day One, lawmakers will select who they want to serve as Speaker of the House — a contest that features Arlington Republican Tony Tinderholt and current speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican. Central to that race is the issue of whether Democrats should be able to serve as committee chairs.
Fort Worth Democrat Ramon Romero Jr. doesn’t expect this session to be as contentious as the previous one, but did think there could be a shift in chair positions based on who did or did not break quorum.
And as veteran lawmakers plan to head back to Austin, newcomers are preparing for their first session. New faces in North Texas include Rep. Salman Bhojani, a Democrat, and Rep. Nate Schatzline, a Republican.
Bhojani said he’s been focused on reaching across the aisle as he enters office.
“It’s not about partisan issues,” he said. “It’s about the common sense legislation that Texans need.”
And in the Senate, former House members Tan Parker and Phil King will represent parts of Tarrant county.
“I think that’s only better for our delegation that former members of the House have gone over to the Senate,” Goldman said.
