Texas Governor Greg Abbott asks for legislative committees on school and gun safety
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is asking the House and Senate to form committees to examine school safety and firearm safety following the May 24 mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school.
Abbott on Wednesday sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who oversees the Texas Senate, and House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, asking them to convene special committees to examine and develop legislative recommendations on school safety, mental health, social media, police training and firearm safety.
“As Texans mourn the tragedy that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde last week, we as a State must reassess the twin issues of school safety and mass violence,” Abbott said in the letter. “As leaders, we must come together at this time to provide solutions to protect all Texans.”
He said the work should begin immediately.
Patrick, in response to Abbott’s request, formed the “Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans.” Members of the committee are Senators Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, Royce West, D-Dallas and Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo.
Patrick asked Nichols, the committee’s chairman, to hold a hearing on or soon after June 23
“I want to give the families and the community of Uvalde time to complete all funeral services before beginning hearings so those who wish to testify may take part,” Patrick said in a statement, later adding, “All of us working together is the answer. Now is not the time for politics. It is all about doing all we can so that we never see another tragedy like this happen again in Texas.”
Phelan said in a statement that conversations about the issues outlined by Abbott are underway and will continue as the next school year and legislative session near.
“There are two things that are owed to the victims, their families, the Uvalde community and the entire State of Texas – solutions and answers,” Phelan said. “The misinformation swirling in the days since the shooting has been nothing short of troubling, and the investigations into these matters must be swift and thorough. Our chamber will get to work immediately, taking a well-informed and comprehensive approach to crafting the House’s response to this horrific tragedy, as we await the results of these investigations to help inform the work we have been called to conduct.”
Some lawmakers, including the Senate Democratic Caucus, have called for Abbott to call a special session so laws could be considered sooner. The caucus wants wants legislation focusing on raising the minimum age to purchase a rifle, universal background checks, “red flag” laws and a “cooling off” period for purchasing firearms.
Republicans Rep. Jeff Leach of Plano and Sen. Kel Seliger have shown support for special sessions. Leach wrote on Tuesday that Abbott’s request for committees is “absolutely the right step.”
In the days since the shooting, Abbott has pushed back against firearm restrictions, focusing on mental health and school safety.
“Do we expect more laws to come out of this devastating crime? The answer is absolutely yes,” Abbott said during a Friday news conference. “There will be laws in multiple different subject areas. For example, I do fully expect every law that we passed in the aftermath of the Santa Fe shooting to be revisited.”
Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Abbott on Wednesday also wrote a letter to the Texas School Safety Center calling for school safety reviews in Texas public schools. He asked research center at Texas State University to give a progress report of findings by Oct. 1.
Staff Writer James Hartley contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 3:59 PM.
