Abbott’s list: Too much to do, too little time

Gov. Greg Abbott served 10 years as a judge, and still governs like one.

Rather then delve into the sausage-making of legislation during the Texas Legislature’s regular session, he mostly kept a safe distance and then rendered a verdict.

Abbott delivered what amounted a mild rebuke to both houses of the Texas Legislature Tuesday, sending them back to work in a July 18 special session with 20 bills on the do-over list and 30 days to get them done.

By giving the Legislature a long summer assignment before an election cycle, he gains political advantage. And, by requiring the essential sunset bill reauthorizing the Texas Medical Board to pass first, he ruins Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s chance to stall holding that trump card.

Abbott’s 20-item agenda includes many bills that simply failed to pass the Legislature.

In particular, Abbott called for reducing both local regulatory authority and local tax burden. Either debate would take up most of a typical 30-day session.

But Abbott also threw in unnecessary topics such as school choice (in a pilot program for special-needs students only) and a “privacy” bill dictating transgender students’ bathroom and locker-room use in schools.

Abbott also included good topics that deserve consideration, such as a $27-a-week pay raise for teachers and a task force to study Texas’ high maternal mortality rate. But those are not emergencies.

The Legislature has already considered and rejected bills on many of the topics, with no indication any will pass this time. But Abbott can campaign saying he tried.

This story was originally published June 6, 2017 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Abbott’s list: Too much to do, too little time."