Fate still uncertain for many conservative legislative issues prioritized by Texas Republican leaders
Texas | May 16, 2021
AUSTIN — As the Legislature entered the session’s homestretch Friday, many Texans were wondering how much of the conservative “red meat” agenda had passed.
The House worked late Thursday and into Friday afternoon, after senators went home, because of deadlines it faced for passing its own bills.
The flurry of activity rescued scores of bills from potential death but left hundreds of others in the legislative cemetery.
Of the hot-button priorities for the GOP’s conservative “base,” only one abortion bill so far was headed to Gov. Greg Abbott for his signature.
The fate of staunch conservatives’ other priority bills, targeting elections, guns, abortion, transgender children and taxpayer-paid lobbying, will largely be decided in the next 11 days.
A quick update on the red meat agenda:
Elections
Both chambers have passed Senate Bill 7, a GOP-backed election bill that Democrats have said perpetuates the falsehood that there was widespread voter fraud last year.
Republicans have said that they’re merely reining in Democratic election administrators in Texas’ biggest counties, and that even one fraudulently cast ballot is one too many.
The Senate and House have each appointed five members to negotiate differences, and both chambers will have to approve an agreed-to version before the bill can be sent to Abbott. In his State of the State speech on Feb. 1, the Republican governor made “election integrity” an emergency item for the session…
(Excerpts from the Dallas Morning News)