Gov. Abbott expands special session after Senates midnight action
Voting shortly after midnight, the Texas Senate gave final approval to two “sunset” bills that will allow five state regulatory agencies, including the Texas Medical Board, to continue operating until 2019.
After a short wait, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he had expanded the list of topics available to be considered in the 30-day special session that began Tuesday, including transgender bathrooms, changes to the property tax system, abortion regulations and limits on the regulatory powers of cities.
Abbott’s proclamation, read aloud in the Senate, included no new items beyond those previously announced by the governor, although he did add a boost for the Teacher Retirement System to the school finance portion.
The Senate then referred bills to committees, which will hold hearings Friday, Saturday and Sunday — moving quickly to meet Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s goal of passing bills related to all of Abbott’s priorities by the middle of next week.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/gov-abbott-expands-special-session-after-senate-midnight-action/iV7XO7HsO513wFadnDmocJ/