Here’s a quick recap of what happened over the last week:
Special Flood Committee Members Named
The first part of the upcoming first special session focus on issues relating to the tragic flooding in the Texas Hill Country as the priority issue. This week, the Lt. Governor and Speaker named the members of the Joint Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding which will focus on the recovery of those still missing and providing assistance to the communities in the affected areas that now have to begin the rebuilding process. The committee will also review and make recommendations for legislation for the special session related to flood warning systems, emergency communications during times of disaster, and funding to assist in the rebuilding process.
The Senate side will be chaired by Senator Charles Perry (R, Lubbock) who also chairs the Senate Agriculture, Water, and Rural Affairs Committee. The Vice-Chair is Senator Pete Flores (R, Pleasanton), who represents Kerr County in the Texas Senate. Other Senate members are Paul Bettencourt (R, Houston), Cesar Blanco (D, El Paso), Donna Campbell (R, New Braunfels), Adam Hinojosa (R, Corpus Christi), Lois Kolkhorst (R, Brenham), Jose Menendez (D, San Antonio), and Charles Schwertner (R, Georgetown).
The House side will be led by Rep. Ken King (R, Canadian), who also chairs the House State Affairs Committee. The Vice-Chair is Rep. Armando Martinez (D, Weslaco), a certified fire fighter and paramedic. Other House members are Greg Bonnen (R, Friendswood), Drew Darby (R, San Angelo), Ann Johnson (D, Houston), AJ Louderback (R, Victoria), Joe Moody (D, El Paso), Wes Virdell (R, Junction), and Terry Wilson (R, Marble Falls).
The committee will hold its first meeting in the Capitol on Wednesday, July 23rd. The second hearing will take place in Kerrville on Thursday, July 31st to give residents, first responders, and local officials an opportunity to voice their opinions on all aspects relating to the flooding events and recovery.
Bills Filed for Special Session
With the first special session beginning on Monday, members have begun to file bills for consideration. Members can file bills on any subject, but the only ones that can be considered are those related to the items listed in the call of the special session. On Monday, House members filed 87 bills, with the large majority relating to various forms of property tax relief or revisions. Cutting property taxes, including imposing spending limits on local governments is included in the call of the special session.
Several bills were filed to increase the threshold for voters to approve bond proposals from a simple majority to 2/3rds or 3/5ths. Other measures would require a more specific explanation of proposed measures to be included on the ballot.
Other measures propose to limit the amount school districts can raise through property taxes and replace them with a value added tax. There are other proposals to limit the amount that local governments can spend on capital related projects – buildings, road construction, etc – and there is a proposal to eliminate property taxes all together and require the state to use the budget surplus to cover the lost revenue. About $50 billion — twenty percent of the state budget passed during the regular session — was dedicated for property tax relief. Rough estimates calculate there is about $175 billion collected each year by local taxing entities.
Other measures filed related to items in the call of the special session include numerous bills to prohibit access to abortion pills and creating a cause of action against anyone providing access to abortion pills.
Taxpayer funded lobbying was also addressed in the bills that have been filed. Several bills seek to prohibit cities and counties from using tax dollars to pay for lobbyists or lobby related activities. This proposal has been introduced for the last several years and has never successfully passed the House.
There are also measures filed to allow the state Attorney General to prosecute election related laws in local jurisdictions; a proposal to eliminate the STAAR test in public schools; and a proposal to require public school athletes use the locker room according to their biological sex.
All of the measures introduced for the special session were proposed during the regular session and did not have the support to pass both legislative chambers.
Congressional Redistricting in Special Session
In no small part, the Trump administration’s desire to grow the Republican majority in the US House of Representatives played a key role in the reason for Gov. Abbott calling the first special session. In a meeting with Republicans from the Texas Congressional delegation this week, President Trump said his political team is pursuing a new Texas Congressional map that will allow for the election of five additional Republicans in the delegation. Currently, Republicans hold a 25-12 partisan advantage in the 38-seat delegation (the seat in Houston formerly held by the late Congressman Sylvester Turner is vacant).
To create the new seats that will lean Republican, seats currently held by Republicans that are considered safely Republican would have to shift into more marginal districts by moving the lines to include neighboring Democratic voters. This has caused some apprehension among some of the Republican members of Congress. But recent voting trends in Texas show Republicans gaining support in marginal and formerly Democratic areas, including heavily Hispanic south Texas.
The districts that are likely to be targeted in a redo of the Congressional map are currently held by Democratic members Sylvia Garcia and CD 18 (vacant now, formerly Sheila Jackson Lee and Sylvester Turner) — both in Houston area; Henry Cuellar of Laredo; Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen; Julie Johnson of Dallas area (Carrollton); and possibly either Lloyd Doggett and/or Greg Casar, both of the Austin area.
For their part, Democrats will have little or no recourse to fight the new maps. Republicans hold large majorities in the Texas House and Senate, and adoption of the new maps can be approved by a simple majority in each House.
Campaign Cash Haul
Members and statewide elected officials are prohibited from accepting campaign contributions during a period starting 30 days before the regular session and lasting until 20 days after the session ends. Members could – and did – begin soliciting and accepting campaign contributions on June 23rd. Members are also required to file their semi-annual campaign reports on July 15th, which reports all contributions received and how much campaign cash they have on hand as of June 30th. Members had one week to raise funds after the session and feel the need to pad their campaign accounts for the July report. And some did just that.
In the one-week period from June 23rd to June 30th, Gov. Abbott raised $20 million and now has $86 million cash on hand (COH) for the 2026 campaign, when he and all other statewide officials are up for reelection. Abbott does not have an announced opponent in either the primary or general election.
Lt. Governor Patrick raised $5 million and has $37 million COH. Patrick’s Democratic opponent – state Rep. Vicki Goodwin of Austin – raised $37,000 and has $220,000 COH.
In the hotly contested US Senate Republican primary, incumbent John Cornyn finally gets some good news for his campaign. Cornyn raised $2.7 million during the first 6 months of 2025 (federal candidates are not subject to dead period that applies to state level officials) and now reports $8.5 million COH. His challenger, AG Ken Paxton, raised $2.9 million and now has $2.5 million COH. The only declared Democrat in the race – former Congressman Colin Allred – reports $55,000 COH.
In the Republican primary for state Attorney General, state Senator Mayes Middleton raised $166,000. But he loaned his campaign $10 million – he comes from a very wealthy family with vast oil and gas holdings. One of his opponents, state Senator Joan Huffman of Houston, reports raising $764,000 and has $3 million COH. Former Trump administration DOJ official Aaron Reitz made a surprisingly big haul. He reports raising $2 million.
The other high profile statewide race is for state Comptroller, an open office this year due to the resignation of former Comptroller Glenn Hegar to take the job of Chancellor of Texas A&M University Systems. Former state Senator Kelly Hancock – appointed by Gov. Abbott to replace Hegar – reported raising nearly $1.5 million and has $6 million COH. Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick raised $3 million and has $3 million COH. The third candidate – former state Senator Don Huffines of Dallas – raised $5 million and has $14 million COH. Huffines has loaned himself $10 million for the race – his family owns a chain of car dealerships in the metroplex. $3 million of the $5 million he raised came from one donor – his brother.
Political Notes
And speaking of the Texas Congressional delegation, Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw of the Houston area is being challenged by state Rep. Steve Toth of The Woodlands. Toth is part of the far-right faction of the Texas House and has a history of campaigning against his Republican colleagues in the House that he does not feel meet his conservative credentials. Toth questions Crenshaw’s conservative credentials and says the district needs “an unwavering conservative who will not bend to the radical left.” Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL and is serving in his 4th term representing the 2nd Congressional district that encompasses parts of north Harris and Montgomery Counties. Toth’s home address is in the adjacent 8th Congressional district, currently represented by Congressman Morgan Luttrell. Under Texas law, members of Congress do not have to live in the district they represent.
After Toth’s announcement, The Woodlands Township Board Chair Brad Bailey announced his intentions to seek the Republican nomination to House District 15, the seat Toth currently represents. Bailey currently serves in the governmental affairs department at Waste Connections – a solid waste management company – and has served on the Township board since 2022.
Republican state Rep. Candy Noble of Lucas in Collin County has drawn a primary opponent. Former Wylie Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Forrester has announced his intentions to challenge Noble in next year’s Republican primary. Forrester served on the Wylie city council for six years and works professionally as a procurement officer for a national restaurant chain. House District 89 encompasses parts of Collin County including Wylie and Lucas.
Hughes Springs businessman Chris Spencer has announced his intentions to again seek the Republican nomination for House District 1 in far northeast Texas. Incumbent Gary VanDeaver has not announced his intentions on seeking reelection or retiring from the seat. Spencer can tout many endorsements including from Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and several local officials in the district. VanDeaver defeated Spencer in the 2024 Republican primary by a 54% to 46% margin in a runoff.
Two Democrats have entered the race for Texas Attorney General. State Senator Nathan Johnson of Dallas was the first Democrat to announce for the seat earlier this week. Johnson is in his third term representing areas of south and east Dallas County. Johnson is an attorney and plans to run on a theme of taking politics out of the AG’s office. He also cites his history of winning hotly contested races – he defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018 and defeated a House incumbent in last year’s Democratic primary.
Then yesterday, former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski threw his hat in the ring. This is Jaworski’s 2nd run for the Democratic nomination for AG. In 2022, he lost in a runoff to Rochelle Garza.
The eventual Democratic nominee faces an uphill battle. Not only has no Democrat won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, but whoever wins the Republican primary – Middleton, Huffman, or Reitz – will be very well funded for the November election. The good news for Johnson is that he is not up for reelection to the Senate until 2028, so he can make this run without having to give up his Senate seat.
What’s Next??
The special session starts Monday. Even though there are 18 items in the call, the focus will be on legislation related to the floods in the Hill Country and Congressional redistricting.
The upcoming special session is the first of what is likely to be several special sessions that will last well into the fall.