With unfinished Republican priorities still lingering after the close of the regular legislative session, the Republican Party of Texas is calling on Gov. Greg Abbott to immediately convene a special session to address several key issues—including the elimination of property taxes, a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, and bail reform.
The resolution, adopted unanimously by the State Republican Executive Committee, lays out a series of demands for lawmakers that largely mirror the party’s legislative priorities approved by grassroots delegates at last year’s Republican convention.
At the top of the list: property tax elimination.
The resolution calls for any state budget surplus to be directed toward compression of school district maintenance and operations (M&O) taxes—ultimately leading to their elimination. It also supports a further-expanded homestead exemption and a complete overhaul of the appraisal system to base values on the purchase price of a property.
On taxpayer-funded lobbying—a priority that failed to receive a vote in the House despite passing in the Senate—the party is asking Abbott to include the issue in a special session call. Taxpayers are set to spend more than $94 million on hired lobbyists next year, who often advocate against conservative reforms.
Abbott appeared to hint at the possibility of a special session during remarks to the Harris County GOP on Friday, telling attendees, “All I can say is we may not be done yet.”
Another issue the GOP says must be addressed is bail reform. The legislature failed to pass two proposed constitutional amendments that would have allowed judges to deny bail to violent offenders and certain illegal aliens. The failure was due to both measures falling short of the required two-thirds support in the House.
The resolution also calls on Abbott to direct lawmakers to pass congressional redistricting legislation—an item of interest to President Donald Trump’s political team, which has reportedly discussed redrawing maps to secure a stronger Republican majority in Congress.
Pro-life protections are again on the table, with the party urging the governor to back a ban on abortion-inducing drugs. According to the resolution, roughly 19,000 pre-born children are killed annually in Texas through out-of-state abortion pill shipments, with one in ten women reportedly suffering severe complications.
Finally, the resolution calls for the legislature to pass the Women’s Privacy Act, legislation aimed at protecting girls and women in restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-separated spaces.
The full resolution passed by a vote of 64-0 and now awaits a response from Gov. Abbott, who is the only state official with the power to call lawmakers back to Austin.
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