Well, we just finished, but it appears that we're heading right back. The 89th legislative session did not lack for drama, even down to the last minute when we finally increased judicial pay in Texas just minutes before adjourning sine die.
We were fortunate to accomplish a few things that I'm proud of: We passed the strongest foreign hostile actor land ban in the United States in SB 17.
We made significant progress on bail reform, even though we came up 3 Democrat votes short on SJR 87, which I was lucky to sponsor and carry in the House. In short, we made certain that judges--not magistrates unaccountable to the voters--are making bail decisions on the most heinous violent and sexual offenses. We also made sure that Courts are obligated to deny bail where the State proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the Defendant is a flight risk or by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant is an ongoing risk to public safety.
We passed a parent's bill of rights that ended social transitioning of minors in our schools and ended clubs based on gender identity or sexual orientation in SB 12. This was a dogfight. All the right people are mad about that.
We put the Ten Commandments back in schools. All the right people are mad about that as well.
We gained ground in protecting our 2nd Amendment rights, including banning red flag laws, ending restrictions on short-barreled weapons, and terminating taxpayer-funded gun buybacks.
We made an historic investment in public schools, while expanding the options available to Texans through school choice.
Despite these achievements, we were not able to accomplish everything we needed to, so a special session is required. Here is my personal shopping list of what I hope we'll accomplish this summer:
Redistricting to add Republican congressional seats to the United States Congress.
If we have the power to make President Trump's job easier, we have to do it. When you have the advantage, you press it, and we have the advantage.
2. Ending abortifacient drugs in Texas.
Senate Bill 2880 died in the State Affairs Committee in the Texas House and never came to the floor for a vote. It gives Texans the opportunity to pursue a bounty lawsuit against anyone who sends abortifacients into Texas. Women are 10 times as likely to die from a medication abortion as they are a surgical abortion. These drugs are dangerous and are not administered under the supervision of a physician, and we want them gone.
3. Banning taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Taxpayer-funded lobbying is big business in Texas, and I'm not just talking about TASB and TASA. We cannot continue to allow taxpayer's money to be used against them in Austin, and this bill (SB 19) also died in the State Affairs Committee in the Texas House.
4. Dealing with dangerous hemp-derived THC products.
THC-induced psychotic disorder is a real thing. There is an ongoing dispute over whether the proper mechanism to keep THC out of the hands of kids is (1) a ban or (2) increased government regulation. The data, however, is not in dispute. In Dallas County, Texas Poison Control Network reports a 500% increase in THC-related calls involving young children between 2017 and 2022. We have a problem, and we need to deal with it. The problem includes product mislabeling, marketing targeting young people, and a total failure of enforcement mechanisms. We need more than ten minutes of debate on the floor of the Texas House to address these complex issues.
5. Addressing the spending component of property taxes.
We are not likely to deliver meaningful and long-term property tax relief until we limit the ability of our school districts to increase your property taxes through bond elections and limit the ability of municipalities to raise tax rates without a significant voter-approved mandate. As I have put it before, Austin is bailing one bucket of water out of the front end of the property tax boat while school districts and towns and cities are dumping two buckets in the back of the boat. This is a complex problem that deserves our undivided attention.
Also, I got a cool plaque: Texas GOP @TexasGOP.
But that's over now.
On July 21, I'll be in Austin and will fight alongside my Republican colleagues to solve these problems. It has been one of the coolest experiences of my entire life to serve and represent the constituents of Texas House District 65 for a general session. Why not do it again this summer?
On that note: The giving moratorium has been lifted, and I would love to have your help with our campaign! Please come and find us at mitchlittlefortexas.com.
What do you think should be added to the call for a special session? Please like and comment below. mitchlittlefortexas.com
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Energy is still a problem. I would add any measure to reverse the perverse takeover of Texas energy by windfarms and solar farms. Both exist only because of the climate change hoax. Both exist only because of subsidies pouring into Texas from the feds, which sets up even more investment by private sources following the taxpayer-funded "sure thing" of wind and solar. One attack vector would be legislation requiring all wind and solar to play on a level playing field with reliable sources like fossil fuels. The legislation would require that wind and solar get no favoritism in terms of penalties for falling below generation quotas during the day or evening. All energy sources must play by the same rules. In such a market environment, wind and solar won't compete. We not only need to secure the grid--we need to supply the grid with reliable, dispatchable energy. It's a life or death issue, as we saw during winter storm Uri when 241 people died, including a boy who froze to death in his bed next to his little brother.
Cameras in SPED classrooms should be operating at all times (during school) without a parent having to request them to be turned on. Our administrator did not send the letter out this year to campuses timely till inquired about it and there’s been abuse allegations reported previously. This makes for a potentially unsafe environment when cameras are not turned on and you can’t always prove abuse for students who can’t advocate for themselves. I’d love to see this become a law passed that in Texas, all SPED classrooms and settings must have operational classrooms turned on without having to be requested by an approved person. I did email you on this recently.