AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Just one week after Gov. Greg Abbott used his line-item veto power to remove funding for the Texas Legislature from the state budget, House Democrats are now asking the state's Supreme Court to invalidate it.
The petition, filed Friday by the House Democratic Caucus and joined by the AFL-CIO, caucuses representing Black and Latino lawmakers, and a number of state employees, asks the state's highest civil court to rule that Abbott's use of the line-item veto was unconstitutional, restoring the funding to the state's legislative branch.
"For the governor of Texas to think he can simply cancel an entire co-equal branch of government with a stroke of his veto pen is abhorrent, and it has to be challenged," said state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grande Prairie, who leads the House Democratic Caucus.
Abbott used his line-item veto to remove the funding on June 18, following up on a threat he made after House Democrats walked out of the Capitol in the final hours of the legislative session.
"Funding should not be provided for those who quit their job early, leaving their state with unfinished business and exposing taxpayers to higher costs for an additional legislative session," Abbott said in a statement accompanying his veto.
The veto affected all of the funding under Article X, which represents $410.2 million for the next two fiscal years beginning Sept. 1. State lawmakers are paid a salary of $600 a month plus a per diem of $221 for every day the Legislature is in session.
In addition to funding lawmakers' salaries, the funding also covers a number of support agencies for the Legislature. Democrats say more than 2,000 jobs could be affected.
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"This isn’t about [lawmakers’] paychecks," Turner said. "What he’s doing is hurting our staff and hurting our constituents."
Lawmakers are set to return to the Capitol on July 8 for a 30-day special session. Abbott has yet to announce what specific items he intends to place on the call for the session.