AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Just hours after the clock ran out on a third special session of the 88th Texas Legislature, Gov. Greg Abbott called lawmakers back for a fourth round Tuesday afternoon.
Under the Texas Constitution, Abbott has the sole power to call lawmakers back outside of the regular 140 day sessions held every two years. He can also set the specific agenda for lawmakers to address during a special session.
"The Texas Legislature made progress over the past month protecting Texans from forced COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing penalties for human smuggling," Abbott said in a statement. "However, there is more work to be done."
The fourth special session is set to pick up exactly where the third session left off, with a proposal for education savings accounts at the top of Abbott's agenda. School finance and accountability efforts are also a part of the call, along with school safety.
"I am immediately calling lawmakers back for Special Session #4 to complete their critical work to empower Texas parents to choose the best education pathway for their child while providing billions more in funding for Texas public schools and continuing to boost safety measures in schools," said Abbott.
Another carryover from the third special session agenda is border security - with Abbott calling on lawmakers to reduce illegal immigration and provide more funding for "border barrier infrastructure."
"We must pass laws that will enhance the safety of all Texans by increasing funding for strategic border barriers and mirroring the federal immigration laws President Joe Biden refuses to enforce," said Abbott. "Texas will also arrest people for illegal entry into our state from a foreign nation, and authorize the removal of anyone who illegally enters our state, with penalties up to 20 years in prison for refusing to comply with removal."
According to records from the Legislative Reference Library, this is the 11th time in Texas history a fourth special session has been called - though it is the first time a fourth special session has been called in the same year as the regular session.
The most recent fourth special session was in 2004, under then-Gov. Rick Perry. The all-time record belongs to the 71st Legislature, under then-Gov. Bill Clements - when a total of six special sessions were called, including four back-to-back sessions in 1990 after the state's public school finance system was declared unconstitutional by the Texas Supreme Court.
