Time for the week that was in Texas politics with Morgan Smith, a reporter for the Texas Tribune.
The final tally for the Gov. Greg Abbott’s special session agenda? Ten for twenty, or half the items on the session call made it to the governor’s desk. Property tax reform was among the most consequential measures not moving on. Smith says it was “down to the wire” in the House, which passed a bill the Senate wouldn’t accept. Smith says the governor hasn’t said whether he would calla second special session, but that he has expressed his displeasure with the House for not passing more bills.
The so-called “bathroom bill” was also not passed by the House, much to the chagrin of Abbott, who places the blame squarely on Speaker Joe Straus, says Smith. Straus did not support the bill, which would have required people to use the bathroom associated with their birth gender, in public buildings.
Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.