Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick will try to force the state Legislature into a special session if lawmakers fail to pass bills banning consumable THC, and bail reform.
“Patrick is saying that if one of those two priorities fails to make it through the Legislature, he’ll use his power as lieutenant governor to block … must-pass legislation from passing, and thereby forcing Gov. Abbott to bring lawmakers back. So it’s kind of a leverage game here,” said Jasper Scherer, politics reporter for the Texas Tribune.
Patrick has prioritized cutting Texans off from hemp-derived THC products which have become available in recent years thanks to a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill. He also wants changes to the state’s bail system to make it harder for potentially violent offenders to be released.
While only Gov. Greg Abbott can call a special session, Patrick may be able to use his power over the Legislature’s agenda to force the governor’s hand.
“[Patrick] has the power to block any bill from reaching the floor,” Scherer said.
He has done so before. In 2017, Patrick held up bills that would allow state agencies to continue operating and for property tax relief after lawmakers in the House would not take up the so-called “bathroom bill,” requiring transgender people to use the restroom which corresponded to their “biological sex.”
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