Legislature passes bill that could benefit downtown Abilene hotel

Monday concluded a session that began in January. More realistically, it has to at least pass the budget and Sunset legislation extending the lives of state agencies.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been vocal both in his support of bringing legislators back to Austin for a special session and his backing of a measure forcing transgender people to use restrooms corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate. They are also key issues for Governor Abbott though Abbott didn’t start speaking out in favor of a bathroom bill until relatively late in the session.

Dr. Perkins says he believes the Governor will.

Abbott, who faces re-election in 2018 and has traditionally opposed special sessions, said he will decide whether to call a special session “later this week”.

If Abbott isn’t specific about which bathroom regulations to pass in a special session, it could revive the contention between the House and the Senate.

“Basically, the lobby is going to go into overtime, and the already huge amount of money they have billed is going to go up, up, up because the meter will be on longer than usual”, he said. With Senate Bill 1, the biennial budget, passed and on its way to the governor’s desk, Monday all comes down to SB 1929. “So that’s the big difference”, Dr. Perkins said. The issue was off the table during the current session, giving Abbott and his supporters a less hostile atmosphere to press ahead with the governor’s ethics agenda. Without such legislation passing, the agencies, including the Texas Medical Board, which licenses doctors in the time of a Texas doctor shortage, would shut down. “I know this was Abilene’s number one priority this session, and as I’ve said before, if it’s important for Abilene it’s important to me”. “He was sort of surprised and publicly disappointed that the legislature didn’t approve that”, Dr. Perkins said.

The Governor didn’t offer any clues whether he will have lawmakers consider legislation involving property tax reform and bathroom privacy.

He says it’s unclear on which side Abbott will come down.

Immigration enforcement (Senate Bill 4) Gov. Greg Abbott has already signed SB 4, which allows police to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain.

Dr. Perkins talked about how some of the bills that did pass could end up in court.

The Texas House hoped to avoid a similar backlash with its schools-only version, reported CNN affiliate TV station KTRK.

The bill’s author insists it heads off any potential discrimination by mandating that alternatives be made available for potential parents who are rejected by faith-based providers.

Senate Bill 8 is the legislature’s most stringent anti-abortion bill since 2013. “The intentionally discriminatory voter ID law and redistricting maps he championed as attorney general have been ruled against by federal courts numerous times, raising the specter of a reinstated preclearance requirement”.