Gov. Greg Abbott signed 1,155 bills into law this year, igniting culture wars, reshaping public education, easing access to guns, and making sweeping changes to bail and parole—and so much more.
Yet that wasn’t enough for the governor, who is running for a fourth term in 2026. So Abbott called a special session to try and ram through conservative priorities that didn’t pass during the 140-day regular session. The 30-day sprint opened on Monday.
Abbott announced the special session on June 23 as he vetoed a controversial ban on consumable THC products. Regulating those products was his top priority for the special session.
But after a natural disaster killed 135 people and President Donald Trump said he wants to meddle in Texas elections, Abbott’s priorities for the special session ballooned to 18. They now include flood warning systems, relief funds for recovery efforts from the Hill Country floods, targeting Black Democrats in the US House by redrawing their districts, eliminating the STAAR test for public school students, additional property tax cuts, and further protecting law enforcement officers accused of misconduct.
