Greg Abbott Lacking the deadline is his high precedence

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott missed one other deadline on his high legislative precedence, placing a faculty voucher invoice in limbo for the third time this yr.

The inaction on Abbott’s high priorities stems from a bitter intraparty feud between Home Speaker Dade Phelan and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who started the yr combating over the state’s property taxes and the firing of Home Legal professional Common Ken Paxton.

Final week, Patrick blasted his rival on social media, writing: “Speaker Dade Phelan and the Texas Home of Representatives simply wasted one other particular session with out taking any motion on the legislative priorities of the Governor, the Senate, and the vast majority of Texas voters.”

The state Legislature’s third particular session ended Tuesday morning with out reaching an settlement on personal college vouchers, which Abbott referred to as on lawmakers to work to go. Phelan adjourned the session after telling his colleagues that he anticipated the governor to summon all of them that night for a fourth particular session.

This system, which provides dad and mom training tax cash to ship their youngsters to personal or spiritual colleges as an alternative of public colleges, has confronted opposition from a unified Democratic coalition and dozens of Republicans representing rural areas. Critics of the Training Financial savings Account proposal argue that it could take cash from Texas public college programs, which are sometimes the lifeblood of rural communities.

Newsweek I reached out to Abbott’s workplace by electronic mail for remark and to Phelan by telephone for remark.

Phelan stated the governor’s determined makes an attempt to go the invoice point out it “could be the most tough laws in Texas historical past.” Houston Chronicle Tuesday. Texas lawmakers have by no means met for greater than three particular classes in a single yr through the Legislature’s 176-year historical past.

Even Republicans who assist Abbott’s invoice are involved about how the back-to-back particular session will finish.

“I do not suppose there’s anybody within the constructing who is aware of the place to vote,” stated Republican Rep. Matt Schaefer, who helps vouchers. Chronicle Shortly after the conclusion of the third session.

There was no public signal that Republican opponents are prepared to alter their minds, even because the Home’s most important training policymaker has provided a number of concessions, together with an across-the-board enhance in public college funding, and regardless of Abbott’s claims final week that he had struck a take care of Phelan’s workforce. Negotiator. .

The Senate was capable of go the voucher invoice on the sixth day of particular session, however the Home didn’t maintain a listening to on the laws or put it up for a vote.

Abbott additionally did not go two immigration payments through the particular session, which included one that might allow police to arrest individuals discovered getting into the state illegally from Mexico and one other that might approve $1.5 billion in state funding to construct a border wall.