Texas lawmakers take first steps to restore legislative funding after veto

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Texas lawmakers rush to restore funding to the Texas legislature, vetoed last month by Gov. Greg Abbott, which affects the salaries of more than 2,100 employees in several state agencies

The House Appropriations Committee voted Friday 21-0 to advance a bill that would restore funding after Abbott vetoed it to punish House Democrats who broke quorum in the final days of the session to kill two of its priority bills. The Senate finance committee heard testimony on a similar bill at around the same time on Friday afternoon, but did not proceed to a vote.

House Appropriations Speaker Greg Bonnen R-Friendswood, who drafted the bill, said funding there was identical to what the House and Senate had developed for legislative funding during the regular session. .

The bills hit lawmakers closely, as funding for their staff is on the line. Abbott’s veto on Section X of the state budget wiped out funding for the legislative branch. He said lawmakers who “quit work” should not receive compensation, but his action does not affect lawmakers, whose wages are constitutionally guaranteed.

The veto applies to the thousands of staff who work directly for legislators and several government agencies. These agencies include the Legislative Reference Library, which conducts research for the legislature; the Legislative Budget Council, which makes policy and budget recommendations and provides tax analysis for legislation; the Legislative Council, which helps draft and analyze potential legislation; the State Auditor’s Office, which examines state finances; and the Sunset Advisory Commission, which examines the effectiveness of public bodies.

If funding for the legislative branch is not restored by September, at the start of the new fiscal year, these employees would lose their jobs and benefits, such as health care.

The House committee vote on Friday came as Democrats await a state Supreme Court ruling on a lawsuit they filed last month asking the court to overturn Abbott’s veto.

Abbott called the special session to revive two of his priority election bills and change the state’s bail system. He also included a bill to revive the funding he had vetoed, among others.

The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony from two people regarding its proposal to restore legislative funding, Senate Bill 10. Next, panel chair Senator Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, announced that SB 10 would be left on hold. The committee then heard another bill and defeated it, before Nelson announced the suspension of the committee.

Nelson’s office did not immediately respond to a question about why the bill remained on hold.

Tyler Sheldon, the legislative director of the Texas State Employees Union, told the Senate committee he was happy to see that they were moving quickly.

“I urge you all to continue to act very quickly to make sure that [staff] don’t have the undue burden of stressing that they might not get paid in two months, and that’s just something unacceptable, ”Sheldon said.