Abbott Vetoes Bills; Feud with Patrick Grows
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick claimed last week that Gov. Greg Abbott is sabotaging the Senate’s work because of their ongoing feud over which approach to property tax reform is best, The Dallas Morning News reported. Abbott vetoed three bills by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, who has been Patrick’s point senator on increasing homestead exemptions in order to provide tax cuts. As of Friday afternoon, he had vetoed 31 bills.
Abbott has threatened a string of vetoes if the House and Senate can’t agree on a compromise on property tax relief. In each veto proclamation, Abbott has issued the following statement: “This bill can be reconsidered at a future special session only after property tax relief is passed.”
Patrick took issue with that. “The governor’s suggested threat today to veto a large number of Senate bills is an affront to the legislative process and the people of Texas,” he said.
Will the Electric Grid Hold this Summer?
Much of Texas is in the throes of a sweltering heat wave, prompting concern that the electric grid will be strained as Texans try to keep cool. However, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the grid, predicts it will be able to handle forecast peaks in energy usage, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
The biggest factor is demand for air conditioning of homes and businesses, according to Robert Hebner, director of the University of Texas Center for Electromechanics.
“Any rapid change in temperature causes great difficulty. If you have a gradual change, (companies) usually adjust to it fairly well,” Hebner said. “This summer, there’s a good chance they’ve anticipated well enough that we’ll be able to get through.”
The first official day of summer was Wednesday, June 21.
New Law Bans Paper License Plates
Temporary paper “dealer tags” will soon be a thing of the past after Abbott signed House Bill 718. The new law phases out the tags and requires dealers to issue $10 metal plates to buyers purchasing vehicles, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Paper Texas tags have been criticized by law enforcement officials for years, since they are easy to fake and often used on vehicles used to commit crimes. A report by KXAN in 2021 found that selling of fake Texas tags had become a $200 million illicit business.
The Department of Motor Vehicles has until December of next year to come up with a plan for creating and distributing metal plates to dealerships. The law itself goes into effect on July 1, 2025.