Third Special Session to Begin on Oct. 9

CAPITAL Highlights

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a letter to legislative leaders indicating a special session will begin on Oct. 9 dealing with what he has called “school choice” but is more widely known as vouchers.

The Austin American-Statesman reported Abbott has threatened another special session if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement this month, and then will take the issue to voters by finding candidates to run against those opposing vouchers.

During the regular session, a coalition of Democrats and many rural House Republicans blocked legislation concerning vouchers that had easily passed the Senate. Abbott has spent much of this year traveling the state encouraging parents and pastors to advocate for school choice.

“I will keep fighting every step of the way until we have school choice in the state of Texas,” Abbott said.

Opponents of vouchers say they would divert taxpayer money from public schools. Many public school district leaders say they already struggle to balance their budgets and retain teachers.

Delayed Bill Passage Worries Ag Producers

One of the key bills delayed by the wrangling in Congress is the massive farm bill, which is renewed every five years. The Texas Tribune reports a temporary extension of the current bill is expected to pass, however. The farm bill is key to a host of programs, from crop insurance to food access for low-income families through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. “In a perfect world, we get a farm bill this year. If we don’t, though, let’s extend it. And let’s not pass a farm bill just to say we passed a farm bill,” Laramie Adams, national legislative director for the Texas Farm Bureau, said. “We want to make sure that the farm bill is meaningful.” Since the last farm bill was passed in 2018, farmers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cutting world grain shipments, and rising costs for equipment and fuel. Meanwhile, market prices for most agricultural products remain stagnant.

“As you look at that and inflation and adjusting for inflation, from our perspective, we need to look at strengthening crop insurance,” Adams said. “And that is not an easy task.”