The Texas Constitution prohibits the Legislature from passing legislation in the first 60 days of a legislative session. However, the exception to that rule is if the Governor has named a specific subject matter to be an “emergency item.” In the State of the State address delivered last week, Governor Abbott named five emergency items: expanding broadband access; preventing local governments from defunding the police; bail reform; election integrity; and immunizing businesses from COVID-related lawsuits.
Later in the week, the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives appointed committees. The appointment of committees marks a powerful moment for the Speaker of the House that sets the tenor of a legislative session. The appointment of chairs for those committees creates a leadership structure; a committee’s composition defines what is possible; and some committees are more desired than others. The committee to which a legislator is appointed affects that legislator’s influence and ability to pass legislation.
Finally, Texans support Medicaid expansion. The think tank Texas 2036 commissioned a poll conducted by Republican pollster Baselice & Associates. That poll found that 73 percent of Texans supported expanding Medicaid. When the question was asked again, but framed to inform the participant that Texas is sending its tax dollars to be used in other states already, support increased to 86 percent for bringing Texans tax dollars home to Texas. The poll also broke down the initial question by party, and found that 58 percent of Republicans agreed that we should expand Medicaid, while only 31 percent disagreed, and 11 percent were unsure.