Texas Legislative Session Ends Monday with Unfinished Business

 

AUSTIN – The regular session of the Texas Legislature ends Monday with unfinished business and Gov. Greg Abbott has signaled he will call a special session for school choice.  The session comes to a close as the Senate faces an impeachment trial for suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.  

According to sources out of Austin, the Texas Legislature has approved the state's budget for the next biennium with a provision prohibiting the use of state funds for "unconstitutional" diversity, equity and inclusion programs and practices at public higher education institutions.

House Bill 1 states that colleges and universities can't use state funds for the "design, implementation, or administration" of DEI programs and practices that don't comply with Sections 3 and 3a in Article I of the Texas Constitution. The ban includes "the hiring and supervision of employees, mandatory or recommended training, or programmed activities."

Section 3 states that everyone has equal rights and no one is entitled to special privileges, while Section 3a mandates that "equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed, or national origin."

The House approved the $321.3 billion budget proposal in a 124-22 vote Saturday, after the Senate approved by a 29-2 vote a day earlier. Texas lawmakers are constitutionally required to pass a budget before the end of the legislative session, which is Monday.

 

Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily

The LIVE! Daily is the "newspaper to your email" for San Angelo. Each content-packed edition has weather, the popular Top of the Email opinion and rumor mill column, news around the state of Texas, news around west Texas, the latest news stories from San Angelo LIVE!, events, and the most recent obituaries. The bottom of the email contains the most recent rants and comments. The LIVE! daily is emailed 5 days per week. On Sundays, subscribers receive the West Texas Real Estate LIVE! email.

Required

Most Recent Videos

Post a comment to this article here:

X Close