As Texans gear up for a suffocating July, the political heat is rising in Austin, where Gov. Greg Abbott has vetoed more than two dozen bills, many of them bipartisan, setting the stage for a high-stakes special session on July 21. The governor’s sweeping vetoes reflect a deepening divide over how policy is crafted in the Legislature and signal a recalibration of priorities just months after a high-profile legislative session.
While six bills were granted a second chance via the special session agenda, including legislation on hemp regulation, human trafficking defenses, and deed fraud, most were scrapped outright, regardless of their popular or bipartisan support, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. The vetoes touched every corner of public policy: from criminal justice and water conservation to judicial reform and protections for child detention centers.
One of the highest-profile vetoed bills was Senate Bill 3, which aimed to ban hemp-derived THC products that have exploded in popularity across Texas. Though championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Abbott vetoed it citing legal vulnerabilities, and he’s calling lawmakers back to Austin in July and said he wants them to impose some regulation on the industry that has grown dramatically in recent years with little state oversight.
The second bill in the Senate Bill 1278 by Sen. Tan Parker, R-Flower Mound, that was aimed at survivors of trafficking who allegedly committed crimes under coercion by their abusers. However, Abbott said he vetoed the bill over concerns that it could be abused by criminals who falsely claim to be a victim of human trafficking or compelled prostitution and say they acted under duress. The bill “severs the link between culpability and conduct” by allowing the defense to be used for any prosecution.
“We can and should recognize that victimization begets more victimization,” Abbott wrote in his veto statement. “But legal responsibility cannot always be passed off to someone else. Some who started off as victims later make a choice to perpetrate similar crimes against others.”
Also drawing attention was Abbott’s line-item veto of summer food assistance or the Senate Bill 1, that would have brought $450 million in federal funds to feed low-income children, a move that angered hunger advocates and stunned even some of his allies. Abbott justified it by pointing to fiscal uncertainty at the federal level, but critics argue the decision leaves millions of children vulnerable during the hottest and hungriest months of the year.
Still, among the vetoed bills not returning for reconsideration, several stand out. House Bill 413, by Rep. Jolanda Jones, D-Houston, aimed to prevent individuals charged with mid-level misdemeanors or higher from being held in jail awaiting trial for longer than the maximum sentence they would face if convicted. House Bill 2243, by Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, proposed the creation of a commission to study and develop strategies to improve teacher retention statewide. Lastly, House Bill 3120, by Rep. Stan Kitzman, R-Pattison, sought to strengthen oversight of residential child detention facilities by requiring criminal background checks for employees, contractors, and volunteers, as well as expanding state supervision.
As the July special session nears, lawmakers face both an opportunity and a challenge: reconcile meaningful reform with Abbott’s shifting political calculus. For some proposals, the door remains cracked open, but for many, it appears firmly shut.
