AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott said at an event in Fort Worth Wednesday that teacher pay raises could be on the next special session call.
Abbott has made clear that he intends to call a third special session, likely in October, after lawmakers complete the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The third special session will likely cover school choice — a top priority of Abbott’s.
“I have not declared yet and will not tell you today when that will be and what all the items will be on that agenda,” Abbott said. “(But), I am fully committed to putting forth legislation that will add even more to teacher pay raises in the state of Texas, and that may be one of the items that will be on the next special session agenda.”
“All of the nuances of that will come out at the time that the agenda is issued,” he added.
Earlier this year, Abbott called two special sessions back to back in an effort to pass property tax reform. A bill finally passed in July after weeks of negotiations between the state’s two chambers.
During the second special session, the Senate passed an amendment to the property tax bill that included pay bonuses for Texas teachers. It was ultimately nixed in the final version of the bill.
During the regular session, advocacy groups pushed for Texas to use a portion of its $32.7 billion surplus to improve educator pay, but those efforts fell flat.
“Not only did legislators ignore the findings of the state’s own task force, they also ignored you,” Texas AFT, a union for educators, said in a letter to its members.
Texas AFT said it sent hundreds of educators to the Texas Capitol over the 140-day session to advocate for increased pay.
“With a united voice, these hundreds of educators had a message for legislators: ‘put some respect in my paycheck.’ Yet this simple and incredibly reasonable request seemed to go unheard,” Texas FT said.
A governor can call as many special sessions as he would like until the next regular session, which occurs every two years on odd years, per the state constitution. The governor also has the authority to declare what is discussed during a special session. However, the lawmakers will be responsible for crafting any legislation.