Special Session Agenda Announced
On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott unveiled the agenda items for the special session of the Texas Legislature that convenes Thursday, July 8. The complete agenda can be found on the Governor’s website.
Following the conclusion of the regular session on Memorial Day, the Lubbock Chamber was hopeful to see key items included in a special session that was not addressed prior to Sine Die. The Chamber signed onto a joint letter with the Texas Association of Business and several other stakeholders requesting that Governor Abbott place SB 14 and Chapter 313 renewal on the special session agenda, but neither was included.
Chapter 313 is an economic development tool that allows school districts to offer tax abatements for new development. It is set to expire at the end of 2022, and there were various extension options on the table during the regular session but none made it across the finish line. As it stands now, in the absence of a renewal then Texas will be at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting job-creating projects when compared to other states with comparable incentives in place.
SB 14 would have preempted localities from regulating employment practices like mandatory sick leave, minimum wage, and predictive scheduling, avoiding a patchwork of regulatory compliance for businesses that operate in several different cities and counties.
While certain reforms were made to the state’s electrical grid, the Lubbock Chamber authored a letter to Governor Abbott following the conclusion of the regular session requesting additional reforms like enhanced transmission be considered during a special session. While there are no ERCOT-related items on the special session agenda, Governor Abbott did task the Public Utility Commission with the following:
- Streamlined incentives for the development and maintenance of reliable power sources
- Instruct ERCOT to establish a maintenance schedule for electricity generators to ensure adequate reserves are available
- Order ERCOT to accelerate the development of transmission projects
To read Governor Abbott’s full letter to the PUC, click here. As always, the Chamber will monitor legislative activity and its potential impact on business throughout the special session.
