Abbott calls third special session for Sept. 20

Gov. Greg Abbott has called a third special legislative session to deal with redistricting, to decide how to spend billions of dollars in pandemic funding from the federal government and to determine to whether state or local governments can mandate COVID-19 vaccines, as well as some pet issues of the governor that failed to pass recent sessions. The third session begins Sept. 20 and by law can last no longer than 30 days. The second special session resulted in passage of hotly contested voting restrictions and what are considered the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, both of which are under legal attack. In the case of the latter, the U.S. Justice Department is suing the state, saying the abortion law banning the procedure at roughly six weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. “The (Texas) act is clearly unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday, as reported widely by media outlets. Several groups have filed suit against the elections bill signed by Abbott last week, including Voto Latino, LULAC Texas, the Texas Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Texas American Federation of Teachers. The law limits early voting hours, ends drive-in voting, and restricts mail-in voting. GOP leaders maintain that other provisions in the measure make it easier to cast a vote than before.