This Is How Stupid Things Are In Texas

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said Tuesday he has concerns with Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent vow to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Legislature, citing how the move to block such pay could impact staffers and legislative agencies. https://t.co/rtDTfNYERi

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 2, 2021

Yeah, but...

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said Tuesday he has concerns with Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent vow to veto a section of the state budget that funds the Legislature, citing how the move to block such pay could impact staffers and legislative agencies.

“I understand the frustration the governor has in [lawmakers] not passing those emergency items — they were priorities of the governor, they were priorities of mine, priorities of many members of the Legislature,” Phelan, a Beaumont Republican, said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. “My only concern is how it impacts staff, especially those who live here in Austin, which is not an inexpensive place to live and raise your family and children.”

Like I've been sayin'....

Phelan also said he thinks that, under the Constitution, lawmakers would still have to be paid even if Abbott carried out his veto. Lawmakers are paid $600 a month in addition to a per diem of $221 every day the Legislature is in session, during both regular and special sessions.

Yeah, let's get the Texas Supreme Court in on this, huh?

In an interview with the Tribune later Tuesday, Abbott insisted he still plans to veto that part of the budget and said that if Phelan is "concerned about it, he needs to do something about it."

"He has a role to play here," Abbott said. "He's not some outside viewer. He's a participant, and he needs to step up and get the job done."

He's really not very good at this; really not good at all.

Abbott is the only elected official who can decide which issues are included in a special session agenda and when one can happen. He has said that both the voting bill and priority bail legislation that also failed to advance during the regular session will be added to a special session agenda.

It all starts with when Abbott calls the special session, and then it only starts with what he puts on the agenda.  Let's not forget one of the "demands" Abbott had of the regular session Lege was to fix the electric grid in Texas:

While lawmakers sent Abbott legislation that will make some changes to the state's power grid, such as requiring power plants to prepare key infrastructure for more extreme weather, they did not pass measures to structurally change the Texas electricity market that some experts called for in the wake of the massive storm.

"I think there's some more discussion that needs to occur about securitization and making certain that the grid is exactly how we need it to be in not just the summer months but winter months as well," Phelan said.

But first we have to screw people out of their right to vote, right,  Governor?  A much more important matter!  Although, regarding the budget, this is where it gets interesting:

Phelan said if Abbott carries out the veto, which he has until June 20 to do, lawmakers could be back for an earlier-than-anticipated overtime round to deal with the issue, since the budget involved covers the fiscal year starting Sept. 1.

So, does Abbott veto, then call the Lege back in July or August?  Nobody wants to be in Texas in August. That aside, what about the voting bill?  Does he veto a new budget resolution?  At what point do the Dems decide not to play, or to let the Governor be a diktator?  Or just go to court and try to cut him off at the knees (I’m not sure the Governor CAN eliminate the budget of the Lege. Does he want to fuck around and find out?) There's a bad precedent pending here.  What if they call his bluff, because the GOP needs to redistrict, and that can't happen before September?  How do you redistrict with no staff doing research and writing bills, no janitors cleaning the Capitol?

I'm not seeing anything yet that changes my earlier analysis:  Abbott has no clue how to play hardball, much less brinksmanship.