Texas Special Session first week recap

Redistricting Battles and Flood Crisis Dominate Lawmakers’ Agenda

In a dramatic return to the Texas Capitol on Monday, July 21, state lawmakers opened a 30-day special session called by Governor Greg Abbott to address the devastation of July’s catastrophic floods and other critical issues. Texans looking for immediate action on flood relief, however, witnessed a legislature consumed instead by a partisan showdown over the future of congressional districts—a clash widely seen as pivotal to national political control in 2026.

Special Session Priorities

The special session’s foremost mission, according to Abbott, is to strengthen disaster preparedness and begin recovery from the July 4 floods that killed at least 134 residents, making it the deadliest inland flood in the U.S. since 1976. But legislative leaders quickly shifted focus to an unprecedented mid-decade push to redraw the state’s 38 congressional districts—a move largely driven by former President Donald Trump and Republican strategists seeking up to five additional GOP seats in Congress.

Democratic lawmakers charged that Republican colleagues were deliberately sequencing the agenda to force them into a moral and political dilemma: support flood relief for their constituents or stand against what many call an “illegal gerrymander.” “More than 100 people are dead from a flood...and we spent the entire day discussing redistricting,” State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt told CBS Austin.

Trump’s Five-Seat Strategy, Partisan Lines Redrawn

The redistricting effort, highly unusual for the middle of a decade, has become the session’s flashpoint. Republicans say the redrawing is necessary due to “constitutional concerns” about existing districts, referencing a July 7th Department of Justice letter that cited possible racial gerrymandering in at least four districts. Critics, including civil rights groups and nearly all Democratic lawmakers, dismiss this rationale, contending the real aim is to protect and expand GOP power in Washington ahead of the 2026 midterms.

President Trump met privately with Texas Republicans last Tuesday, setting expectations for the state to deliver “five more” GOP-held seats—a number echoed by party leaders. Redistricting expert Michael Li called the move “entirely unprecedented for a party to alter its own map [after winning]. I cannot recall a situation like this,” Li told Reuters.

House committees scheduled public hearings in Austin, Houston, and Arlington, with rigid time constraints that allowed just two minutes per witness and five hours per session. “We’re trying to limit public participation,” acknowledged State Rep. Cody Vasut, chair of the newly appointed House Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting, to The Center Square. The compressed timeline and restricted access have drawn widespread criticism from citizens who say their voices are being sidelined during a decision that could shape Texas—and the nation’s—political future for a decade.

Democratic Resistance

Democrats responded with an all-out, procedural campaign to slow the redistricting drive. Lawmakers in both chambers stretched routine votes into marathon debates and considered the ultimate protest: fleeing the state to deny the House and Senate a quorum, a tactic deployed in earlier high-profile standoffs over voting rights and abortion. “We will see if they prioritize what Texans have actually demanded first, or will they prioritize their politics and their games?” House Democratic Caucus Chairman Gene Wu told The Texas Tribune.

But such a move would also delay desperately needed flood legislation. In a letter to Abbott, 48 House Democrats declared, “[We] refuse to engage in any other legislative work until after adequate flood relief and disaster mitigation legislation are passed and signed by the Governor.” As The Texas Tribune reported, the first committee hearing on flood response was not held until several days into the session, further fueling Democratic frustration.

Flood Crisis

The urgency for flood relief is matched only by the scale of devastation. The July 4 storm swept through the Hill Country with little warning, raising the Guadalupe River by more than 26 feet in less than an hour. More than 130 deaths were confirmed, hundreds of homes were destroyed, and local governments were overwhelmed by the event’s magnitude.

Four of Governor Abbott’s 18 special session agenda items are devoted to disaster preparedness, including new early warning systems, improvements to emergency communication, direct relief funding, and streamlined regulations to speed future recovery. “If a community can’t do it, then the state should come in and do it…We should strive to do that before next summer,” Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at the Capitol, according to Audacy. Nevertheless, the opening week closed without significant movement on these bills, pushing flood victims’ hopes further down the legislative docket.

"More than 100 people are dead from a flood...and we spent the entire day discussing redistricting."
— State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt (CBS Austin)

A Second Crack at Cannabinoid Crackdown

The regulation of consumable hemp and THC products is another high-profile item on the agenda. Senate Bill 5 would impose one of the nation’s strictest bans on hemp-derived THC, criminalizing the manufacture, distribution, and purchase of any product with detectable levels of the psychoactive compound. The bill’s vague thresholds have left hemp industry leaders concerned about compliance and job security.

Governor Abbott, who previously vetoed a broader THC ban in June, signaled a preference for a tightly regulated market with low milligram caps on THC, but the Senate, led by conservative lawmakers, favored outright prohibition. “The hemp industry has created jobs and alternatives to opioids for many Texans, but we want to ensure products are safe and not abused,” Abbott said in his official proclamation.

STAAR Testing, Property Taxes, and Social Priorities

Education reform—especially the fate of the STAAR standardized test—remains unresolved. Lawmakers did not advance efforts to overhaul STAAR or enact property tax relief. Also included on the special session’s lengthy agenda are bills targeting abortion pill restrictions, law enforcement personnel protections, and anti-trafficking measures.

With over 8,700 bills filed during the regular session and only 14% enacted, lawmakers face a formidable backlog—aggravated by the special session’s compressed 30-day timetable and the prospect of further special sessions if priorities are not completed.

"This is entirely unprecedented for a party to alter its own map...I cannot recall a situation where a party achieved its objectives, performed well, and then opted to redraw its own map."
— Michael Li, Brennan Center for Justice (Reuters, via Context Corner)

Hearings, Protests, and Legal Threats

Texans worried about their voice being heard can still participate: the House is holding hearings in Houston (July 26) and Arlington (July 28), and is accepting written comments through online channels. However, with only two minutes allotted per person, grassroots groups say that many concerns may go unspoken.

Civil rights organizations have launched legal challenges, arguing the proposed Republican maps would violate minority voting rights and dilute Democratic voting power. California Governor Gavin Newsom even threatened “retaliatory redistricting” if Texas moves forward, underlining the national stakes of the fight.

Financial and Political Stakes

The cost of the special session is steep: direct session expenses are projected to be over $ 1.5 million, not including the hidden costs for local governments whose leaders are pulled away from disaster response and routine duties. The outcome will influence not just Texas’s congressional representation but could set national precedents for disaster response and partisan redistricting tactics.

Critical Weeks Remain

As the first week ended, the Texas Legislature appeared locked in a stalemate, with Democrats threatening to block redistricting, Republicans using flood aid as leverage, and victims of the Hill Country flood waiting for answers. Governor Abbott retains the authority to call additional special sessions if necessary—a prospect that seems increasingly likely as neither side appears willing to yield.

The choices made over the coming weeks will determine not only the immediate relief available to Texans reeling from disaster but the long-term shape of political power—both in Texas and beyond. For now, Texans are left to watch as lawmakers wrestle with the crosscurrents of crisis, partisanship, and their constituents’ urgent needs.

"We must ensure better preparation for such events in the future."
— Governor Greg Abbott, official proclamation