Last week Governor Greg Abbott gave his State of the State address, essentially kicking off the 85th legislative session.

While the legislature has been in session since January 10, not much has been done to this point. Many would argue that until Gov. Abbott laid out his priorities for session, much of the activity at the Capitol was mere posturing. Now that the Governor has outlined his expectations for the session, the real battles begin.

But how does a governor decide, out of the multitude of issues that are brought to his attention daily, which become a priority? Obviously, not every issue can be an emergency item.

None of the four emergency items Gov. Abbott declared came as a surprise to those closely following Texas politics. Three of the four are mentioned in some form or fashion in the Republican Party of Texas’ platform, with CPS Reform being the exception:

1. Child Protective Services (CPS) Reform – after much recent publicity on the shortcomings of Texas’ CPS system, many in the Capitol, on both sides of the aisle, have demanded this issue be addressed this session.
2. Eliminating “Sanctuary Cities” – a term used for cities that do not comply with federal immigration laws, Gov. Abbott wants a legislative ban on “Sanctuary Cities,” and has threatened to pull funding for those which harbor illegal aliens and refuse to work with federal and local law enforcement.
3. Ethics Reform – an emergency item carried over from last session, Gov. Abbott seeks to ensure taxpayers know which legislators have government contracts and thus profit off of taxpayers. Last session this effort was derailed when the more establishment wing of the Texas House demanded the disclosure of “Dark Money” be included in the bill.
4. Article V Convention of States – an effort to make specific Constitutional amendments via a method prescribed in Article V of the Constitution. Specific measures Gov. Abbott would like to see addressed include term limits, restoring the 10th amendment, and requiring a balanced budget.

While dissecting the issues Gov. Abbott chose to mark as emergency items is important, what might be more interesting is an analysis of a few he didn’t choose. Once an issue has been declared an emergency item, legislators are essentially required to act. If they don’t, the Governor might call a special session, which would require legislators to stay away from home longer than the allotted 140 days.

The two most notable issues not listed by Gov. Abbott as emergency items are:

1. Universal School Choice – while Gov. Abbott did mention his desire to make Texas the 31st state in the country to allow parents more choices in education, he failed to list it as an emergency item. That’s an important difference. This omission came despite the fact that choice in education is a central plank in the Republican Party of Texas’ platform. Could the $500,000 he received from anti-education-choice advocate Charles Butt have impacted his decision? Time will tell, as this fight will surely be a central focus of the session.
2. Pro-Life Legislation – in his speech Gov. Abbott said he “welcomes any legislation that protects unborn children and promotes a culture of life in Texas,” stopping short of making it an emergency item. If history serves as a guide, the failure to name specific pro-life legislation as an emergency item likely means legislators will spend most of session infighting and gaining little ground on life issues. Will groups like Texas Right to Life or Texas Alliance for Life, both having endorsed Gov. Abbott, consider the session a success if a legislature full of supposedly pro-life Republicans delivers relatively few pro-life victories?

We are still less than a month into the 140-day legislative session, which means there is ample time for legislators (including the sitting governor) to change course.

Throughout the 85th Legislative Session, Transparency Texas will be keeping track of these issues, along with many others, outlining the players and how their motivations, financial and otherwise, might be influencing their decisions.

Our Capitol Crowd series outlines and highlights the politicians, advocacy groups, and donors that have the biggest impact during the 140-day legislative session. Check back throughout session for updates.