State Representative Brian Harrison is urging Governor Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to curtail the executive authority held by the Texas governorship before the next term begins. Harrison argues that current state law provides the governor with near-dictatorial power to create, modify, or ignore statutes during declared emergencies, including the ability to enforce criminal laws by executive order.
The push to restrict those powers follows Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s victory in the governor’s race, ending more than 30 years of Republican control of the office. Republicans still control the Texas Legislature and have approximately 10 weeks before the inauguration to pass legislation, such as HB911, which would require emergency orders to be narrowly tailored and subject them to a 30 day sunset clause unless ratified by the legislature.