The Second Called Special Session of the 89th Texas Legislature adjourned Wednesday night, with lawmakers passing several bills and facing a number of legislative setbacks. State Rep. Andy Hopper (R-Decatur) provided an overview of the session’s outcomes, highlighting conservative efforts to influence legislation and leadership.
Several bills that failed during the regular session were passed in the special session. These included SB 8 by Middleton, which maintains sex-segregated spaces in government buildings; HB 7 by Leach, aimed at preventing the distribution of abortion pills; HB 25 by Shofner, legalizing over-the-counter ivermectin; and SB 12 by Hughes, allowing the Texas Attorney General to prosecute election fraud cases. Hopper noted his support as coauthor or cosponsor for these measures.
Another notable bill was HB 4 by Hunter, a congressional redistricting measure expected to provide Republicans with five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Additional legislation addressed youth camp safety requirements (HB 1), affirmative defenses for those forced into prostitution or trafficking (SB 11), restrictions on fundraising for future quorum-breakers (HB 18), flood relief funds (SB 5), and replacing the STAAR test with a new student evaluation system (HB 8).
Hopper described how House Democrats left during the first special session to prevent a quorum on House Bill 4, delaying legislative action until their return on August 18 during the second special session. He expressed disappointment that penalties imposed on Democrats who broke quorum were limited to small fines: “Ultimately, other than some small fines, which democrats can easily pay with campaign funds, no significant punishments were imposed upon the democrats who fled this session.”
He added that he filed resolutions HR 34 and HR 41 proposing stricter penalties but said these measures did not advance: “Wednesday night, I filed an amendment to HR 128 to provide penalties to dems who fled, not just penalties to future quorum breakers. This amendment died on a point of order from democrats, which was sustained by the chair.”
Hopper also criticized Republican leadership for not changing rules regarding committee vice chairmanships or adding Texas House redistricting to the agenda: “Sadly, leadership chose to protect the democrats from real consequences…Republican leadership also failed to change the rules that currently award all committee vice chairmanships to democrats.”
On property tax relief efforts through SB 10, Hopper argued that most jurisdictions were exempt from its provisions and amendments expanding its scope were stripped out: “In an unprecedented show of force, 26 House Conservatives voted in a block to send this bill back to conference committee. Sadly, the Texas Senate refused to accept any changes…and killed the bill.”
Efforts to ban taxpayer-funded lobbying again failed despite calls from Governor Abbott and longstanding Republican Party priorities.
Reflecting on conservative unity during contentious votes such as property tax relief amendments and penalties for future quorum-breaking legislators, Hopper stated: “We didn’t get everything we wanted out of the Special Session, but I continue to be pleased that so many conservatives continue to stick together to move the needle for Texans.”
Hopper was elected in 2025 as a Republican representative for Texas’ 64th House district after replacing Lynn Stucky.
He concluded his message expressing gratitude toward constituents and encouraged ongoing engagement ahead of upcoming primary elections.
