**AUSTIN, TEXAS — **While Gov. Gregg Abbott signed a $338 billion budget, the one thing he couldn't stomach funding was the Summer EBT program that would have provided food assistance to kids when they lose access to school meals. In a stunning display of misplaced priorities, Governor Abbott used his line-item veto power to eliminate just one Legislature-approved item from Texas’ $338 billion state budget: a $60 million program to feed hungry Texas children during summer months.
At the same time, Abbott called a special session that will cost taxpayers millions — forcing lawmakers back to Austin to revisit legislation that could’ve been handled during the regular session. House Democrats are ready to work constructively on smart, evidence-based solutions during the special session, including passing reasonable regulation of THC products that both protects children and respects the hundreds of thousands veterans and adults who safely and legally use these products.
During his deadline-night veto spree, Abbott also vetoed HB 413, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill authored by Rep. Jolanda Jones that passed the House 126-10 and the Senate 30-1. The bill, a part of House Democrats’ Safer & Stronger Texas public safety plan, was co-authored by Republicans and Democrats, and would have ensured that defendants aren't held in jail longer than their potential sentence — a common-sense reform supported by prosecutors and judges across Texas.
“House Democrats fought hard alongside business owners, veterans, and everyday Texans to stop SB 3's unconstitutional overreach, and we're glad Governor Abbott finally listened,” said Texas House Democratic Caucus Chair Gene Wu. “This veto, and the call for legislators to return and properly regulate THC as Democrats have been asking for years, protects tens of thousands of Texas jobs and legitimate businesses that operate legally under federal law. However, we're deeply disappointed that in the same stroke, Abbott vetoed food for hungry Texas kids and a bipartisan bill ensuring Texans don't sit in jail longer than their potential sentence. House Democrats will remain committed during the special session to fight for policies that benefit the working families across the state — not Republicans’ misplaced priorities that serve special interests.”