The Texas House will gavel in Tuesday for only a few minutes before taking the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving.
The Texas Senate already had the week off. They return to Austin with only a few days left of the fourth special session and no clear route to passing Governor Abbott's priorities.
Last Friday, a coalition of rural Republicans and Democrats voted down Abbott's priority bill, education savings accounts allowing families to use public school tax dollars for private school tuition.
Monday afternoon, Governor Abbott endorsed 58 Texas House members who supported his priority.
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“You know it may take elections to solve this question, but ultimately, the Governor will decide whether we come back and try again," said Rep. Matt Schaefer, R - Tyler.
Governor Abbott said he would veto a bill without education savings accounts included, so the future of teacher bonuses and more money for public schools is in doubt. He's also threatened to get involved in the primary election of those who don't support school choice vouchers. The Texas Senate has passed similar measures multiple times.
"Governor Abbott becomes the third Texas Governor to try to pass school vouchers and fail," said Republican strategist Vinny Minchillo on Lone Star Politics with NBC DFW and the Dallas Morning News, "What’s always happened historically is that the House members just seem a little more attached from where they physically come from.”
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Lawmakers are tired and frustrated. It's unclear whether Abbott keeping them in Austin would change the vote count for his priorities now that a new immigration law has already been passed. That bill, Senate Bill 4, will soon allow local and state police to arrest people they suspect crossed into Texas illegally and either try to put them in jail or take them to a port of entry with Mexico.
Texas lawmakers have been in Austin for a historic fourth special session and the impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton. It's wearing down some lawmakers, like Sen. Drew Springer, R - Muenster, who has served multiple legislative terms under the impression it would be part-time like the state constitution writers intended.
Sen. Springer is not running again; instead, he focuses on his wife and family business.
“You know the earnings; we make $600 a month, and I look at the earning potential. I’ll be 58. I’ll have seven years to work hard," Sen. Springer told us earlier on Lone Star Politics.
Many lawmakers head into the holiday season tired and disappointed.
“I think not only will the school choice supporters be disappointed, but those folks who support their community schools will be just as disappointed because teachers will not be getting a raise or any type of a bonus, and schools across the state are looking at deficit budgets and looking at future layoffs as well," said Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report, an Austin-based legislative news outlet.
