The Texas Senate has passed all bills on the call for the first special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott. The bills were nearly all passed with bipartisan support as more than 50 Democrats shut down House proceedings.

The House has not reached a quorum due to absconding Democrats so the bills will go nowhere. As a result, Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will call special session after special session for the bills to pass.

All of the bills the Senate passed will go through the same hearing and floor process to be passed again in the second special session that Gov. Abbott is expected to call on Friday.

Ten of the bills were passed in a marathon floor session on Tuesday, with a week left in the special session.

“Today, with a week remaining in the special session, the Texas Senate completed work on all items on Gov. Abbott’s call. In one day, the Senate passed 10 bills, including a new congressional map adding five Republican seats, legislation for disaster preparedness and July 4th flood recovery, a ban on abortion-inducing drugs, a measure to eliminate the STAAR test, and more,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. “House Democrats now face a simple choice: return to the Capitol and do the job they were elected to do, or continue their ‘vacation,’ staging a media circus while mingling with blue-state governors who oppose Texas values.

“Let me be clear: the Texas Senate will keep passing the bills on Gov. Abbott’s call, special session after special session, over and over again, until House Democrats return to fulfill their duty to the people of Texas,” he added.

The Senate passed three key bills in response to the July 4 Hill Country flood disaster. They include SB 1, Natural Disaster Preparation and Recovery, filed by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock; SB 2, Flood Emergency Communication and Warning, filed by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston; and SB 3, Relief Funding for Hill Country, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston.

“After the July 4th flooding across Texas, the Senate acted quickly to develop a comprehensive plan to improve disaster preparedness and recovery, upgrade outdoor warning systems and communications, and direct funding toward the Hill Country’s rebuilding efforts. This bipartisan package is a crucial step in helping communities recover from last month’s devastating events and in reducing the risk to human life in future disasters,” Patrick said.

SB 1 requires youth camps located in 100-year floodplains to develop and carry out flood evacuation plans during flood warnings; requires the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to create a licensing program for emergency managers and ensure all emergency coordinators receive annual training; requires local governments to conduct annual emergency drills under TDEM supervision; requires local governments to submit an after-action report within 60 days following a disaster; establishes a working group to centralize meteorological data, recommend improvements to statewide weather coverage, and allow higher education institutions to join regional flood planning groups.

SB 2 directs the Texas Water Development Board to identify high-risk flood areas and require local governments to install outdoor warning sirens in those locations. It also requires it to establish rules for siren operation, standards for installation and maintenance, and requirements for backup power systems.

SB 3 allocates $200 million to cover the projected 25% non-federal matching funds for FEMA reimbursement; $50 million for the purchase of sirens, rain gauges, and other equipment in the Central Texas flood region; $24 million to develop enhanced atmospheric measurement and modeling techniques and $20 million toward a new swift water training facility.

Another key bill the Senate passed was SB 6, Protecting Unborn Children, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Tyler, which prohibits the manufacture, distribution, mailing, transporting, delivery, and prescribing of abortion-inducing pills for the purpose of obtaining an illegal abortion.

Another key bill passed was SB 4, the Congressional Redistricting Map, filed by Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford. It passed by a vote of 19-2.

Other bills the Senate passed include: SB 5 – Banning THC, filed by Sen. Perry; SB 7 – Protecting Women’s Spaces, filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston; SB 8 – Eliminating the STAAR Test, filed by Bettencourt; SB 9 – Reducing Property Taxes, by Bettencourt; SB 10 – Protecting Human Trafficking Victims, filed by Sen. Tan Parker, R- Flower Mound; SB 11 – Attorney General Authority to Prosecute Election Crimes, by Sen. Hughes; SB 12 – Banning Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying, by Sen. Middleton; SB 13 – Water Project Incentives, by Sen. Perry; SB 14 – Police Personnel Records, by Sen. King; SB 15 – Stopping Title Theft and Deed Fraud, by Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas; SB 16 – State Judicial Omnibus Package, by Sen. Hughes.