State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, speaks to his colleague on the Senate Floor on April 12, 2021. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
A Republican state senator on Tuesday said Gov. Greg Abbott no longer deserves line-item veto authority, after using his executive power to jeopardize the jobs of thousands of state workers.
Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, filed a bill in the special legislative session aimed at removing the governor’s line item veto power. Seliger is the only author listed on the bill, which is a constitutional amendment, meaning it would need two-thirds approval from each chamber and then voters would get to decide.
GOP senator says Gov Greg Abbott should lose line-item veto after cutting Legislature s funding, jeopardizing staffers jobs
krgv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from krgv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
2,100 state workers caught in crosshairs of Abbott s funding veto
gosanangelo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gosanangelo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Heidi Pérez-Moreno
Texas Tribune
When Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed funding for Texas’ legislative branch, he said he was taking the drastic action as retribution after more than 30 Democrats walked out of the regular session, killing a GOP priority voting bill.
But the veto of the Legislature’s funding reaches far beyond the $600 monthly stipend for the more than 30 House Democrats in Abbott’s crosshairs. It goes further than the 150 members of the House and the 31 members of the Senate. In fact, their salaries are constitutionally protected.
But the veto threatens the livelihoods of 2,165 legislative staffers and individuals working at legislative agencies, with a median salary of $52,000 per year, according to data from the state comptroller.