Texas governor’s special legislative session to include five other items aside from THC regulation

Texas lawmakers will head back to Austin next month after Gov. Greg Abbott late Sunday night called a special legislative session tied to his headline-grabbing veto of Senate Bill 3, the controversial proposal to would ban THC-containing hemp.

The special session is set to begin July 21, and it’s the ninth time Abbott has called one since taking office as governor in 2015. Although creating new rules for the state’s as-yet-unregulated hemp industry tops the governor’s list of agenda items, he also said he wants to see action on five additional measures:

• SB 648, which relates to how property transfers are recorded after death
• SB 1253, which would adjust production fees for certain water projects and water wells to incentivize conservation.
• SB 1278, which would prevent victims of sex trafficking from being charged with prostitution
• SB 1758, which would regulate the operation of cement kilns near the semiconductor facilities
• SB 2878, which would alter operation and administration practices related to proceedings of the judicial branch in the state government

According to the state constitution, only bills related to issues selected by the governor can be discussed and passed during a special session. However, Abbott could expand the list of items in the coming weeks.

President Donald Trump has reportedly pressured Abbott to discuss redistricting Texas’ U.S. House Districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. However, that item hasn’t appeared on the governor’s special session agenda.

SB 3 was one of 28 bills Abbott vetoed from the recently completed legislative session. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who was among the most vocal proponents of SB 3, will hold 12:30 p.m. press conference Monday on that proposal’s veto.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.