The political ordeal marked one of the most intractable debates at the Legislature in recent memory. And it exposed new divides in the leadership trio, most notably between Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Story by TexasTribune.
, R-Conroe, continued to negotiate on behalf of their respective chambers. Patrick and Phelan kept talking, too, including on the phone as late as 9 p.m. the night before the deal was announced, according to the lieutenant governor.
Afterward, Patrick and a bipartisan group of senators held a news conference trumpeting the new olive branch to the House. “You’ve got a supermajority in both houses that would vote for any property tax relief proposal that you’d put in front of them,” Guillen said. “It’s just a matter of just getting it done and agreeing to something.”Despite the celebratory tone that punctuated the deal’s passage Thursday, the stalemate extracted a major political toll on all three state leaders.
But he also found himself in a quagmire after initially backing the House. As it became clear Patrick would not back down, Abbott gradually retreated and admitted he would accept anything the two chambers could agree on. If the property tax deal marks a new era of cooperation between the House and Senate, they will need much more collaboration going forward. Abbott’s “school choice” special session will center on another highly contentious proposal — and Abbott has suggested he will continue to tie it to more popular education issues, like teacher pay raises.
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