Bills Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed this session

Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman via AP

By Delilah Alvarado

(AUSTIN, Texas) Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed 20 bills that were passed this legislative session, according to The Texas Tribune.

The total bills vetoed are the fewest since 2005. The number of bills passed this session is 1,073.

The most recent and most controversial veto came Friday when Abbott used his line-item veto to reject funding for the Texas legislature, a promise he made after Democrats walked out on a restrictive voting bill to halt it from passing.

Bills vetoed include:

House Bill 686 would have allowed earlier parole eligibility for certain convicts if the crime was committed when they were under 18. The bill was included in Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan’s bipartisan criminal justice priority package “Smarter Justice, Safer Texas.” Abbott vetoed it saying it would disrupt the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.

Senate Bill 281, a criminal justice priority bill in the House called for a ban on using statements in a criminal court obtained through hypnosis, a practice widely used in Texas courts.

House Bill 2667 would have provided universal service funds for Texans faced with high broadband bills or lack of access, especially those in rural areas. Abbott said broadband access was one of his priorities this session but vetoed the bill anyway due to an increase in taxes.

Senate Bill 474 would have made it illegal to tether dogs with heavy chains and chain up dogs outside without water or adequate shelter. The bill received bipartisan support, but Abbott shot it down stating it was "micro-managing and over-criminalization." Texas has had many cases of dogs being left outside in the heat.

Abbott has said there will be two special legislative sessions to revisit certain items like the voting bill that democrats walked out on and to conduct redistricting in the fall.

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