With no sign of Texas Democrats returning soon, Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to call a series of special legislative sessions. He says he is authorized to call these sessions every 30 days.
That raises questions about how many sessions might be called and the cost associated with each one. KPRC 2 looked into the financial impact.
Lawmakers receive a per diem of $221 a day, which adds up to more than $1 million each time a special session is called. That cost is likely to increase when factoring in other expenses such as security, staffing and electricity.
“If we’re just using that as our base, there’s at least a $1.2 million charge every time they call a special session for 30 days. And it’s probably more than that,” Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University, said. “It’s probably closer to the $2 to $3 million range when we start to throw in all of the additional costs, printing, staffing, phone calls, etc.”
Jones explained the money comes from the legislature’s operating budget, meaning $1.2 million less for other uses. While contingency funds exist for a potential summer special session, multiple sessions are not typically budgeted for.
“In 2023, we had four special sessions and that’s definitely not something they budgeted for,” Jones said. “They had to redirect legislative budgets from other line items within their budget to cover the cost of the special session, principally the per diem for the legislators but also some of the other operating expenses.”
The ongoing political battle has drawn mixed reactions on social media. One user wrote, “They’re inevitably going to vote and they’re going to lose. It’s all political theater. You can like it or hate it but reality is that they’re just wasting time.” Another said, “It’s worth it.”
Currently, Democrats are fined $500 every time there is a quorum call and they are absent. Jones said that money would ultimately go back into the general House budget and could help pay for some of the per diem spent during this session.
As for how this will end, Jones believes the most likely scenario is a second special session will be called on Aug. 20, one day after the current session ends, where all the priorities of this session will be addressed and accomplished.