State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) filed a bill Tuesday to remove Gov. Greg Abbott’s line-item veto authority after he slashed lawmakers’ funding.
Abbott decided to withhold legislative funding in response to the second walkout by Democrat lawmakers to avoid voting on an election reform bill, Houston Public Media reported.
“Out of frustration, the governor vetoed all funding for the legislative branch because Democrats broke quorum,” Seliger said Tuesday in a Twitter post. “But vetoing this funding doesn't punish legislators who left. It punishes regular, hard-working folks who have nothing to do with voting for or against bills.”
Seliger’s bill proposes to amend the state's constitution, which requires a two-thirds approval from each chamber, according to The Texas Tribune.
“We now have less than four weeks before the veto eliminates pay for Capitol post office staff, researchers, caseworkers in district offices, those responsible for answering open record requests, etc.,” Seliger said Tuesday on Twitter.
The Texas Tribune reports that while the salaries of lawmakers are constitutionally protected, the veto would affect the jobs of more than 2,000 legislative staffers and legislative agency employees.
“They have not left their posts but are worried about health insurance, rent and paying for their children's school supplies,” Seliger tweeted. “For this reason, I have filed SJR 8, which will keep this mess from happening again.”
The Texas Tribune states the bill is largely symbolic due to the Legislature being at a standstill.
The Texas House Appropriations Committee has unanimously approved a bill to restore funding to the state Legislature, according to Houston Public Media.
More than 60 individual House members, the Texas AFL-CIO, several legislative caucuses and many state employees have called Abbott’s veto unconstitutional and petitioned the Texas Supreme Court to override the veto, according to Houston Public Media.