Gov. Greg Abbott holds up the Texas Cyber Command bill he signed into law June 2 at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s National Security Collaboration Center. He was joined by Sen. Tan Parker, left, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, and UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, right. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Gov. Greg Abbott is calling lawmakers back to Austin next month to regulate the state’s booming THC industry and make tweaks to a handful of other bills the Texas Republican vetoed.

The special session also comes as the White House is pushing Texas lawmakers to redraw congressional lines ahead of the 2026 midterms.

President Donald Trump’s political team wants new maps to help Republicans pick up additional seats next November as the GOP looks to defend its slim U.S. House majority against a potential Democratic surge. Right now, Republicans hold 25 of the state’s 38 seats in Congress.

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Abbott has so far been silent on the possibility of adding redistricting to what he said was an “initial agenda” for the session, slated to start on July 21, and declined to comment on Monday. Lawmakers can only consider items the governor directs them to tackle.

“Working with the Texas Legislature, we delivered results that will benefit Texans for generations to come,” Abbott said in a release announcing the special session. “This session has seen monumental success, but there is more we can do.”

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick speaks at a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Monday in Austin. Patrick hosted a press conference in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to veto Senate Bill 3, which would have banned the sale of THC products in Texas. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman

On Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick endorsed the idea of redrawing the political maps when state lawmakers return.

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“I’ll just say that if we can pick up Republican seats in Texas to make Congress stronger, after what the Democrats did to our country in the last four years — and what they’re still doing, criticizing the President of the United States, wanting to impeach him for protecting American lives by taking out Iranian nuclear threat to the world — I want more Republican congressmen,” Patrick, a Republican who presides over the Texas Senate, said at a press conference.

At the top of Abbott’s special session agenda is regulating the hemp-derived THC products that have flooded Texas and that lawmakers, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, sought to ban outright during the regular session.

Petitions asking Gov. Greg Abbott to veto SB3, which would restrict THC, are displayed at a news conference on the last day of the 89th Texas Legislature at the Capitol in Austin, Monday, June 2. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

Abbott vetoed that full ban and urged lawmakers to regulate THC similarly to alcohol, such as prohibiting sales near schools and playgrounds, restricting access to those who are 21 and older and allowing strict enforcement by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

THC VETO IMPACTS: What to know about the future of hemp THC rules in Texas after Abbott’s veto

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“To ensure the highest level of safety for minors, as well as for adults, who obtain a product more dangerous than what they expected, Texas must strongly regulate hemp, and it must do so immediately,” Abbott wrote in a statement on the veto.

The governor also ordered lawmakers to tweak four other bills he vetoed, but said he would support if they made certain adjustments.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick arrives for a press conference Monday in response to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s decision to veto Senate Bill 3, which would have banned the sale of THC products in Texas. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman

Those include:

A bill dealing with title theft and deed fraud that Abbott said unfairly burdened Texans who haven’t hired attorneys or title agents.

Legislation cutting fees for builders that conserve water, which he said singled out property owners in one groundwater conservation district.

A bill protecting human trafficking victims from prostitution charges that Abbott said went too far and would potentially protect them from prosecution for any crime.

A typically noncontroversial omnibus judiciary bill that included reforms Abbott opposed, such as a measure he said would allow for unlimited automatic expunctions for completing certain pretrial programs.

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READ MORE: Texas Republicans evasive on Trump’s redistricting request after Washington meeting

Some of the proposed laws rejected by Abbott, including a ban on hemp products containing THC, will be the focus of a special legislative session he has called for July 21.

Michael Minasi | KUT News

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed 26 bills Sunday — from one that would have banned the sale of virtually all hemp products containing THC, to another that would have created a multistate cosmetology licensing program.

Some of the proposed laws rejected by Abbott, including the would-be ban on THC products, will be the focus of a special legislative session he has called for July 21. This year’s regular session ended early this month.

Below is a list of the bills vetoed by Abbott, along with his reasons for preventing the legislation from becoming law.

Senate Bill 3

This legislation would have banned the sale of virtually all hemp products in Texas that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

In his veto proclamation, Abbott said the bill would not address ongoing substance abuse issues. Abbott has added SB 3 to the upcoming special session agenda and is advocating for increased regulation of THC rather than a full ban.

“Passing a law is not the same thing as actually solving a problem,” he said. “Texas needs a bill that is enforceable and will make our communities safer today, rather than years from now.”

RELATED: Gov. Abbott vetoes Texas THC ban, calls special session to regulate hemp

House Bill 305

This legislation would have given a defendant who had previously been deemed incompetent 14 days to raise any evidentiary or procedural issues before a case could move to trial. Abbott, in his veto proclamation, said the bill was too broad and that its 14-day timeline was too restrictive.

House Bill 353

This legislation would have created a criminal offense for trespassing on or near a school or daycare property.

In his veto proclamation, Abbott said he vetoed the bill because it “would make a criminal of anyone merely present near a school or day-care center — even absent an unlawful or threatening act.”

House Bill 413

This legislation would not have allowed people charged with a class B misdemeanor or more serious crime to be held in jail before their trial longer than the sentence they could receive if found guilty.

While Abbott said HB 413 is “common-sense” reform, he also said the legislation lacked safeguards.

“The protection of liberty must be balanced with clarity, accountability and public safety. This bill fails to strike that balance,” he said in his veto proclamation.

House Bill 449

This legislation would have made it unlawful to produce or distribute sexually explicit media created using “deep fake” technology. The bill defines deep fake media as a visual depiction of an individual created using artificial intelligence that is indistinguishable from the real person.

Abbott said he vetoed HB 449 because a similar “more comprehensive” bill — Senate Bill 441 — related to deep fake media also passed during the legislation.

House Bill 705

This legislation would have established a multistate cosmetology licensing program, which would have allowed those with a cosmetology license to practice in participating states without having to receive a license from each jurisdiction.

Abbott argued in his veto proclamation that the legislation would have encroached on Texas’ state sovereignty.

“While I appreciate that the bill’s authors added language that attempts to protect state sovereignty, this is no guarantee that the Compact Commission will respect that language, or that it will refrain from making changes in the future that hurt Texans,” Abbott said.

Abbott also said out-of-state cosmetology licensees can already seek a reciprocal license in Texas.

House Bill 1690

This legislation would have required that a public notice be given when a permit is filed for the transfer of groundwater out of a groundwater conservation district.

Citing the ongoing water shortages across the state, Abbott said he vetoed the legislation because it would have created another regulatory hurdle to obtain groundwater.

“State law already authorizes groundwater conservation districts to adopt rules necessary to manage groundwater resources, including rules for public notice and hearings on groundwater permits,” he said in the veto proclamation.

House Bill 2243

This legislation would have created the Texas Commission of Teacher Job Satisfaction and Retention to make recommendations to, as the name suggests, increase the retention of teachers throughout the state.

Abbott said he vetoed this legislation because he had an issue with the commission being under the executive branch and that it would not have to follow other hiring regulations.

“It is unconstitutional for a different branch, by appointment or otherwise, to superintend the exercise of executive power,” he said in his veto proclamation. “The stated purpose of this bill can be achieved without expending additional state funding, removing important contracting requirements, or transgressing the Texas Constitution’s separation of powers.”

House Bill 2520

This legislation would have required school board managers appointed by the Texas Education Agency to abide by the Open Meetings Act, but Abbott vetoed it, arguing that TEA-appointed board members are already subject to the law.

House Bill 3120

This legislation would have required residential child detention facilities to seek a Memorandum of Understanding with a local government that includes plans for reporting and preventing illness, conducting quarterly inspections, safely evacuating residents and reporting periodically on occupancy and facility incidents.

Abbott said in his veto proclamation that, due to President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, now would not be the right time to enact such legislation.

“But these sorts of arrangements [child detention facilities] should be things of the past,” he said. “While making the border more secure than ever before, President Trump has also reduced the trafficking of unaccompanied minors. … Given all this change, now is not the right time to adjust the rules governing such facilities.”

House Bill 4530

This legislation would have allowed private property owners to dedicate their groundwater to the Texas Water Trust, which regulates water rights for environmental purposes under the Texas Water Development Board.

Abbott said in his veto proclamation that he is against the legislation because it “fails to explain” how groundwater would be transferred to a trust that mainly deals with surface water.

House Bill 4885

This legislation was related to the disclosure of confidential juvenile records to a managed assigned counsel program. Abbott did not provide any reason for rejecting the bill in his veto proclamation.

House Bill 5671

This legislation would have allowed the Johnson County Special Utility District to fund construction projects without approval from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TECQ). Abbott vetoed this bill because it would be “fiscally inefficient” to allow the district to build infrastructure without input from TCEQ, according to his veto proclamation.

Senate Bill 268

This legislation would have required that complaints against health care practitioners be forwarded to the regulatory board that issued the practitioner’s license. Abbott said he vetoed the bill because it would have inadvertently made the complaint process more complicated by preventing non-licensee boards from addressing complaints.

“The Medical Board, for example, should not be prohibited from issuing a cease-and-desist order for unlicensed medical practice simply because the specific practice at issue is also regulated by another board,” he said in the veto proclamation.

Senate Bill 378

This legislation would have prohibited barbers or cosmetologists from making an incision into a person’s skin.

Abbott vetoed this bill because it could cause a barber or cosmetologist to lose their license for accidentally cutting someone with a razor, according to the veto proclamation.

Senate Bill 614

This legislation would have allowed the Texas Forensic Science Commission to refer certain criminal cases to the Texas Office of Capital and Forensic Writs (OCFW), which was created in 2010 to ensure the constitutionality of death penalty cases.

In his veto proclamation, Abbott said he was against the bill because it would encourage convicted criminals to try and use the legislation to have their conviction reviewed again after exhausting their appeals.

Senate Bill 648

This legislation would have strengthened protections against title and deed fraud, but Abbott said it would place too much burden on low-income landowners.

“Although Senate Bill No. 648 seeks to strengthen protections, it does so by imposing barriers that will burden low-income Texans, rural residents and those handling family land without legal assistance,” he said in the veto proclamation.

Abbott has added SB 648 as one of the items on the agenda for his upcoming special session.

Senate Bill 974

This legislation would have allowed public school teachers to serve on an appraisal district’s appraisal review board.

Abbott said he vetoed the bill because it could interfere with the board’s judgment or the perception of its judgment.

Senate Bill 1032

The Governor’s University Research Initiative helps public institutions of higher education recruit distinguished researchers. SB 1032 would have expanded this to include private institutions.

Abbott vetoed the bill because it did not fully fund the program, but he said in the veto proclamation that he would reconsider the bill if a future version fully funded it.

Senate Bill 1253

This legislation would have changed the fees for certain water projects, but Abbott vetoed it because he said it singled out property owners in one specific groundwater conservation district, according to the veto proclamation.

Senate Bill 1278

This legislation would have protected victims of human trafficking or forced prostitution from being prosecuted.

While Abbott said he supports the general idea, the legislation was too broad and could have opened up a loophole for victims to avoid any prosecution, not just those related to forced illegal acts, according to the veto proclamation.

Abbott has also added this bill to his special session agenda.

Senate Bill 1838

This legislation dealt with the appointment of certain court-appointed attorneys, known as attorneys ad litem, and their compensation. Abbott said in his veto proclamation that the legislation would have “invited attorneys appointed ad litem to argue with the courts that appointed them — at the taxpayer’s expense — about how much money they are owed.”

Senate Bill 1937

This legislation would have mandated nuclear DNA testing in every capital case and required laboratory experts to participate in pretrial meetings and hearings. In his veto proclamation, Abbott said the bill could inadvertently delay justice by limiting “evidentiary tools available to hold murderers accountable.”

Senate Bill 2111

This legislation would have required courts to appoint counsel in post-conviction habeas proceedings any time a habeas petitioner has a potential claim.

Abbott said in his veto proclamation that this legislation would have encouraged convicted criminals to try and use the legislation to have their conviction reviewed again after exhausting their appeals.

Senate Bill 2501

This legislation would have given impoverished parents more freedom to select legal counsel in child custody-related proceedings. Abbott said in his veto proclamation that the bill went too far and would have allowed a parent to keep selecting a new public defender over and over again, ultimately delaying the legal proceedings.

Senate Bill 2878

This legislation would have made changes to a wide number of procedures in the judicial branch. Abbott, in his veto proclamation, said the bill did not receive adequate consideration during the legislative session.

Abbott also said he agrees with most of the bill and has added it as an item for the upcoming special session.

This November, Florida voters will either leave the state’s new six-week abortion ban in place or expand abortion access closer to what it was before Roe v Wade was struck down in 2022.

Amendment 4, Abortion Access, which will appear on November’s ballot, would enshrine abortion access in the Florida Constitution if it wins by a supermajority, or at least 60% of the vote. The amendment reads:

“No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.”

Voting yes would make abortion legal until fetal viability, which is generally considered to be around 23-24 weeks. It would also allow abortions when necessary to protect a patient’s health, as determined by a health care provider.

Voting no would leave abortions illegal in Florida after six weeks unless two physicians are willing to state that the pregnant person would die without one. Pregnancies from rape, incest or sexual trafficking are permitted up to 15 weeks only with law enforcement or court documents as evidence.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Republicans and anti-abortion groups are strongly against this amendment, claiming it is too vague and will lead to an unregulated abortion industry. Supporters say it will put control over the pregnant person’s body back where it belongs, with the person and their healthcare provider.

In a recent survey of likely Florida voters from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, 69% of those surveyed said they’d vote yes compared to only 23% saying no, despite DeSantis’ increasing efforts to stop the amendment.

What are the abortion laws in Florida?

As of May 1, 2024, most abortions in Florida after six weeks — with a few exceptions — are illegal after a “physician determines the gestational age of the fetus is more than 6 weeks,” a time when studies show one in three pregnant people don’t yet know they’re pregnant.

People may have as little as two weeks after missing a period to find out and get both appointments at the state’s overworked clinics, which leaves an extremely narrow window for a pregnant person in a potentially traumatic situation to take action. The state also requires a 24-hour waiting period so patients will need to fit in two appointments before the legal deadline.

The six-week ban was passed while the courts were still deciding if the previous 15-week ban was constitutional, and went into effect 30 days after the court ruled that it was.

Does Florida abortion ban allow exceptions for rape, incest or danger to the pregnant person?

While the law reduces the amount of time pregnant people have to get an abortion, it does provide some exemptions for extreme cases “to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.”

This requires physicians willing to risk possible fines, loss of license and even imprisonment by going on record against oversight committees and the state, something some doctors and hospitals have been reluctant to do.

Exceptions were added in cases of rape, incest and/or human trafficking that the previous 15-week ban lacked, but only up to 15 weeks, and only if the pregnant person has copies of “a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order or documentation” to provide evidence that they are a victim of rape or incest.

How many people got abortions in 2023? New report finds increase despite bans

Does the 6-week abortion ban in Florida ban abortion pills?

Abortion pills are banned unless they are administered by a licensed doctor in person.

So-called “abortion pills” — actually two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, taken up to 48 hours apart — which cause a person’s cervix to dilate and their uterus to contract, emptying the embryo from the person’s uterus, have dramatically risen in popularity in the last few years both for the relative convenience compared to surgical abortions and to get around abortion bans. Access to them was been challenged but was ultimately protected by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.

The new law clearly states that abortions may only be performed by a physician in the same room. Telehealth sessions are specifically banned.

Can I go to jail for getting an abortion after 6 weeks in Florida?

Florida law prohibits anyone from willfully performing or actively helping someone get an abortion outside of the six-week gestational period or the legal exemptions. Doing so is considered a third-degree felony, punishable by fines and imprisonment of five years. There are no penalties listed for the pregnant person.

“Florida’s criminal abortion penalties do not apply to pregnant women,” the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration said in a clarification. Florida law only states that a person upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed, which is illegal, may not be prosecuted.

What were the abortion laws under Roe v Wade?

In Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that abortion was protected under the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment. The court divided the typical 40-week pregnancy into three trimesters, with different legal protections:

First trimester (1-12 weeks): States could place no limits on abortions other than basic medical safeguards.

States could place no limits on abortions other than basic medical safeguards. Second trimester (13-28 weeks): States could enact reasonable medical regulations provided they were narrowly tailored to protect the pregnant person’s health but could not prohibit abortion.

States could enact reasonable medical regulations provided they were narrowly tailored to protect the pregnant person’s health but could not prohibit abortion. Third trimester (29-40 weeks): This is the point where fetal viability could be detected with the medical technology available in 1973. From this point on, states could legally prohibit all abortions except where necessary to protect the pregnant person’s life or health.

The amendment seeks to restore unfettered abortion access to the point of fetus viability, which is now detectable at about 23-24 weeks.

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed one of the most scrutinized bills of the legislative session — a total ban on all consumable hemp products that contain the intoxicating chemical in cannabis — less than an hour before the veto deadline.

Thousands of Texans on both sides of this issue sent petitions to the governor to sway his decision. Those against the bill said it would negatively impact farmers and small businesses. Others argued it would take away a medical option for many Texans who use the products to help with pain and other diseases.

The Hemp Industry and Farmers of America applauded the governor late Sunday night after the decision was announced.

“The hemp industry stands with the Governor’s decision to allow this industry to prosper and thrive,” it said in a statement. “The hemp industry welcomes the opportunity to work with the legislature to put forth common sense and thoughtful regulations that keep our children safe while protecting consumers.”

Supporters of the bill say the hemp industry in Texas is not regulated when it comes to consumable hemp products containing THC. They also claimed the packaging of certain products could attract children.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a supporter of the bill, took to social media to share his reaction to the veto. He said the governor had remained silent on the bill the entire session.

“The bill that would have banned dangerous THC products in Texas,” wrote Patrick. “His late-night veto, on an issue supported by 105 of 108 Republicans in the legislature, strongly backed by law enforcement, many in the medical and education communities, and the families who have seen their loved ones’ lives destroyed by these very dangerous drugs, leaves them feeling abandoned. I feel especially bad for those who testified and poured their hearts out on their tragic losses.”

Patrick said he would hold a press conference on Monday.

Earlier this week, the Allen police department announced it had seized more than 75,000 pounds of THC products at three different warehouses in Dallas. Police say the $7 million bust involved products with THC concentrations ranging from 7% to 78%, far above the state’s legal threshold of 0.3%.

Lawmakers will get another crack at Senate Bill 3 after Abbott called for a special session to begin on July 21. He’s listed six bills that will be up for consideration during the special session:

SB 3 – regulating consumable hemp products.

SB 648 – recording requirements for certain instruments concerning real property.

SB 1253 – impact and production fees for certain water projects and the regulation of certain wells; authorizing a fee.

SB 1278 – an affirmative defense to prosecution for victims of trafficking of persons or compelling prostitution.

SB 1758 – the operation of a cement kiln and the production of aggregates near a semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility.

SB 2878 – the operation and administration of, and practices and procedures related to proceedings in the judicial branch of state government.

“Working with the Texas Legislature, we delivered results that will benefit Texans for generations to come,” Abbott said in a press release. “Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Speaker Dustin Burrows, and the Texas House and Senate worked hard to send critical legislation to my desk. This session has seen monumental success, but there is more we can do.”