Staff Reports
State Rep. Brian Harrison just did what too few conservatives will do: he sounded the alarm and called for action. In a blunt post on X, Harrison urged Governor Greg Abbott to call a special session of the Texas Legislature to roll back sweeping emergency powers before Governor‑elect Gina Hinojosa takes office. It’s a bold play, and whether it succeeds will come down to politics — and whether Republicans have the stomach to act while they still have the keys to the governor’s office.
What Harrison is asking for — and why it matters
Harrison wants a special session devoted to a bill he first filed in 2022, HB 911. The goal: stop any single governor from writing and enforcing laws by executive fiat during an emergency. That sounds dramatic because it is. Texas law already gives the governor strong emergency powers under the Disaster Act. Those powers can be useful in a storm or a flood, but they can also be abused to reshape policy without the people’s representatives voting on it. Harrison’s basic point is simple: no matter who sits in the governor’s mansion, the Legislature should reclaim its law‑making role.
What HB 911 would do
Harrison’s bill would do a few clear things: prohibit a governor from suspending or rewriting statutes during an emergency; force emergency orders to expire after 30 days unless the Legislature ratifies them; bar reissuing orders that lawmakers rejected or that already expired; require orders to be narrowly tailored; and speed up court review of emergency orders. These are straight‑forward guardrails. If you actually believe in limited government, they’re common sense. If you prefer rule by decree, you’ll call them “dangerous limits.”
Politics, reality and the special‑session hurdle
Here’s the cold water: only Governor Abbott can call a special session and he sets the agenda. And even if he calls one, a bill still needs to pass both chambers and get his signature. After the election, Democrats control the Texas House while Republicans kept the Senate. That split makes a last‑minute power grab harder. Harrison’s rallying cry — “we still have total power” — is a bit of wishful thinking. Still, Abbott can call the session and force the debate. If Republicans believe in the principle, they should give voters a clear choice instead of sending the issue into a long, messy court fight.
Time to stop whining and legislate
Conservatives who complain about big government should either back Harrison’s plan or admit they only object when their side loses the remote. Abbott has used emergency powers before and, like it or not, the law gives him the right to call lawmakers back. If he won’t act now, Republicans lose the chance to set the terms of the fight. That would be on them, not the incoming governor. Harrison’s demand is loud and awkward — exactly the kind of interruption the Texas GOP needs if it’s serious about limiting executive overreach. Pull the lever, call the session, and let the people see who stands for power in Austin.
