TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:
WHEREAS, the constitutional actions taken by the Texas House of Representatives on May 9, 2023, as reflected in the adoption of House Resolution No. 1542, have caused a vacancy to exist in Texas State House of Representatives District No. 2, which consists of Hopkins, Hunt, and Van Zandt Counties; and
WHEREAS, Article III, Section 13 of the Texas Constitution and Section 203.002 of the Texas Election Code require that a special election be ordered upon such a vacancy, and Section 3.003 of the Texas Election Code requires the special election to be ordered by proclamation of the Governor; and
WHEREAS, Section 203.004(a) of the Texas Election Code provides that the special election generally must be held on the first uniform date occurring on or after the 36th day after the date the election is ordered; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 41.001 of the Texas Election Code, the first uniform election date occurring on or after the 36th day after the date the special election is ordered is Tuesday, November 7, 2023;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby order a special election to be held in Texas State House of Representatives District No. 2 on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, for the purpose of electing a state representative to serve out the unexpired term of Mr. Bryan Slaton.
Candidates who wish to have their names placed on the special election ballot must file their applications with the Secretary of State no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, in accordance with Section 201.054(a)(l) of the Texas Election Code.
Early voting by personal appearance shall begin on Monday, October 23, 2023, and end on Friday, November 3, 2023, in accordance with Sections 85.00I(a) and (e) of the Texas Election Code.
A copy of this order shall be mailed immediately to the county judges of all counties contained within Texas State House of Representatives District No. 2, and all appropriate writs shall be issued and all proper proceedings shall be followed to the end so that said election may be held to fill the vacancy in Texas State House of Representatives District No. 2 and its result proclaimed in accordance with law.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 29th day of May, 2023.
Greg Abbott, Governor
TRD-202301986
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:
I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of the State of Texas, by the authority vested in me by Article III, Sections 5 and 40, and Article IV, Section 8 of the Texas Constitution, do hereby call extraordinary session #1 of the 88th Legislature, to convene in the City of Austin, commencing at 9:00 p.m. on Monday, May 29, 2023, for the following purposes:
To consider and act upon the following:
Legislation to cut property-tax rates solely by reducing the school district maximum compressed tax rate in order to provide lasting property-tax relief for Texas taxpayers.
Legislation solely for the purpose of increasing or enhancing the penalties for certain criminal conduct involving the smuggling of persons or the operation of a stash house.
The Secretary of State will take notice of this action and will notify the members of the legislature of my action.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 29th day of May, 2023.
Greg Abbott, Governor
TRD-202301987
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:
WHEREAS, I, GREG ABBOTT, Governor of the State of Texas, issued a disaster proclamation on July 8, 2022, as amended and renewed in a number of subsequent proclamations, certifying that exceptional drought conditions posed a threat of imminent disaster in several counties; and
WHEREAS, the Texas Division of Emergency Management has confirmed that those same drought conditions continue to exist in these and other counties in Texas, with the exception of; Atascosa, Austin, Baylor, Bosque, Brown, Burnet, Callahan, Coke, Comanche, Coryell, Dimmit, Edwards, Erath, Falls, Fisher, Foard, Frio, Glasscock, Grimes, Hale, Henderson, Jones, Kinney, La Salle, Lamb, Lampasas, Llano, Mason, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, Menard, Montgomery, Moore, Potter, Randall, Runnels, San Saba, Shackelford, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Travis, Uvalde, Webb, and Zavala Counties.
NOW, THEREFORE, in accordance with the authority vested in me by Section 418.014 of the Texas Government Code, I do hereby amend and renew the aforementioned proclamation and declare a disaster in Andrews, Bailey, Bandera, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Cameron, Castro, Childress, Cochran, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Cottle, Crosby, Dallam, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Dickens, Eastland, Ector, Floyd, Gaines, Garza, Gillespie, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hartley, Hays, Hidalgo, Hockley, Howard, Hutchinson, Kendall, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Lipscomb, Lubbock, Lynn, Martin, Matagorda, Medina, Midland, Mills, Mitchell, Motley, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Parmer, Real, Roberts, Scurry, Sherman, Taylor, Terry, Wharton, and Yoakum Counties.
Pursuant to Section 418.017 of the Texas Government Code, I authorize the use of all available resources of state government and of political subdivisions that are reasonably necessary to cope with this disaster.
Pursuant to Section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code, any regulatory statute prescribing the procedures for conduct of state business or any order or rule of a state agency that would in any way prevent, hinder, or delay necessary action in coping with this disaster shall be suspended upon written approval of the Office of the Governor. However, to the extent that the enforcement of any state statute or administrative rule regarding contracting or procurement would impede any state agency's emergency response that is necessary to protect life or property threatened by this declared disaster, I hereby authorize the suspension of such statutes and rules for the duration of this declared disaster.
In accordance with the statutory requirements, copies of this proclamation shall be filed with the applicable authorities.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 30th day of May, 2023.
Greg Abbott, Governor
TRD-202301988