Governor Abbott's Defunding of the Legislature is Dangerous to our Democracy
LWV Texas | Published on 6/20/2021
League of Women Voters President Grace Chimene issued the following statement in response to Governor Abbott’s defunding the Texas legislature by vetoing Article X of the new state budget.
Governor Abbott's defunding of the legislature is dangerous to our democracy and undermines the will of the people and the constitutional set of checks and balances upon which our government is built.
House legislators were doing their job, patriotically representing their constituents. The League of Women Voters is deeply concerned about the undemocratic action taken by Governor Abbott in retribution for not getting his way on an anti-voter bill. The Governor's action is a dangerous step away from democracy, shows complete disrespect to the voters of Texas, the staff who do the work of the government, and our system of checks and balances.
Of particular concern is the upcoming redistricting cycle, which is mandated by the U.S. and Texas Constitutions. The Legislative Council provides technical and legal support to the Texas Legislature during redistricting; and by defunding this nonpartisan agency, the Governor has jeopardized the Legislature’s ability to produce new district maps. This threatens our democracy. The census report comes out in August and a special session on redistricting is planned for early fall. Elected officials will now have to create maps without expert legal and technical assistance. The power of our votes is determined by how district maps are written.
Our government and the people of Texas rely on the staff of these and other legislative offices to do the necessary work of our democracy.
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Legislative office staff - Each legislator’s staff works hard to meet the needs of the public their legislators serve.
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The Legislative Budget Board- This agency develops budget and policy recommendations for legislative appropriations, completes fiscal analyses for proposed legislation, and conducts evaluations and reviews to improve the efficiency and performance of state and local operations.
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The Legislative Council - The Texas Legislative Council is a nonpartisan legislative agency that serves as a source of impartial research and information and provides technical and legal support to the Texas Legislature for redistricting. Its staff assists legislators in drafting and analyzing proposed legislation and obtaining information on specific legislative problems and on matters affecting the general welfare of the state. Council staff also handles the printing, processing, and distribution of legislative documents and provides computer support to the legislature and all of the other legislative agencies.
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The Sunset Advisory Commission - Their mission is to enhance government accountability to the Legislature and people of Texas by objectively evaluating the need for and value of state programs and services.
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The State Auditor - Their mission is to improve government accountability by investigating allegations of illegal acts and improprieties involving any entity that receives funds from the state.