The Texas Senate on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, received a message from Governor Greg Abbott presenting subjects for the 80th Texas Legislature’s second called session — including legislation to prohibit same‑day voter registration, to authorize contracts with sheriffs and constables for law enforcement services, and to allow appropriation or transfer of funds to or from a law enforcement agency — and the Senate approved a series of rule suspensions to permit committee hearings on related bills.

The message, read on the Senate floor by the Secretary, cites the governor’s authority under Article 3, Section 40, and Article 4, Section 8A of the Texas Constitution and said the proclamation was issued Aug. 15, 2025. The Senate did not debate the substance of the subjects during the floor reading; members moved to permit committee action and scheduling.

Senator Hughes moved to suspend several rules to permit immediate public hearings in the Betty King Committee Room on Senate Bill 19 (Bettencourt), Senate Bill 53 (Hughes), Senate Bill 54 (Hughes) and House Bill 16 (Leach). The motion was adopted with no objection on the floor, allowing the Committee on State Affairs to consider those measures immediately upon recess.

Senator Perry moved to waive the 24‑hour posting requirement so the Senate Select Committee on Disaster Preparedness and Flooding could hear HB1, HB3 and HB27 on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, at 8 a.m. in Room E1012. That motion was adopted with no objection.

Senator Bettencourt moved to suspend the 24‑hour posting rule so the Senate Committee on Local Government could meet Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 4:30 p.m. to consider HB17 (Representative Myers, Senate sponsor Bettencourt) and HB23 (Representative Harless, sponsor Bettencourt). The motion was adopted with no objection; the senator said the committee would meet in the room above the Senate chamber as announced on the floor.

Separately, the Dean of the Senate moved to excuse Senator Eckhart for important family business and later to excuse Senators Miles and West for important business; both motions were adopted without objection. The Senate also dispensed with the reading of yesterday’s journal and recessed until 5:15 p.m.

The actions on Tuesday were procedural: the governor’s message set the special‑session subjects, and the Senate used unanimous‑consent and rules suspensions to schedule committee consideration of bills tied to those subjects. No floor debate on the merits of the governor’s proposals was recorded in the transcript of the reading and scheduling actions.