Today at 11:59 p.m. the first special session of the Texas Legislature will come to an end. Governor Abbott has called the second special session to begin at noon on Saturday. The agenda has 17 items on it. Abbott is making good on his promise to keep calling special sessions until the legislators finish their job.

The current special session has been stalled for three weeks. The House Democrats ran away to D.C. to break quorum. We know the rest of the story – they have accomplished nothing but embarrassing moments on social media and photo ops with some national Democrats, but not the Big Guy. He’s not clearing his schedule to have them over to the White House for coffee and conversation. A couple of the state legislators even left their colleagues in D.C. and flew to Portugal for more summer vacation time. Some House members said they intended to return to Texas this weekend but the immediate call for the second special session to begin on Saturday may change their plans.

Will the runaway Texas Democrats return to Austin by noon on Saturday? The Republicans who have stayed and continued working in Austin are urging them to return. Democrats are keeping quiet to keep the mystery alive. It’s all theatrics, you know. The Democrats admit they are in the minority and resistance is futile as far as passing election integrity reform goes. It will happen. That is why they fled to D.C. in hopes of moving Congress to pass the For the People Act and secure a permanent Democrat majority in elections. They want to federalize elections and overrun state rights.

“We call on the Texas Democrats to put an end to their domestic and global jet-setting, return to Texas and do the job they were elected to do,” said state Rep. Jim Murphy, R-Houston and the chair of the House Republican Caucus.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, would not discuss the caucus’ next steps for fear of tipping off Abbott and other Republicans.

“The determination to fight is there,” she said. “So I know we will do everything in our power again to protect the freedom to vote. But ultimately, we are in the minority in Texas, and we urgently need Congress to act.”

The governor’s agenda carries over the unfinished business of the first special session and adds other important items, like the distribution of federal COVID relief funds.

“I will continue to call special session after special session to reform our broken bail system, uphold election integrity and pass other important items that Texans demand and deserve,” Abbott said as he announced the agenda. “Passing these special session agenda items will chart a course towards a stronger and brighter future for the Lone Star State.”

There are 17 agenda items on the governor’s new call, which largely mirror the list for the current special session, which began July 8. They include a host of bills that missed deadlines in May, including GOP-led measures to expand the use of cash bail and to bar transgender student-athletes from competing on sports teams aligning with their gender identity.

The charge features some legislation with bipartisan support, including a 13th check for retired teachers and required dating violence prevention lessons for middle and high school students.

The new session will also give lawmakers another chance to restore Article X funding, the portion of the state budget that finances the legislative branch and that Abbott vetoed in June. The move was punishment for House Democrats’ first walkout, at the end of the regular session, which was done to kill an earlier version of the elections bill.

The Texas Senate has maintained a quorum during the three weeks the House Democrats have been gone. Some Democrats chose to remain in Austin and work with the Republican majority.

One new item on the agenda ensures that masks and vaccinations are not mandatory in schools (Abbott has already signed an executive action on that) and ensures that “in-person learning is available for any student whose parent wants it.” Passage of that legislation would be welcome for a majority of Texas parents as they prepare for the new school year to begin soon.

Now, all we do is wait and see if the Democrats show up and decide to do their jobs.