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The Texas state House Appropriations Committee on Friday voted unanimously to bring a bill to the floor that would reinstate the funding for the Texas Legislature, the Texas Tribune reports.
Driving the news: The bipartisan vote, 21-0, represents the first step Texas legislators have made in order to restore the funding that Gov. Greg Abbott (R) vetoed last month to punish Democratic lawmakers who staged a walkout to stop a GOP-backed voting reform bill from passing.
- Abbott's veto affected the paychecks of state lawmakers, but also affected that of staff members and the budget of legislative agencies.
- State Democrats are still awaiting a ruling from the state Supreme Court on a lawsuit they filed to revert the veto, which they argue is unconstitutional.
State of play: Lawmakers said that the funding measure was identical to the one they had worked out originally, per the Tribune.
The big picture: The vote is part of the state legislature's special session that started this week in which lawmakers plan to consider a number of conservative priorities, including new, restrictive voting bills.