Texas Republican Urges Abbott to Curb Governor's Emergency Powers Before Hinojosa Takes Office

A Texas Republican lawmaker is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to restrict the governor's emergency powers before Democrat Gina Hinojosa takes office on January 19 ¹². State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, made the request in a November 4 letter to Abbott that he also posted on X, where it received 3.7 million views ¹.

Hinojosa unseated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on November 3, becoming the first Democratic governor in office since Ann Richards left office in 1995 and the first Latina to hold the office ¹². Democrats also won every other statewide office, including lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller ¹².

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What Harrison wants

Harrison's proposal would prohibit governors from suspending or modifying statutes, require emergency orders to expire after 30 days unless the Legislature approves them, and allow expedited court review of emergency orders ¹. He authored House Bill 911, a similar proposal, and in 2022 authored a bill on the issue that did not move forward ¹².

The dispute centers on the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, which gives governors broad authority during declared disasters, including issuing executive orders with the force of law and suspending certain regulations ¹. Harrison argues those powers amount to "effectively all the powers of a dictator" ¹.

From Channel GOPHinojosa lists what Greg Abbott's Texas leads inGina Hinojosa · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named

The Democrats may well have won the election Tuesday night, but the inauguration wasn't Tuesday night.

Harrison told Newsweek his push is not political and that he made the same demand when Abbott won re-election four years ago ¹. He said the issue is now urgent because a Democrat is preparing to take the office ¹.

You know, they don't get sworn until next year. Greg Abbott is still the governor of Texas. Republicans still control the Texas government, and we need to act like it.

Democrats push back

Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson, a Democrat, told Newsweek he agrees the governor's emergency powers should be constrained but opposes doing it through a special session before January ¹. Johnson said he has filed legislation on the issue and would apply the same principles to a governor of either party ¹.

A special session is the wrong way to address an issue that Rep. Harrison and I agree should be addressed.

Johnson also told FOX 4 that Harrison's approach is "irresponsible" and could damage the Republican Party's reputation ². The Quorum Report cited sources saying Texas Senate Republicans were meeting Wednesday to discuss stripping newly elected Lt. Gov. Vikki Goodwin of legislative powers ².

What happens next

Only the governor can convene a special session and set the subjects lawmakers may consider ¹. Abbott has not publicly indicated whether he will call one on emergency powers, and Harrison said he has contacted the governor's office and is waiting for a response ¹.

Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, told Newsweek that a special session on the issue is possible but "seems pretty unlikely" ¹. He warned Republicans risk appearing to disregard the message voters sent ¹.

That matters because the maneuver would test whether a lame-duck majority can shrink the office it just lost before the new governor is sworn in. Harrison said that if no special session occurs, he will keep pursuing the issue after Democrats take power ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Democrat Gina Hinojosa unseats three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott; Democrats also win lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller ¹².
2. Nov 4, 2026State Rep. Brian Harrison sends Abbott a letter, posted on X and viewed 3.7 million times, urging a special session to limit the governor's emergency powers ¹.
3. Jan 19, 2027Hinojosa is scheduled to be sworn in as Texas governor ¹².

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<h2>Texas Republican Urges Abbott to Curb Governor&#39;s Emergency Powers Before Hinojosa Takes Office</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/texas-republican-urges-abbott-to-curb-governor-s-emergency-powers-before-hinojosa">The GOP Files</a> on Thursday, November 5, 2026.</em></p> <p>A Texas Republican lawmaker is urging Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session to restrict the governor&#39;s emergency powers before Democrat Gina Hinojosa takes office on January 19 . State Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, made the request in a November 4 letter to Abbott that he also posted on X, where it received 3.7 million views .</p> <p>Hinojosa unseated three-term Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on November 3, becoming the first Democratic governor in office since Ann Richards left office in 1995 and the first Latina to hold the office . Democrats also won every other statewide office, including lieutenant governor, attorney general and comptroller .</p> <h2>What Harrison wants</h2> <p>Harrison&#39;s proposal would prohibit governors from suspending or modifying statutes, require emergency orders to expire after 30 days unless the Legislature approves them, and allow expedited court review of emergency orders . He authored House Bill 911, a similar proposal, and in 2022 authored a bill on the issue that did not move forward .</p> <p>The dispute centers on the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, which gives governors broad authority during declared disasters, including issuing executive orders with the force of law and suspending certain regulations . Harrison argues those powers amount to &quot;effectively all the powers of a dictator&quot; .</p> <blockquote><p>The Democrats may well have won the election Tuesday night, but the inauguration wasn&#39;t Tuesday night.</p><p>&mdash; Brian Harrison, Texas state representative, Republican</p></blockquote> <p>Harrison told Newsweek his push is not political and that he made the same demand when Abbott won re-election four years ago . He said the issue is now urgent because a Democrat is preparing to take the office .</p> <blockquote><p>You know, they don&#39;t get sworn until next year. Greg Abbott is still the governor of Texas. Republicans still control the Texas government, and we need to act like it.</p><p>&mdash; Brian Harrison, Texas state representative, Republican</p></blockquote> <h2>Democrats push back</h2> <p>Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson, a Democrat, told Newsweek he agrees the governor&#39;s emergency powers should be constrained but opposes doing it through a special session before January . Johnson said he has filed legislation on the issue and would apply the same principles to a governor of either party .</p> <blockquote><p>A special session is the wrong way to address an issue that Rep. Harrison and I agree should be addressed.</p><p>&mdash; Nathan Johnson, Texas attorney general-elect, Democrat</p></blockquote> <p>Johnson also told FOX 4 that Harrison&#39;s approach is &quot;irresponsible&quot; and could damage the Republican Party&#39;s reputation . The Quorum Report cited sources saying Texas Senate Republicans were meeting Wednesday to discuss stripping newly elected Lt. Gov. Vikki Goodwin of legislative powers .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Only the governor can convene a special session and set the subjects lawmakers may consider . Abbott has not publicly indicated whether he will call one on emergency powers, and Harrison said he has contacted the governor&#39;s office and is waiting for a response .</p> <p>Joshua Blank, research director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, told Newsweek that a special session on the issue is possible but &quot;seems pretty unlikely&quot; . He warned Republicans risk appearing to disregard the message voters sent .</p> <p>That matters because the maneuver would test whether a lame-duck majority can shrink the office it just lost before the new governor is sworn in. Harrison said that if no special session occurs, he will keep pursuing the issue after Democrats take power .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/texas-republican-urges-abbott-to-curb-governor-s-emergency-powers-before-hinojosa">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/texas-republican-urges-abbott-to-curb-governor-s-emergency-powers-before-hinojosa.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. Newsweek, “GOP Lawmaker Seeks Limits on Texas Governor Before Hinojosa Takes Office” (2026-11-06). newsweek.com/brian-harrison-gina-hinojosa-emergency-powers-1
2. FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth, “Republican lawmaker suggests Abbott strip governor's emergency powers before Hinojosa takes office | FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth” (2026-11-04). fox4news.com/news/republican-lawmaker-suggests-abbott-strip-

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