(Texas State of Representatives) – The timing of Governor Abbott’s special session agenda is nothing short of offensive.

Just five days after catastrophic floods began claiming lives across Central and West Texas – with hundreds dead or still missing – he released an 18-item agenda that buries disaster response beneath a mountain of partisan priorities.

While search teams pull bodies from floodwaters and families anxiously await news of their loved ones, the governor chose to focus on congressional redistricting schemes and culture war distractions.

Texans deserve better. They deserve leaders who are willing to set politics aside in times of tragedy. The special session should be singularly focused on flood response – saving lives, supporting grieving families and investing in the infrastructure needed to prevent future devastation

Redistricting can wait.

Let us find the missing. Let us bury the dead. Let us rebuild our communities with dignity and unity. That is the true call of public service: to put people before politics, especially in our darkest hours.

State Rep. Rhetta Bowers was elected to serve House District 113 in the Texas House of Representatives on Nov. 8, 2018. She made history elected as the first African American to represent this district. House District 113 includes parts of Rowlett, Garland and Mesquite.