Editor's note: This story was originally published May 29, 2017, after a fraught legislative session marked by attempts to pass a controversial "bathroom bill" and the passage of a ban on "sanctuary cities." We're republishing it this weekend to compare with this year, which has been decidedly less dramatic as lawmakers focused on property tax and school finance legislation. You can follow our updates and stories from Austin this weekend at our state politics coverage site, the Texas Tracker.

AUSTIN — Lawmakers threatened to shoot and beat one another up on the final day of a legislative session beset by angry fights and emotional outbursts that often got in the way of completing their agenda.

"Our nerves are frayed. It's the last day of a long session," said Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Frisco. "We just want to go home."

The final gavels dropped in the Texas House and Senate on Monday, marking the close of the 140-day biennial legislative session. Much like the days that came before, the final hours were filled with bitter exchanges over immigration, threats of a special legislative session and the state's top GOP leaders pointing the finger at one another for failing to finish their work on time.

Gov. Greg Abbott started off the final day at a news conference down the street from the Capitol, where he told reporters he would announce this week whether he will convene a special session.

Lawmakers failed to approve a must-pass bill that would keep important state agencies, including one that licenses doctors, up and running. Amid stormy relations between the state's top Republican leaders, two other measures Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick promoted also failed to pass: a property tax bill and a measure that would restrict bathroom use for transgender Texans.

Patrick, the outspoken leader of the Senate and the loudest supporter of the bathroom and tax bills, has been clamoring for Abbott to call a special session to force lawmakers to pass his priorities. The Texas House, under Speaker Joe Straus, has rejected both of his proposals.

On Monday, Patrick said those issues remain "must-pass" legislation, blaming the House for failing to advance the bills.

"Unfortunately this means that Texans will continue to suffer a high property tax burden," he said in a written statement. "The House also ignored the need to establish privacy regulations for schools and other local entities, ensuring that our state will continue to be embroiled in this issue in local communities and school restrooms, locker rooms and showers."

Straus has said the bathroom bill is a potential economy killer, and House leaders oppose the tax measures Patrick wants.

"The results of this session are going to make a real difference in Texans' lives," Straus said Monday in a prepared statement. "The House prioritized issues such as protecting children from abuse and improving mental health care, and we accomplished what we set out to accomplish."

Abbott's view

Abbott made clear on Monday that Patrick will not cajole him into calling a special session. In the past, Abbott has been reluctant to do so, insisting that voters expect lawmakers to finish their work on time.

"We will be, if we have a special session, convening only on the topics that I choose at the time of my choosing," Abbott said.

Shortly after Abbott's announcement, just as House lawmakers convened for the final day -- a day usually reserved for celebration and fond farewells -- chanting immigrants' rights protesters flooded into the House chamber.

They were protesting Senate Bill 4, Texas' new ban on sanctuary cities, which will punish local governments that fail to enforce federal immigration laws starting Sept. 1. Opponents say it will lead to racial profiling of Latinos, separation of families and fear in immigrant communities. Supporters of the law say it will keep criminals off the street.

As the protesters chanted,"Hey, hey, ho, ho, SB 4 has got to go," House Democratic Latino lawmakers, who had fought hard to kill the bill, waved and encouraged the demonstrators.

Lawmakers scuffle

Reps. Ramon Romero and Cesar Blanco said Rep. Matt Rinaldi, a staunchly conservative Republican from Irving and ardent supporter of the anti-immigration legislation, approached them. Rinaldi told them he had called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report the protesters, many of whom were Hispanic.

The Democrats were infuriated. A shoving match and threats of violence ensued. Rinaldi said Rep. Poncho Nevarez, a Democrat from Eagle Pass, threatened to "get me on the way to my car." Rep. Justin Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, said he heard Rinaldi warn Nevarez that he would "put a bullet in your head."

Rinaldi issued a statement that said he threatened to shoot Nevarez in self-defense only after the Democrat threatened him. The Republican said he was under Department of Public Safety protection following the kerfuffle.

The fight capped off a lawmaking session marked by heated skirmishes, including a divisive and tearful debate over SB 4 in the House that left legislators with deep, personal wounds that evidently have yet to heal.

"This session has been very, very difficult," said Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin. "There was a time when respect and decorum ruled the day."

Not least among those altercations has been a session-long intraparty battle between Patrick, the tea party firebrand who leads the Senate, and moderate House Speaker Straus. The battle reached a fever pitch as the legislative session came to an end this weekend, with Patrick and Republican House leaders holding dueling news conferences to blame the other for not finishing critical state work and potentially triggering an expensive special legislative session.

A special session, which could last up to 30 days, could cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on how long lawmakers take to reach an agreement. In 2013, PolitiFact Texas estimated a one-month special session could cost $716,100 to $819,000 in lawmaker and staff per diems alone. That doesn't include other costs related to continued use of the state Capitol.