May 28th, 2009 - 6:32 pm by Jenny Hoff · 3 Comments
Good news for lawmakers: the governor seems confident there will not be a special session. Today, he said if members would get to work, they can accomplish the “work of the people.”
As for his schedule over the next four days: he’s heading to a fundraiser with Rush Limbaugh tonight and he called this weekend his “baseball weekend.”
When asked if this was the right time for travel, he said four days is plenty of time to get the work of the people done.
May 27th, 2009 - 11:50 pm by Jenny Hoff · 2 Comments
The country club chamber doesn’t adhere to the same rules as the “people’s house.” Hundreds of bills died when the clock struck midnight in the House on Tuesday.
The Senate decided to ignore that little deadline tonight by simply unplugging the clocks two minutes before midnight. I guess we found the answer to eternal youth and somehow I’m spending mine hunched over a computer on the Senate floor.
May 27th, 2009 - 3:33 pm by Jenny Hoff · No Comments
It looks like the showdown in the House didn’t deter Straus for looking at another run for Speaker. After several meetings House members last night and pow-wows in the back room, Straus filed the papers for Speaker this morning. In an impromptu interview, Straus said he believes he’ll be elected Speaker again or he wouldn’t have filed. As far as his characterization of the his term as leader of the House, he said “it’s not over yet.”
May 26th, 2009 - 8:21 pm by Jenny Hoff · No Comments
House Democrats have finally let up on the chubbing and they’re hoping to get through local and consent in time to bring up the unemployment insurance bill that was tabled before the chubbing began. However, Republicans will have none of it. They are the ones who are now asking questions to run out the clock.
“We didn’t go through all of this just to give them a bill that we don’t want,” said one Republican lawmaker.
May 26th, 2009 - 11:24 am by Jenny Hoff · No Comments
In a personal privilege speech, Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, told lawmakers this morning he would continue stalling in order to prevent a vote on voter ID. Holding up a poll tax receipt owned by his father, Raymond said he could not stand by and see history repeat itself. He’s prepared to question every local and consent bill for the allotted time, 9 1/2 minutes.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dunnam says he has a point of order that will kill voter ID on a technical point. He says he’s waiting for the Speaker to come out of “hiding” so he can present the info to him and see if the Speaker will make voter ID ineligible.
May 25th, 2009 - 7:10 pm by Jenny Hoff · No Comments
As we wind down the debate over the top 10% rule, it seems some lawmakers just can’t get enough. After 8 hours of debate just today on this issue, representatives are giving their “closing remarks” at the podium. Meanwhile, the deadline to pass major bills in the House is midnight Tuesday - just about 28 hours from now.
The House changed the bill dramatically. It came in as allowing all state universities to cap the number of students it admits under the top 10% rule at 60% of their student body. After the House did its work, the bill only allows UT to cap its top 10% students at 75% of the student body. If the entire debate is putting you asleep…you’re not alone:
May 25th, 2009 - 1:24 pm by Jenny Hoff · 4 Comments
I was just handed a pamphlet of information that relates the history of the legislature’s actions when it comes voting requirements. According the text, the Legislature passed a law in 1997 requiring voters show an alternative form of identification at the polls if they don’t have their registration card (before that, there was no such requirement).
The points highlighted in this document:
It was co-authored by a Democrat
No one testified against the bill in committee
The TX Democratic Party testified in favor of the bill
May 25th, 2009 - 1:10 pm by Jenny Hoff · 2 Comments
So far this session, the Senate has passed 1,187 of their own bills. Of those bills, the House has passed 220. That means there is a long list of Senate bills waiting in line that still need final approval and Senators are starting to sweat the fate of them.
May 23rd, 2009 - 1:32 pm by Jenny Hoff · 2 Comments
Although the House floor is virtually empty due to the incessant chubbing, one lawmaker is staying in the loop. Rep. Mike Hamilton said Rep. Kuempel is watching the proceedings from his hospital room. This morning Hamilton had to lay out one of Kuempel’s local and consent bills and Kuempel called him and told him “don’t screw it up. Just read the script.”
May 22nd, 2009 - 3:44 pm by Jenny Hoff · 9 Comments
On Thursday the House passed no bills on second reading. Today, they aren’t even finished with the local and consent calendar (which usually takes about an hour to get through). The Dems weren’t joking when they said they would do everything in their power to make sure voter ID doesn’t make it to the floor for debate. The voter ID bill (already passed by the Senate) is scheduled for debate tomorrow. However, at this rate, there will be so many other bills that have been put on hold they may not get to it until its too late.
Rep. Castro told me we would see all types of strategic moves today, otherwise known as “chubbing,” and apparently he wasn’t exaggerating.