Gardner Selby is reporting that Gov. Rick Perry is suggesting an immediate special session in June should the legislature not pass the most important issue facing Texas. Interestingly, that important issue is not Voter ID or Handguns on Campuses.
Gov. Rick Perry told legislators this afternoon he could call a special session immediately after the regular session ends June 1 to work on a plan patching up the fund that provides windstorm insurance coverage to property-owners in 14 coastal counties and a sliver of Harris County.
Though Perry's office didn't confirm Perry's remarks, Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, said the prospect of an immediate special session was one thrust of Perry's remarks to members of the House and Senate...
 Here's some advice to Gov. Perry and the legislature. If you feel that fixing the issues related to windstorm insurance are so important (and brought into clearer need because of Hurricanes last season), then why are you having the legislature waste it's time killing time and bills with debate over bills that solve any actual existing problems from Voter ID and Guns on Campus?
After all, the Voter ID bill that no one wants, is now being faced with threats from House Democrats that it could inspire the return of a quorum bust.
Asked to specify what he meant by "protect," Dunnam didn't elaborate, though there's speculation that members dead-set against the ID proposal could leave the House chamber when it comes up, potentially depriving the 150-member body of the quorum needed to take action. Such a move could prove riotous and endanger other Senate measures, which under House rules must be considered by the House by the end of the day Tuesday to survive.
Come on Rick Perry- lead. Or don't. And this session, for all the praise of change with a new speaker, will be just as much a failure of leadership as it was under Craddick.
Time to prioritize.
Update: Looks like legislators' desire to get the hell out of town and not come back to a special session is strong. From Quorum Report...
Hot on the heels of a gubernatorial promise to call a special session if lawmakers can't pass a windstorm bill this session, the House Insurance Committee passed out a much worked over compromise version of legislation propping up the state's windstorm insurer of last resort.
Coastal and inland interests both said today that they could find many things in the bill that need modification but they agreed that the process needs to move forward. The windstorm bill must somehow find a place on the House Calendar sometime before the Tuesday deadline for Senate bills at the same time that the remaining big pieces of legislation are all getting pushed further and further back toward the weekend.
Let's which bill shoves the others to the back of the line now... |
