Posted on 05/28/2007 4:31:21 PM PDT by Baladas
AUSTIN, Texas -- Amid last-minute budget squabbles and uproarious rebellion against Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick, the Legislature stumbled toward the finish line Monday.
Entering the final day of a five-month legislative session, a few key bills remain in limbo, the result of an early morning protest staged by Craddick's foes. The speaker's opponents from both political parties have tried all weekend to oust him from power, with no success.
Dozens of angry House members who want Craddick to leave office walked out of the chamber in protest, bringing work to a halt.
"This man is sitting here violating every rule of the House, every rule of parliamentary procedure to keep himself in office, and it's wrong," said Rep. Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso.
Craddick has refused to allow the opposition to even bring up a motion for a vote to "vacate the chair." His office issued a statement early Monday denouncing those who want to have a speaker's race right now and urged lawmakers to get back to work on important bills.
The 140-day session must conclude by the end of the day Monday.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry made a similar pronouncement.
"The members of the Texas Legislature have not finished the people's work," Perry said. "Important legislation addressing our future water needs, border security, clean air, funding for parks and our future energy needs will die unless they are acted upon today."
Craddick gaveled the House to order Monday afternoon with no mention of the insurgency that erupted hours earlier. He said he planned to allow House members to try again to pass some of the lingering bills that were caught in the conflict.
Lawmakers did manage to approve the only bill they are legally required to pass -- the state budget, despite some 11th hour fights and threats in the Senate to filibuster the bill, or talk it to death. The House and Senate signed off late Sunday night and early Monday on a compromise $153 billion two-year spending plan.
The Senate got going Monday morning with the ceremonial job of selecting Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, as the new Senate president pro tempore.
Texas politics is fun to watch, it's so "tumultous".
Let’s not. That place sucks enough as is.
I’d rather have all that weirdness concentrated in Austin than spread out across the rest of the state.
Austin may be weird but it has the best economy in the state.
I’d rather have all that weirdness out of the state entirely. I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t the governmental center of the state.
You might be right, what with all the “tenured indoctinators” at UT, and all the “slip and fall” attorneys and lobbiests running around (unchecked) up there.
Rick Perry is a weird guy....
Now--some of you folks who really follow TX politics, can you explain to me what the problem with Craddick is? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Who's side should I be on?--LOL! I mainly follow national politics.
It would all depend on your point of view of course but since you asked here's mine.
Craddick is staunchly conservative - a problem for Democrats and the many RINOs currently serving in the house. Secondly, he has been there for a LONG time and knows where all the bodies are buried - A problem for many who would like us to forget their political underpinnings.
Every two years when the legislature comes into session, I always swear to myself that I'm going to pay attention this time---but it get boring doing that, so I lose interest and forget about it.
Yeah, but he’s very pro-guns. This year was an *AMAZING* success when it comes to gun freedoms here.
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