First, the facts, in chronological order:
1. The Texas state legislature meets every two years, in January of odd-numbered years, for a regular session that is limited to 140 calendar days.
2. In 2013, during their regular bi-annual session, a restrictive abortion bill was presented in committee, but didn't make it beyond that point--the full legislature never took up the bill. Under Texas law, this should have killed the bill.
3. Another bill, this one dealing with transportation, was presented to the full legislature, and was still being debated when the scheduled session ended. A vote was never taken.
4. Gov. Rick Perry (R) called a special session of the legislature in order to finish the necessary business of the transportation bill.
5. Near the end of the 30 day special session, while the transportation bill was still being debated, Gov. Perry, who is the only person who can call a special session and is solely responsible for its agenda, added the abortion bill to the docket and pushed it to the forefront of business to be decided.
6. By this time, everyone knows of Texas State Senator Wendy Davis' solo filibuster that stopped her state from passing the new abortion law in the last minutes of the special session.
7. Undeterred, Gov. Perry called a second special session in order to take up the business of the abortion bill. At the end of this special session, the abortion bill passed.
8. Gov. Perry has now called a THIRD special session, this time to finally take up the transportation bill that was scheduled to be voted on during the first special session.
what eye thynk: Now we get to the really ludicrous part. So far, these special sessions have cost Texas taxpayers $2.4 Million. Texas State Representative Giovanni Capriglione (R) told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he believes Wendy Davis (D) should reimburse the state for the cost.
"I am upset at the cost. I think we need to remember why we are having this extra special session. One state senator, in an effort to capture national attention, forced this special session. I firmly believe that Sen. Wendy Davis should reimburse the taxpayers for the entire cost."
Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows this is never going to happen. But by giving voice to this ridiculous idea, Mr. Gapriglione did get to tack a few seconds onto his personal 15 minutes of fame with the added bonus of getting in a final dig at the losing side in the abortion debate.
A main fact that seems to be forgotten here is that the abortion bill died in committee during their regular special legislative session. According to Texas state law, it should never have been brought up in special session in the first place. Had Texas law been followed, the transportation bill would have been decided in the first special session, and the second and third sessions would never have been called.
Maybe Gov. Perry should volunteer to pony up the price instead?
No comments:
Post a Comment