A Sunday night filibuster in the Senate has prevented the Regular Session from concluding its business today as scheduled. It looks like a Special Session may be called, for as early as Tuesday. The governor determines the topics that are subject to consideration.
In Special Sessions, the topics tend to grow beyond the original intent.
It's possible that the Legislature can wrap up today, but unlikely since school finance remains in play. The backlog of bills remains formidable, including a number of measures that pertain to community and technical colleges.
Some Capitol observers are predicting a long summer, while others say any Special Session will be brief. When it's safe to conclude the work of the 2011 Legislature is concluded, the TCCTA blog will undertake an assessment of its results.
Here's the take of Mike Ward and Kate Alexander of the Austin American-Statesman:
Gov. Rick Perry was ready to call lawmakers back Tuesday for a special legislative session to deal with the budget issues, a spokesman said Sunday night.
SB 1811 is essential to balancing the 2012-13 budget that both chambers approved Saturday night and sent to Gov. Rick Perry’s desk.
The bill frees up $3.7 billion, mostly by bumping a school payment into the next budget. It also enacts significant changes to the school finance law that are required if schools are to be funded over the next two years.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said that the only hope for SB 1811 is to get 25 votes on Monday — four-fifths of the house — to bring the bill up for passage.
“There are only 19 Republicans in the Senate,” he said, when asked what the chance of a Monday vote like that would be.
Without the school finance change in SB 1811, the $37 billion appropriation in the state budget for public school aid would be void, and the Legislature would have to return for a special session.
The budget passed by both chambers Saturday night will not need to be reconsidered even though SB 1811 has gone down. There is money enough to balance the budget without the anticipated $3.5 billion in revenue because wiping out school appropriation frees up $37 billion. Under the Texas Constitution, the state budget must be balanced.
Already, a short special session was expected sometime this summer — to deal with the overhaul of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association and perhaps the redrawing of congressional district maps.
But Perry would keep lawmakers in Austin this week to deal with the big-ticket item, spokesman Mark Miner said.
Comments