Immigration battle: A Kodak moment
It's a rather slow day on the House floor bec the reps are doing their Local-and-Consent calendar, which is for bills that have no objectors.
So I was really hoping to see a near-brawl (or an actual brawl, who are we kidding) when I stepped into the little press conference room off the House floor and saw Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, and House State Affairs Chairman David Swinford within a few feet of each other, doing TV interviews and acting like the other one wasn't there.
Berman is trying like crazy to pass a bill challenging "birthright citizenship" and Swinford has just announced that he plans to kill it.
On one side - Berman: "We want our day in court."
A yard away, at the same moment, Swinford (paraphrased): We don't want to go to court.
I waited for the fisticuffs, or even a reallly good frowning, to break out between the two. Never happened.
Sounds like the guys need to take a lesson from the ladies of the House. It's gonna be a long session if ya'll keep being civil to each other.
/Wait, where am I??
Comments
When the status of a HB states "Committee report sent to Calendars", does it mean this "Local-and-Consent calendar (for bills that have no objectors)"?
Posted by: Karen Collins | March 28, 2007 12:59 PM
Karen (Collins):
Sent to Calendars means sent to the House Calendars Committee, who choose which bills to place on the House Daily or Supplemental calendar.
http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/process_housecal.html
The Local & Consent calendar is actually set by the (you guessed it!) Local & Consent Calendar Committee.
http://www.tlc.state.tx.us/gtli/legproc/process_locbills.html
Posted by: mike | March 29, 2007 9:41 PM