House coup: The Drumbeat Picks up the Pace
(Updating continually at bottom...)
If the coup happens and the House decides to vacate the speaker's chair and elect a new one before we close the session out on Monday, two resolutions governing how the replacement would be elected are now officially in the hopper.
Rep. Todd Smith, R-Euless, filed HR 2669 and HR 2671, laying out two possible scenarios - a secret ballot, or an open, paper ballot.
Hello, test vote.
For multiple candidates - and I think that number is up to, like, 112 - the winner would take the chair with a majority of votes, not just the highest number plurality.
Hello, 61 percent.
So with five candidates and no majority on the first pass, the lowest vote-getter would drop from the list, they'd vote again, and again, until someone gets a majority.
A question I havent gotten answered yet is, how does the resolution get to the floor? Does R&R Chair Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, have to let it out of her committee? Will she? There are other resolutions that haven't made it out yet - like one to impeach Bush, just as an example.
Can't imagine why that hasn't made it to the floor of the Texas House.
Anyway. The drumbeat plays on.
*UPDATE* Yes, the rules can be suspended to take it up without it getting out of committee. Without objection, that usually breezes through. But what of the vote?
*UPDATE* As we suspected, but didn't want to put into print before we knew (because that would be wrong and irresponsible ... oh wait, see above... ), it would take a 2/3 vote to suspend the rules and bring it up on the floor.
But I guess they could do that *after* they had figured out how to win the motion to vacate.
We'll keep this dialogue going. It's starting to feel like a live-blog. Mainly because I'm too busy on a story to stop long enough and do all this in one fell swoop.
Comments
You can suspend the rules and take it up even if it hasnt been passed out of committee.
Posted by: Insurgency | May 24, 2007 3:53 PM
Does the speaker have to recognize a member to make the motion to suspend the rules?
Posted by: Anonymous | May 24, 2007 4:20 PM
Because the motion to vacate is a privileged motion that takes precedence over any other motion besides the motion to adjourn, that would happen first. If that motion is successful, then there is no reason that a motion to call up one of the resolutions would not be recognized.
In fact, it would have to be recognized, because a vacant chair means that there are no longer any rules. And the first order of business, when there is no chair, is to elect one, which requires a set of rules.
Posted by: coup d'etat | May 25, 2007 9:06 AM
There is no drumbeat. It is a calculated effort by Bryan Eppstein and a few members he consults.
Posted by: P. | May 25, 2007 10:28 AM