Chairman Smithee: Germane is the name of the game

At the moment, there are 467 House Bills back from the Senate and heading to the House floor. An estimated 210 of them have major amendments that require consideration. How many of them may have a germaneness issue?

“Most of them,” said House Insurance Committee Chair John Smithee, R-Amarillo, glumly.

The problem is that if an amendment isn’t germane, it’s open to being killed by a single member on a point of order, taking it, the bill it’s attached to, and any other bill using it as a vehicle down in flames. Last night, CHIP went back to the Senate to get that problem fixed by finding a new germane vehicle. Now it’s looking like there are similar problems with the Texas Department of Insurance Sunset Bill and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Agency reform bill. There may even be trouble finding and protecting a safety net bill to shove them through under the wire, if one can be found.

This article appears in May 29 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.