On the floor of the House of Representatives, everything is calm. Staffers have been taking photos, legislators have been approving corrections, and resolutions are being passed amicably.
But under the surface, there’s rumors of negotiations and discussions. The widely-held suspicion is that the Democrats will provide the necessary votes to suspend the rules so that House Bill 1959 (the Sunset safety net bill) can come to the floor, but the quid pro quo is that Senate Bill 2080 (which now contains CHIP expansion) gets its day on the floor.
So there’s been some serious horsetrading going on. As Rep. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, put it, how much is a pound of horseflesh? “About $1.85. I think we worked that out last night.”
But as the close of the day draws close, the rumor is increasing that there may be no deal to be done. When asked a few minutes ago, House Democratic Caucus Leader Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, said, “We’re done” and discounted the idea of a special session. Speaker Pro Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, is talking to groups of legislators, and there are three rival rumors around. First, that the House will just suspend all rules to pass HB 1959 and get this done: Second, that the Sunset Safety Net will be converted into resolutions: Third: that some kind of fix is in the offing via the governor’s office to get round the Sunset edicts, like taking two years to wind the agencies down and just deal with them next session. Whatever happens, the next half hour could be the most vital.
This article appears in May 29 • 2009.
