Latest Senate update: In floor session, the Democrats briefly tagged the voter ID bill (meaning it would have been delayed for 48 hours), but then withdrew the motion. (CORRECTION: THE TAG WAS NOT WITHDRAWN. Van de Putte tells me it could delay the committee hearing from happening for 48 hours, but “The Republicans will probably find a way to roll us” and get around the tag.) It wasn’t entirely clear whether they even had the power to tag the bill anyway, since the bill is to be discussed by a “committee of the whole” later today and not being debated in an actual floor debate.
The Democrats are currently grilling Robert Duncan, who will chair the committee, on what the committee rules will be. They want to know why Attorney General Greg Abbott won’t testify. Duncan says he’s worried about the AG testifying on the bill if he would later have to defend “the people of Texas” in lawsuits if the bill becomes law. Leticia Van de Putte notes that Abbott’s office gave committee testimony on voter ID issues last year. Duncan replies that he doesn’t have the power to compel Abbott to testify; Royce West is currently challenging him on that.
Said van de Putte to Duncan: “I’d like to think that we’re past discrimination, but the fact that we have to debate voter ID tells me we’re not there yet.”
This article appears in March 6 • 2009.