Texas state legislature meets for 9 seconds in first Saturday session – Washington Examiner
The Texas House of Representatives convened for a remarkably brief session lasting only 8.8 seconds during their inaugural Saturday session of the legislative term. Speaker Dustin Burrows announced that a quorum, which requires at least 100 members to be present, was not achieved. This follows a similar situation from a session the previous day, where verification revealed that the quorum was also absent despite earlier affirmations. Representative Brian Harrison, who called for the verification, criticized Burrows for allegedly attempting to avoid accountability on republican priorities. the Texas House has been less productive in the current legislative session compared to the last, passing only five bills as opposed to thirteen during the previous session. Meanwhile, the texas Senate reported substantially higher activity, having passed 94 bills this session. As Speaker, Burrows faced delays in organizing commitee assignments and bill referrals, contributing to the House’s slow pace.
Texas state legislature meets for 8.8 seconds in first Saturday session
The Texas House met for just under nine seconds in its first Saturday session of the legislative term.
During those 8.8 seconds, Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican, announced that a quorum, the minimum number of members needed to work, was not present. The quorum in the Texas House is 100 members.
The Friday session also did not meet the quorum.
Burrows had announced that a quorum was present, but Republican State Rep. Brian Harrison called for a verification of attendance and found it short of the requirement.
“I’m very proud to have objected [Friday] and to require strict enforcement,” Harrison said. “Speaker Burrows is conducting what I call ‘operation run out the clock’ because he is trying to run the clock out on Republican priorities that he doesn’t want to be blamed for killing.”
The Texas House has been slow-moving this legislative session compared to the previous session. The lower chamber has passed five bills and joint resolutions out of committee, a decrease from the 13 bills and joint resolutions that passed out of committee two years ago.
Meanwhile, the Texas Senate passed 94 bills and joint resolutions in this year’s legislative session.
Former Speaker Dade Phelan, also a Republican, dropped his bid for a third term amid disagreements within the Texas GOP.
JAMES HO, THE 5TH CIRCUIT ORIGINALIST TIPPED AS THE HEIR TO CLARENCE THOMAS
Burrows was elected Speaker of the Texas House on the first day of the legislative session, which is rare in the Texas state legislature. Experts say that could contribute to its lack of work.
“It took the first month of the session for [Burrows] to sort out who would be committee chairs, who would be assigned to each committee, and then to start referring bills for the committees to organize themselves and start holding hearings,” Mark Strama, a civics professor at the University of Texas in Austin and former Texas House member told KXAN Austin. “They’re really just getting their legs underneath them right now.”
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...