No, Perry deliberately fumbled it just short of the goal line.
The bill died in the regular session, as Perry and co-conspirator Lt. Gov. Dewhurst had planned, but an arcane rule of the Texas Lege and a parliamentary screwup by a half-bright Dim who was trying to run out the clock for her own reasons by filibustering past the witching hour, brought the bill back automatically, against Perry's intentions, for the special session.
Perry and Dewhurst had to arrange one of those broad-daylight, middle-of-the-marketplace, nine-guys-walking-away-fast-while-mark-keels-over Mafia hit jobs. They did succeed in killing the bill, which Perry only pretended he favored, for his political meeds at the beginning of the regular session.
It was a big pile of political fakery, is what it was. Same thing with the TSA anti-groping bill.
Second point: There is no "Republican supermajority" in the Texas Lege.
There are effectively three parties in Texas now: Conservative, Main Street Republicans, who are getting screwed, suburban "economic conservative"/"good government Republican" RiNO's who vote with the Dims on social and moral issues like gambling and taxing gambling, and otherwise represent exclusively the business and fiscal interests of rich, access-capitalist Republican businessmen and the insurance and banking industries (but I repeat myself); and left-wing Democrats (the only kind left anywhere, just about).
At the moment, the legislature and its calendar are being driven and controlled by an unholy alliance, McCain-style (remember the "Gang of 14"?), of social-liberal/"Me-Too" RiNO types (of whom the Lt. Gov. and speaker of the lower house are both members in good standing) with the Democrats.
The house speaker was elected on a party-line Democratic vote plus a minority of Republicans who adhere to RiNO-ism and spite the conservatives every chance they get -- including, just a few weeks ago, on redistricting, in which the speaker and the 'Rats colluded to screw conservatives out of four seats, and increased 'Rat representation in the next Lege.
“Second point: There is no “Republican supermajority” in the Texas Lege”
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Whether it is or is not a “supermajority” is semantics. Many consider it so.
The fact is Perry has no political will to stop illegal immigration into Texas. That much is clear.
Texas Republicans like to boast about the voter ID law that they passed. BFD...... I’m not worried about illegals
voting. They come here to work and steal, and have babies for free at the county hospitals and suck up all the
social services that you and HAVE to pay for. They don’t come here with the sole intention to vote.
We are subsidizing the employee health care costs for all these cheap labor loving friends of Rick Perry.
Arizona and Alabama decided no more. Perry needs ask Jan Brewer to return his nuts.