Chicken D's - DAY 2 - Quorum Breaking Texas House Democrats (Combined Thread)

13 May 2003

[CPT Clay]

I was just thinking about all the B.s. the dems have pulled in the last 2.5 years.
The attempt to steal the presidential election.
Torrecelli
Wellstone
Red Earth Johnson
the fillibustered judges


The dems are desperate!!

[Torie]

My guess is that these antics might be more popular in Texas polls than you think. Don't Texans like rebels?

[deport]

To some degree you are correct . They are mostly in safe districts so they won't pay a price at the election booth. The dems lost 16 seats in the State House redistricting last time around and they haven't gotten used to not being in charge. At 88 to 62 it is a large deficit for them to adjust to.

[Tex_GOP_Cruz]

Someone help me out here. I'm trying to account for all the Democrats. There are 62 Dems in the House. Three of them (Ron Wilson, Vilma Luna, and Roberto Gutierrez) showed up yesterday morning, then Sylvester Turner showed up yesterday night. That made 58 missing. Three more turned up today, Harold Dutton, Jr., Al Edwards, and the DPS-escorted Helen Giddings. That made 55. Three did not submit a letter but are known to be at large: Norma Chavez, Kino Flores, and Glenn Lewis; none of these is in Ardmore. That leaves 52. Several news outlets are reporting that there are 51 in Ardmore and that number is the same as the roll call taken yesterday, but I have not seen a list of those 51. Who is the 52nd Dem? He or she would be on the list of the 55 but not on any list that may exist of the 51.

This is a list of the 55 missing as of Tuesday evening (the 52 plus the three):
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory2/1906237

[PeaceBeWithYou]

I think I see what you are getting at.

...in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

That's an interesting phrase, huh?

Let's deconstruct it to see what it pertains to.

QUORUM-Two-thirds of each House shall constitute a quorum to do business.

ADJOURNMENTS FROM DAY TO DAY-but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day.

COMPELLING ATTENDANCE-and compel the attendance of absent members, in such manner and under such penalties as each House may provide.

The question is: Is there a current law or rule that lays out the penalties for willful non-attendance or is that left up to those left in attendance to set?

The "may provide" seems indicative of the later.

[MeekOneGOP]

Tis done. You're off now.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Ahh the specific rules, thanks deport.

Notice the uses of may and shall which I have bolded.

Securing A Quorum — When a call of the house is moved for one of the above purposes and seconded by 15 members (of whom the speaker may be one) and ordered by a majority vote, the main entrance to the hall and all other doors leading out of the hall shall be locked and no member permitted to leave the house without the written permission of the speaker. The names of members present shall be recorded. All absentees for whom no sufficient excuse is made may, by order of a majority of those present, be sent for and arrested, wherever they may be found, by the sergeant-at-arms or an officer appointed by the sergeant-at-arms for that purpose, and their attendance shall be secured and retained. The house shall determine on what conditions they shall be discharged. Members who voluntarily appear shall, unless the house otherwise directs, be immediately admitted to the hall of the house and shall report their names to the clerk to be entered in the journal as present. Until a quorum appears, should the roll call fail to show one present, no business shall be transacted, except to compel the attendance of absent members or to adjourn. It shall not be in order to recess under a call of the house.

Anything jump out at you in there?

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks ! Worth repeating !!! . . .

If you know the whereabouts of a Texas legislator, PLEASE CALL THE DPS at

1-800-525-5555

Damn! It's a regular dragnet!

[PeaceBeWithYou]

I see another interesting clause(underlined).

Members who voluntarily appear shall, unless the house otherwise directs, be immediately admitted to the hall of the house and shall report their names to the clerk to be entered in the journal as present.

It would seem to me that the remainder is to determine the non-attender's fate.

Also, does discharged mean removed from the House, as in fired, or does it mean discharged from the arrest?

[PeaceBeWithYou]

Ardmore, OK area under Severe Thunderstorm Advisory thru the early morning hours.

REGIONAL WEATHER DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK

100 AM CDT WED MAY 14 2003

.NOW...
AT 330 AM...RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STRETCHING FROM AROUND VICI SOUTHEASTWARD TO NEAR MARIETTA. THE STRONGEST STORMS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GOLFBALL TO LARGER THAN BASEBALL SIZE HAIL...WERE IN THE AREA FROM NEAR BINGER TO NEAR ARDMORE. THE STORMS WERE DEVELOPING IN AN AREA OF WARM AIR ADVECTION ON THE EDGE OF A STRONGER CAPPING INVERSION ACROSS WEST TEXAS INTO SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA. THIS ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND SOUTHEAST INTO CENTRAL SECTIONS OF OKLAHOMA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA.

THE LOW LEVEL JET IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN STRONG INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ACROSS WEST TEXAS INTO OKLAHOMA. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT IS LIKELY AS THE LOW LEVEL JET CONTINUES TO LIFT INCREASING AMOUNTS OF MOIST UNSTABLE AIR NORTHWARD OVER A WARM FRONT SITUATED NEAR THE RED RIVER. THE THUNDERSTORM COMPLEX WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SLOWLY TO THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST EARLY THIS MORNING. DUE TO THE VERY UNSTABLE AIRMASS...VERY LARGE HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS LIKELY AS THE STORMS WILL TEND TO MOVE OVER THE SAME AREAS REPEATEDLY.

[Pippin]

Howdy, Meekie!

I was watching FOX news and heard someone who was being interviewed about those cowardly demo's that what they did was heroic. That we need more "heroes" like them. The I heard that Gov. Perry ordered the Rangers to go and get the truants hiding out in Oklahoma. But the Governor of Oklahoma (who is a democrat) is protecting the cowards as the TR's have no jourisditcion in Oklahoma. What is the law, these guys are violating the oath they took upon taking thier offices. They should be rounded up and delt with like the cowards and criminals they are acting like. Don't they care about thier constituants?

BTW I don't look on these demos as heroes!

They are cowards and crybabies (are you sure they're Texans?)

[BellStar]

Popular House Bill that would have stopped the practice of Home Owners Associations banning Flagpoles and other flag displays from Yards will now die if the walkout that has become an embarrassing national news story about Texas Democrats partisan walkout, including Galveston counties own Rep. Craig Eiland, continues.

House Bill 1279
By Zedler, Howard
Reads in part :Some Home Owners Associations have banned flagpoles and other flag displays from the yards of homes under their jurisdiction. This bill says that homeowners associations cannot keep someone from flying the flag.

I am one who’s Home Owners Association, The Kemah Oaks HOA, did come after for my now infamous “Flagpoles”. I was seriously counting on this legislation to aid me in my fight. Small children in my subdivision now call me the “Flag Lady” after the story of my “Flag Flap” appeared on television stations and in Texas and national news papers in April. What do I tell them? I will tell them some of us don’t run and hide when we don’t get our way unlike the cowardly Texas Legislators now hiding out in Oklahoma.

BellStar
"The Flag Lady"

[mathluv]

(are you sure they're Texans?)

They are dims first, evidently.

[Bigun]

That is certianly the way I read it.

Thanks!

[Bigun]

And that seems to disagree with my earlier reading EXCEPT that it contains the phrases you have noted.

VERY interesting isn't it?

[Pippin]

LOL!

I guess so!

[Redleg Duke]

"So ... the repub Gov sent the Texas Rangers to get the lawbreakers ...

But ... the DEMOCRAT Gov of OK, said the TX Rangers don't have any authority in OK."

Is it just me, or is the RAT Party attempting a coup? This has all the earmarks of a rebellion. If this spreads, the RAT Party could be designated a terrorist cult.

[Republican Wildcat]

Every Democrat so far on the floor of the U.S. House today have used their 1 minute speeches to praise the Texas House Democrats as "heros."

[Gopher Broke]

Texas Freepers...click HERE to see a website listing the newspapers in Texas...then send each a LETTER TO THE EDITOR highlighting the cowardly action of the Texas Democrats.

[MeekOneGOP]

Well, the Rangers don't have jurisdiction in Oklahoma and the 'RATS in Oklahoma are protecting them. I don't think there is any recourse in the Texas law except to round them up (arrest them) and take them to the Texas Legislature. They holed up in Oklahoma because they knew they could escape being arrested there.

Don't they care about thier constituants?

Constituents React (To Texas' Runaway Rats)