Posted on 06/23/2003 7:01:45 AM PDT by Theodore R.
All eyes on Texas senators Associated Press
AUSTIN (AP) — House Democrats took the lead to kill a congressional redistricting plan during the regular legislative session.
Now, with a special session on the same issue starting soon, the focus and pressure could shift to the Senate, where Democrats are in the minority but are strong enough in numbers to block a bill for debate.
"I'm hoping we can convince the senators to stand up and fight what we perceive as an injustice," said Rep. Joe Deshotel of Beaumont, who fled the state for four days in May with fellow House Democrats. The move by the Democrats broke a quorum in the House chamber and stopped a proposed redistricting bill from passing.
Lawmakers during the 2001 legislative session also could not agree on how to draw the districts, so the current map — which gives Texas Democrats a 17-15 majority in Congress — was drawn by the courts.
Gov. Rick Perry last week called lawmakers back to Austin for a special session to begin June 30, saying "duly elected officials, not federal judges, should be responsible for drawing district lines."
Republicans, spearheaded largely by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, have argued that results in state elections show that Texas should have more GOP representatives in Congress. Every statewide-elected office in Texas is ruled by a Republican.
While the Texas House was in chaos over redistricting in May, the typically bipartisan Senate continued passing legislation while watching the House show from the sidelines.
This time around, though, it seems unlikely that the House can pull off another walkout because they would have to stay out of sight for 30 days, and Perry could continue to call special sessions.
That could put the pressure on the Senate Democrats to block a redistricting plan.
Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, said he had support from enough senators to block a redistricting bill from debate on the floor during the spring session but now, "It's a whole new ball game."
He said the pressure was on the Democrats.
"It's on everybody and certainly the senators," Barrientos said.
The Senate is ruled 19-12 by Republicans, but Senate rules dictate that it takes two-thirds of the chamber's 31 members to agree to bring an issue to the floor for debate. That means only 11 votes would be needed to kill the bill.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's office said that rule will stay in place and Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Todd Staples said he has not heard any talk in the Senate about doing away with the rule.
Staples of Palestine applauded Perry's call for the special session.
"I think Texans deserve representatives in Washington who represent Texas values and who will support our Texas president," Staples said, adding that he feels strongly that lawmakers have a constitutional responsibility to draw and adopt a redistricting plan, not leave it up the court.
Staples is optimistic about the Senate fellowship that sustained most of the regular session will continue during the special session.
"Redistricting is certainly not a new issue. We just dealt with this in 2001 and while partisanship tends to have a role in redistricting, I think the Senate will maintain its decorum and try to do what's best for Texas," Staples said.
In a statement last week, Dewhurst said that if a fair redistricting plan is approved in the House, he would work to get it approved in the Senate.
Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, said he talked last week to Karl Rove, a political adviser to President Bush, about redistricting.
"He was wanting my assessment as to whether or not the votes were available and the nature of the inquiry was if we have a reasonable bill, can we get the votes," said Ratliff, who said he told him that depended on what reasonable means.
"Reasonable is in the eye of the beholder," said Ratliff, who said he needs to look at the redistricting plans before deciding whether he would support them.
"I knew that he was in favor of (redistricting)," Ratliff said. "But he wasn't putting pressure on me."
In Houston last week, Perry said redistricting is an issue for the Texas House and Senate, not a White House or a U.S. congressional issue.
"My recommendation to folks in Washington — who have an interest in this, I'm sure — is to stay up there and take care of our business, and we'll take care of these congressional lines," Perry said.
Took the lead?? Running out on one's job is hardly "taking the lead".
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