[Iwo Jima]

The writer of the article is simply misinformed, both legally and politically. Once the quorum is lost, the legislature has no power to do anything, including enacting new penalties for absent lawmakers.

And politically, it just wouldn't sell. This whole episode was a huge black eye for the Democrats, much like the Wellstone funerally. The Republicans could and should have done more in response, but they did all right. Next time (and there will be a next time), I expect the Republicans will do better. And the Democrats will pay a huge political price at the polls.

[tdadams]

You say the writer is incorrect, but I have a hard time believing this would be published in the Houston Chronicle unless an editor had done some basic fact checking. Reading the article, it sounds to me like the author has studied the Texas constitution and wrote this on the basis of what she found.