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Republicans yank parking from missing Democrats
Austin American-Statesman ^ | August 15, 2003 | Laylan Copelin

Posted on 08/15/2003 11:10:43 AM PDT by Dog Gone

Senate votes on new penalties in addition to monetary fines

A majority of the Senate's Republican members voted today to take away privileges, such as Capitol parking and meeting space, from their boycotting Democratic colleagues if the 11 Democrats in New Mexico don't return and pay fines assessed against them for leaving the state.

Senate Republicans approved the fines earlier this week, and the boycotting Democrats immediately said they will never pay them.

If the Democrats continue their boycott to Aug. 26, the end of the second special session, each would owe $57,000. Senate Republicans said the fines must be paid from personal funds. The additional penalties will begin at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday if the fines aren't paid by then.

"We don't want to penalize our colleagues," said Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound. "We want them to come back."

Along with cutting off Capitol parking and meeting space, the Senate Republicans said if the fines are not paid, the absent Democrats' staff would lose parking and access to the Senate floor. The Republicans also voted to eliminate all purchasing, travel, subscriptions, printing and cell phones for the absent Democrats and to limit their postage for constituent communication to $200 a month.

Not all of the penalties were unanimously agreed upon. Sens. Ken Armbrister, D-Victoria, and Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, voted against barring the staff from parking on Capitol grounds, saying that would affect constituent services. Armbrister also voted against the overall set of penalties. He's the only Senate Democrat who did not leave the state.

Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, urged that the staff parking be eliminated because he was concerned that the absent senators would take over that parking when they return.

Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant, did not attend the session.

After the senators agreed to assess the additional penalties, several gave speeches about why they did it.

Wentworth said the issue is no longer about redistricting, but about whether the Senate majority can govern.

He said he worried that in the future, 11 senators could stop important business just by fleeing the state. He said the demands from the 11 Senate Democrats in New Mexico are unacceptable.

The Democrats left the state July 28 to block the Senate from considering a plan to redraw boundaries for Texas' 32 congressional districts. It takes 21 of the 31 members to conduct business in the Senate.

Democrats hold a 17-15 majority in the Texas congressional delegation, and Republicans want to overcome that. They say current districts were based on maps drawn to benefit Democrats. About six of the current districts have a majority of Republican voters but re-elected long-time incumbent Democrats in the 2002 elections.

Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the current boundaries are legal and can stay until after the 2010 Census.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: redistricting
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To: Consort
Garnish their pay and give the money to charity.

To heck with the charities, refund it to the Texas taxpayers!

41 posted on 08/15/2003 12:48:49 PM PDT by anymouse
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To: DodgeRam
Oh, suddenly I'm now rooting for Erika to be one hell of a storm.
42 posted on 08/15/2003 12:49:37 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the current boundaries are legal and can stay until after the 2010 Census.

I see a new AG in TX's near future.

43 posted on 08/15/2003 12:50:36 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (© 2003, Ravin' Lunatic since 4/98)
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To: jsbankston
Isn't it the attorney general's job to enforce the law, rather than support his party? Current districting is legal. Redistricting would also be legal. Neither is a statement of support or against the TX GOP.
44 posted on 08/15/2003 12:51:19 PM PDT by posterkid
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To: Dog Gone
Empty their offices into their parking spaces. (They can keep the parking spaces but we need to offices for people who will work like they promised their constituents.)

Gum

45 posted on 08/15/2003 12:51:55 PM PDT by ChewedGum ( http://king-of-fools.blogspot.com)
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To: Cyber Liberty
Read post #23.
46 posted on 08/15/2003 12:53:01 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Blood of Tyrants
What does Texas law say about establishing residence? Some states have a 6 months requirement before a person can claim residence. If that is the case, there could be a long wait.
47 posted on 08/15/2003 12:54:09 PM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: anymouse
$0.000001 per tax payer?
48 posted on 08/15/2003 12:54:47 PM PDT by Consort
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To: pogo101
Of course the Statesman is a liberal paper but that is no reason for Abbott to give them fodder to quote him saying that the current boundaries are legal. Instead, he should be pushing the agenda that the lines must be redrawn because they were not done by the legislature in 2001 as constitutionally mandated.
49 posted on 08/15/2003 12:58:49 PM PDT by jsbankston
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To: Dog Gone
Sounds like a translation of, "The old census is fine with me".

If the author has inaccuracies in this story, it doesn't appear the sentence I pulled is one of them.

50 posted on 08/15/2003 12:59:44 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (© 2003, Ravin' Lunatic since 4/98)
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To: Cyber Liberty
It's pure spin. Abbott was asked for an Attorney General's Opinion on whether redistricting was mandatory. He issued the legal opinion. You can read it right here for yourself.

The fair characterization of his opinion is that the legislature should redistrict, but that there is no legal requirement that they do so, and certainly no way to force them to do so.

Now, compare that with what the Austin paper said.

51 posted on 08/15/2003 1:03:47 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: jsbankston
Abbott is the one who filed the petition with the Texas Supreme Court demanding that it order the Democrats home. Quit trashing him.
52 posted on 08/15/2003 1:06:25 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
OK. Article:

Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the current boundaries are legal and can stay until after the 2010 Census.

Published Opinion in your link:

The United States Constitution entrusts the task of drawing congressional boundaries to the State, but there exists no mechanism to force compliance with this constitutional responsibility. The Texas Legislature has present authority to adopt a congressional redistricting plan based on the 2000 census. Unless and until the legislature adopts such a plan, the map drawn in 2002 by the three-judge court in Balderas v. Texas will continue to be the congressional redistricting plan for Texas.

There is no conflict between the two quotes. The AG said that while the recent census isn't strictly legal, it will do until another one is crafted. Unsaid, but still just as true, is that 2010 may be the census that decides the boundries. Nothing in the link you gave me says the present lines MUST be redrawn in a timely manner (emphasis mine).

There may be fine legalistic differences that can be drawn, but the end result is the same: No new boundries until 2010, and this AG will never force the issue before then.

53 posted on 08/15/2003 1:10:11 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (© 2003, Ravin' Lunatic since 4/98)
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To: Dog Gone
Speaking as a non-Texan:

As long as they are not 'boycotting' at the public's expense, they can do whatever they want. Dock the same % of their pay and benefits for the same % that they are away. The fewer new regulations and laws made, the better in my opinion.

54 posted on 08/15/2003 1:12:10 PM PDT by cdefreese
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To: Dog Gone
"Democrats hold a 17-15 majority in the Texas congressional delegation, and Republicans want to overcome that. They say current districts were based on maps drawn to benefit Democrats. About six of the current districts have a majority of Republican voters but re-elected long-time incumbent Democrats in the 2002 elections."

I haven't followed this one so I truly don't understand. It sounds like Republicans were unable to get Republicans elected, even in districts that are majority Republican, so they want to make districts even more Republican. What happened to working hard and getting conservatives elected?
55 posted on 08/15/2003 1:18:29 PM PDT by kegler4
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To: Cyber Liberty
No, you still don't get it.

The Austin paper makes it appear as if Abbott is all in favor of retaining the current districts. In fact, that's exactly the conclusion you drew.

In reality, Abbott said that it is the legislature's duty to redistrict, but it can't be forced to do so. That's a true statement.

In an opinion which gave the Republicans official permission to launch this fight, this paper twists it 180 degrees and you're buying it.

56 posted on 08/15/2003 1:18:57 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Dog Gone
voted against barring the staff from parking on Capitol grounds, saying that would affect constituent services

LIKE BEING AWOL DOESN'T?!!

57 posted on 08/15/2003 1:21:59 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy
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To: Dog Gone
That opinion was about 10,000 words. Would it have killed him to say "This must be rectified in a reasonable amount of time"? As it is, it's pretty easy to interpret it the way I said.

Yes, he's given the Republicans fodder. He also gave the 'Craps something by leaving a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, on the way to New Mexico.

As an aside, I don't buy SHIT from newspapers. You have a nerve to suggest that I did. I'm just telling you what the spin is going to be. Tough noogies if you don't like it.

58 posted on 08/15/2003 1:24:46 PM PDT by Cyber Liberty (© 2003, Ravin' Lunatic since 4/98)
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To: kegler4
The districts are currently drawn to elect the most Democrats possible. The fact that some incumbent Democrats are getting re-elected in districts that are slightly Republican only proves the power of incumbency and the enormous campaign warchests that can be built up.

The truth is that Republicans have been making gains in Texas despite Democrat gerrymandering. Otherwise, we would never have taken over all the statewide offices and both houses of the Legislature. We have been working hard.

But why in the world should we be electing representatives to the US Congress on maps drafted by our enemies? We lived under their tyranny for 130 years. Can we please get to draft the maps just once?

59 posted on 08/15/2003 1:25:44 PM PDT by Dog Gone
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To: Consort
Ok, round it up to a round $100 refund and we'll call it even. :)
60 posted on 08/15/2003 1:29:58 PM PDT by anymouse
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