Before taking up rules that will eventually govern the citizens of Texas, lawmakers debated what rules should they should be governed by. Today, the second day of the 85th legislature, the Senate and House passed their own rules packages with a few controversial debate-filled amendments attached.
House rules
The basics: House members passed HR 3, a housekeeping resolution that upped the salary cap for representatives and committee employees, so it was in line with state salary increases. Then, the lower chamber took up HR 4, the rules package that was almost immediately barraged with several amendments. After meeting for roughly five hours, the House passed the rules package 147-0. The House will reconvene at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
The big debate: Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, proposed an amendment similar to SB6 from Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham. Schaefer's amendment sought to prohibit men from using women's restrooms in the Texas House. Soon after, a point of order was called, saying the amendment was not germane to House rules because the House does not control their own bathrooms—the State Preservation Board does. After much debate on the floor, Schaefer withdrew his amendment.
Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, tried to pass another amendment that would strike the word "public" from the name of the House Committee on Public Education. Leach said he hoped this change would make students enrolled in private and homeschools feel more welcome. Lawmakers expressed concern that the state only has purview over public education. Leach eventually withdrew his amendment.
Senate rules
The basics: The Senate took up a rules package by Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills. Senate Resolution 3 had very few changes from the rules package taken up in 2015.
The big debate: Most conversation centered around the "tradition of two-thirds," which was abolished in 2015. The two-thirds rule required 21 of the 31 senators to approve a bill before it would come before the floor. In 2015, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the charge to change this percentage to three-fifths, a change from 21 needed senators to 19. At the time, and again this session, party lines divide Republicans and Democrats 20-11. This vote changed the need to work with others in a different party to bring a bill to the floor.
In 2015, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick led the charge to change this percentage to three-fifths, a change from 21 needed senators to 19. At the time, party lines divided Republicans and Democrats 20-11. Party lines remain the same now.
This vote changed the need for senators to work with others in a different party to bring a bill to the floor.
Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, proposed an amendment to revert the rule back to two-thirds. The amendment failed 20-11, along party lines.The rule package passed 29 to 2.
