An elections bill by Rep. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, has a very broad caption – “relating to certain election procedures and practices” – and is subsequently beginning to look like a Christmas tree.
For legislative lingo novices, that means lots of bills that haven’t made it to the floor yet are being hung on the bill as amendments.”This should have never happened,” said Rep. Marc Veasy, D-Fort Worth, a member of the House Elections Committee who helped kill some of them in committee, after the bill passed with no fewer than 17 bills/amendments, some of which had gotten no hearing.
As an illustration of how the bill had become weighted down by other bills, when the debate was over, Rep. Dennis Bonnen said, “Christmas is over.”One that failed: Rep. Rolando Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, tried to pass an amendment that would require elected officials who want to change parties step down from office and run again.
He said those who won election in November and then switched parties in December were “committing fraud” on the electorate who had just voted for them over the candidate from the other party.
Full Article: Restrictions on out-of-state voter registration pass as amendment | Trail Blazers Blog | dallasnews.com.
