With nowhere to hide, the Texas House leadership on Saturday evening stabbed one of their own in the back while trying to slow down the move for stronger limits on government spending.
More than 90 percent of Republican primary voters want to strengthen Texas’ limit on government growth, but efforts to do so have been stymied by the coalition government of Democrats and sycophantic Republicans in the House.
Hoping to push legislators to agree with voters, Gov. Greg Abbott placed the issue on his call for the special session.
Unwilling to simply move the stronger bill that has passed the Texas Senate several times, including early in this special session, State Rep. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) unnecessarily diluted his version of the legislation.
Parker’s loyalty to House Speaker Joe Straus was not rewarded. Instead, he saw Straus’ leadership team publicly conspire with Democrats to knock Parker’s legislation off the calendar because of a technical parliamentary issue. (Ironically, as was noted during discussion on the House floor, it was a technical issue other bills also had but that had not tripped up any of them.)
One of Straus’ closest allies, State Rep. Charlie Geren (R-Fort Worth), blamed Parker for not ensuring that the legislation moved correctly through the process. In truth, Geren, Straus and the House leadership was showing Parker he had been played the fool.
With Parker’s bill mostly dead, the House could still move the Senate’s spending limit legislation when they meet Sunday evening or early in the week.
