Republicans Turn Table on Democrats – Talk Unfunded Mandate on UI Stimulus Funds to Death

After five days of delays orchestrated to kill the Voter ID bill, House Democrats methodically worked through the calendar Tuesday night in order to leave just enough time to pass their cherished unemployment insurance stimulus bill.

There was only one problem: Democrats left Republicans an opening to speak on the bill, and as they found out to their great consternation, turnabout is fair play.

The Obama Administration included $550 million in the recent stimulus bill to help Texas increase unemployment insurance benefits. The problem was that the bill required Texas to permanently change its laws, which would cost the state – and through taxes cost employers – $75 million a year in perpetuity. (For a full summary of the arguments for and against the idea, read here.)

Governor Rick Perry vowed to reject the funds, and many conservatives argued against taking them with the poison pill of permanent change attached. The Texas Senate had nonetheless passed SB 1569, taking the funds. Last week, as the House debated the legislation, Republicans led by Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) sought to amend the bill to sunset the changes in state law at the point that the cost of those changes exceeded the federal dollars to pay for them.

But Democrats – to whom the Obama Administration policy had become a sacred rite of faith more than public policy – stridently opposed King’s amendment. Calling a Point of Order (a legislative objection) to his amendment, they forced the bill’s postponement. 

On Tuesday night, after five days of carefully manipulating the calendar’s flow in order to kill GOP bills, the Democrats opened up the valves and massaged the clock to bring up SB 1569 at 11:45 p.m. – 15 minutes before the deadline to pass Senate bills. As soon as the bill came up, it’s House Sponsor, Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) moved the previous question, which essentially calls for an immediate vote without delay.

There was only one flaw with this strategy: King’s amendment was still pending before the House, and took precedent over any motion on the overall bill. After a brief delay, Speaker Joe Straus gave his ruling on the point of order on King’s amendment, rejecting it. That gave the microphone to King at 11:52 p.m. By rule, he had 10 minutes to speak.

Democrats, furious, lined up at the back microphone urging King to lay out his amendment quickly. King, who pointed out that Democrats had been wasting valuable time for five days, said he would not, and would lay out his amendment in full in order to make the case for sunsetting the legislative changes. Then, much as Democrats had done for nearly a week, Republican representatives came up to ask King questions on the amendment, thereby running out the clock and causing the bill to die.

Strama avoided pointing fingers at individuals in final remarks eulogizing the bill’s defeat, but the irony was not lost on many in the chamber and gallery that Strama and others were complaining about partisan political tricks after they had spent a week doing the same thing.