For Rep. Fischer, knowing rules can be powerful (Democrats derail House bills with points of order)
AUSTIN — Argh.
There is hardly anything more frustrating in the Republican-dominated Texas House of Representatives than when a member delays or, worse, kills a bill with a point of order.
But for San Antonio’s Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer and other Democrats in the 150-member chamber, when you don’t have the votes to block legislation you consider harmful, the parliamentary rules can be your most powerful tool to derail it.
Consequently, while rarely used in the Senate, points of order — parliamentary inquiries that determine whether proper procedure was followed when crafting a bill — have become the most effective weapon for House Democrats.
And no one has called them as often, or more successfully, than Martinez Fischer.
Read more: http://lubbockonline.com/filed-online/2015-04-17/rangel-rep-fischer-knowing-rules-can-be-powerful#comment-369275