Conservative House members kill more than 100 bills over "petty personal politics"
The deep fractures in the Texas House GOP were on full display Thursday evening as lawmakers faced down a midnight deadline to pass bills out of the chamber.
The night began with a group of Tea Party-aligned lawmakers announcing plans to use a procedural maneuver to kill more than 100 bills in retribution for what they called the “petty personal politics” of the Republican-controlled chamber. It ended with barely restrained chaos, as conservatives tried tactic after tactic to derail legislation.
About 30 minutes before the midnight deadline, state Rep. Jonathan Stickland took to the back microphone to denounce the House leadership’s use of rules to muzzle dissent.
“It’s disgusting! It’s disgusting!” he shouted.
The Bedford Republican's efforts to influence the House agenda at various points prompted him to charge toward the dais shouting after the microphone at his podium was turned off. In another moment, the chamber erupted in laughter at his request — just a few minutes before midnight — to make a personal privilege speech, a usually somber occasion that draws silence from fellow members.
Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/05/11/conservative-house-members-kill-more-100-bills-over-petty-personal-pol/