By J. Lyn Carl, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX – Voting machines on the desks of some 50-plus members of the Texas House will be locked when the House goes into session today at 10 a.m.
House Chief Clerk Robert Haney confirmed today that what appears to be more than 50 letters from House members were delivered this morning to the House Parliamentarian and the House Journal Clerk. The letters from various members give notice they will be absent today. That official absence notification locks down the voting machines so that other members cannot use them to vote for absent members. Haney said the letters indicate only that the members will be absent today, Monday.
This maneuver comes on the heels of rumors over the weekend that Democratic members of the House would not return to the state house this morning for session, hoping to quash a quorum, which effectively shuts down the House.
Rep. Jim Dunnam's (D-Waco) chief of staff, Tamara Bell, this morning held a brief press conference to announce that the letters had been delivered.
Bell confirmed the letters were delivered and said she did not know where the members of the House are who had the letters delivered.
When asked if the members not showing up for session and starting a chain reaction that could kill major legislation if they do not return by Thursday made those members obstructionists, Bell responded, "I don't think this is an obstructionist behavior. I believe it is a group of members who believe in principle and believe in a process. And this is their way of letting the public understand they are standing up for those beliefs."
Bell said Dunnam did not specify a time when the members would return. "He just told me in the near future," she said.
Without a quorum, the House cannot conduct business.