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New Groupings In the Texas Senate The committee meeting required 20 minutes. Newsmen returning to their table in the Senate chamber found an unsigned release there, evidently prepared before the day’s session, which read: “More than 38,000 state employees stand an excellent chance of getting a belated Christmas present today if the Texas Senate and House pass the emergency pay raise bill worth several millions of general fund dollars voted out of the powerful Senate Finance Committee today.” Another news release was passed out to reporters, this one from Smith, announcing his “full approval” of the bill. “Of all emergency measures we consider, the needs of the people should come first. This means the pay raise takes precedence over all other emergency measures.” This was obviously a reference to the Connallyand Barnes-backed HemisFair emergency appropriation bill. “Our employees can count on raises beginning March 1, 1967,” Smith said in his release. THE NEXT DAY it was clear that the Senate leadership wanted to pass the bill on the spot. Herring asked that the rules be suspended so that the emergency bill could be passed; this would require the approval of four-fifths of the Senate membership and would be necessary since, under the constitution, only the governor can submit emergency matters to the legislature. Sen. Grady Hazlewood of Amarillo protested; he is regarded as more of an ally of Connally’s than of Smith’s. “When you do something like this,” Hazlewood said, “the state budget has gone to the wind. What is there about this bill that makes it such an emergency?” Herring heatedly answered that the state employees have been waiting years for a pay raise. Hazlewood asked why the House members didn’t know of Herring’s intentions, adding “I’ve been in the Senate 27 years and r never saw anything happen like it did in that [committee] room yesterday.” After some debate between Herring and Hazlewood the vote was taken. The count was 24-6 in favor; Herring needed 25 ayes. Voting no were the governor’s brother, Wayne Connally of Floresville, H. J. Blanchard of Lubbock, Hazlewood, Don Kennard of Fort Worth, Jack Strong of Longview, and Jim Wade of Dallas. Why did Grover and Bernal vote yes? the Observer asked. The senators answered that they had made their point in the committee. meeting the day before and there was some danger of being misunderstood back home as opposing the pay raise when the emergency procedure was what they objected to. Bernal voiced some concern about HemisFair’s fate in the Senate, had he voted the other way, naming three Senators who had solicited his support since the day before. Hall, the only Senator absent, was reported as favoring Herring’s move; if so, his presence would have meant that the Senate action would have succeeded. Smith, afterwards, was asked by a San Antonio reporter about the chances of 4 The Texas Observer HemisFair’s appropriation, which the House had just approved, getting through the Senate. The lieutenant governor said he believed that the bill would pass but said there might be some trouble if the emergency pay raise bill doesn’t make it. “This has absolutely nothing to do with the IlemisFair bill,” Smith said, “but if forces block [the pay bill], there might be consequences.” The next day, after some behind-thescenes activity, Herring said that he had planned to ask another vote but “overnight several members have had a change of heart,” so he wouldn’t ask for another record vote. Herring said he had heard some stories “about the governor being displeased” about SB 32. “I’m sorry about that,” Herring said, “I didn’t know I was supposed to check bills with him. . . . My sole purpose is to try to help some poor people that are in trouble financially.” He said he would try again with his bill sometime. V Texas Senate watchers have a more complicated situation than usual to deal with this session. Normally the groupings are along the customary liberal-conservative lines; this year there are three blocs Connally people who won’t take anything off Lt. Gov. Preston Smith; Smith’s senators who won’t take anything off Connally; and independents, including the liberals, who can go either way. V The lone Republican, Sen. Henry Grover of Houston, appears to be in the Smith grouping at this point. Smith gave Grover eight committee assignments, which is more than some veterans got \(A. R. Schwartz of Galveston, for exambanking committee. V Schwartz, noting the three-way split in the Senate, believes that this session the cause that is right and fair will be able to prevail in the upper house, but that any cause that is unfairly handled, whether it is right or not, will not prevail there. V Schwartz was exuberant as the third week of the session ended that he had been able, without half trying, to obtain eleven co-signatures from Senators to his announcement, in advance of an executive session on appointments, that he was go ing to vote aye on them. Except for Sen. Wayne Connally, Floresville, the twelve who signed were liberals and moderates. Sen. Charles Wilson, Lufkin, asked Schwartz, “Have you got any conserva tives?” and Schwartz, who had not yet got Wayne Connally’s signature, said no, whereupon Wilson signed the statement, It turned out that the next effort was one day later. The vote was 23-7 this time. Hall was present; he voted aye, with Herring. Blanchard switched his no vote to an aye; but Oscar Mauzy of Dallas and A. R. Schwartz of Galveston changed their votes to no this time. W. T. Moore of Bryan walked off the floor just before the roll call vote began and did not answer when his name was called. Sen. Creighton then moved that the governor declare the salary increase an emergency measure and submit it to the legislature. This motion passed 25-6 \(voting no were Sens. Strong, Wayne Connally, Hall, was sent to the House. Barnes said he would make no effort to stop the resolu tion the House or help it either. “It’s going to be up to the House what it wants to do,” Barnes said. The House, Monday, gave its unanimous approval. The next move is the governor’s. G. 0. “Charles Wilson, conservative.” V Sen. Don Kennard of Fort Worth,,drew some complaints when, after signing on as a co-sponsor of Sen. Charles Herring’s SB32, the emergency pay raise measure for state employees, he failed in two record votes to support suspending the rules to permit its consideration. After the first vote Kennard said he was concerned about the omission of hourly employees.from the bill, some of whom make $1.15 hourly. After being assured that the hourly workers would be given raises, Kennard said he was ready to vote for the bill. But the next day the vote was taken a second time and Kennard voted no again. This week Sen. Murray Watson of Waco asked the Senate’s permission to add Kennard’s name as a co-sponsor to three bills sought by the Texas State Teachers Assn. “You sure he’ll vote for them?” Lt. Gov. Smith asked dryly. V Veteran Sen. Dorsey Hardeman of San Angelo rose on the Senate floor to memorialize Gen. Robert E. Lee on the anniversary of the Southern general’s birth. Hardeman, impressive in a black suit, vest, and pince-nez glasses that were attached by a black ribbon, quoted, largely from memory, the eulogy that was spoken at Lee’s funeral. Hardeman’s colleagues applauded his offering and voted to include the remarks in the Senate Journal. In the House V Some House liberals, including several who are first termers, complain