Hot List Day 94

Day 94 of the 82nd Texas Legislature

LINE OF THE DAY
“We should not cast stones until we fix our own problems.”
State Rep. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, on the House resolution encouraging the federal government to balance its budget

FLOOR PLAY BY ABBY RAPOPORT
If, as most social conservatives hope, the sonogram bill gets passed into law this session, it will likely be thanks to Sen. Carlos Uresti, the Democrat who struck a deal to exempt rural counties from a 24-hour waiting period. Uresti spoke to us about his compromise—and why he still would have preferred a two-hour statewide waiting period.  

OBSERVED
For right-to-life groups and some conservative lawmakers, one of their main goals this session is to defund Planned Parenthood. But these policies, along with stripping funding for state family planning services, will lead to more unplanned pregnancies, and likely more abortions.  

BEST OF THE REST
If you’re in the Texas Senate, don’t plan on leaving the floor any time soon. As the Austin American-Statesman reports, two Democratic senators planned to leave to greet First Lady Michelle Obama, they discovered a colleague was going to use their absence—and missing votes—to get the “guns on campus” bill to the floor. Normal accommodations, which would have postponed the bill until they returned, were denied. 

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING
Around the Capitol today, look out for outsiders—a California delegation is in town to learn about Texas’ economic model. Meanwhile, the House will convene at 10 a.m. and hear a controversial animal breeder bill, as well as legislation that would create a commission to investigate post-exoneration convictions.