Texas Governor Calls 3rd Special Session
By NATALIE GOTT Associated Press Writer
The announcement came after 10 Senate Democrats who have been in New Mexico boycotting the Legislature relented and announced that they would return to Texas and take part in an expected third special session.
Eleven Democrats in all slipped across state lines July 28 and stayed away for about six weeks to block a vote on redistricting. But one of the 11, Sen. John Whitmire of Houston, defected last week and said he would attend another special session if the governor called one.
That left the 10 remaining Democrats without the numbers to block a quorum.
"If (Whitmire) makes a quorum, then we need to be on the Senate floor," state Sen. Judith Zaffirini said.
Twenty-one of the Senate's 31 members must be present for business to be conducted.
The senators who remained out of state said they would attend a federal court hearing in Laredo on Thursday in the lawsuit they filed. The court case alleges Republican legislative leaders have violated the Voting Rights Act and the Democrats' rights to political free speech.
Democrats have a 17-15 majority in the current Texas congressional delegation. The GOP is pushing plans that would give them as many as 21 seats.
The push to redraw congressional districts during an off-census year has brought cries from the Democrats that the Republicans are not playing fair. U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas has played a major role in pushing for the redistricting in his home states.
Efforts to address redistricting have failed three times this year - during the Legislature's regular session and during two special sessions.
During the regular session, the bill failed when more than 50 Democratic House members fled to Oklahoma and blocked a quorum.
2003-09-09 20:31:42 GMT
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