register to donate on click 2
Houston dot com.
>> Welcome back to Houston
newsmakers where we’ve been
talking about the recently completed Texas legislative
completed Texas legislative
session with professors.
Mark Jones and Brandon
rottinghaus. Let’s talk about a
couple of the bills that have
been passed into law. One of
them call constitutional carry,
which will give almost any non felon of legal age the right to
felon of legal age the right to
carry a gun without a license
after riding House gun sales
across the country been going
up murder rate. So how and why did this bill gather this team
did this bill gather this team
to pass.
>> I think it’s partly because
Republicans have seen
effectively a bigger net.
They know that the courts are
going to back them if they try
to expand gun rights. The other part of this is that they know
part of this is that they know
that their base is really
excited about this so they can
expand gun liberties, then
they’re in good position.
And it’s not just
constitutional carry is also legally to carry in motels.
legally to carry in motels.
It’s also expanding capacity
for school where his security
farms in classrooms. So there’s
a lot of this going on in May, though, be a problem for them
though, be a problem for them
to Republicans because it’s not
so clear that generally
speaking Texans favor this
approach Dame generally want
to see more on background
checks. They want to see red
flag law. So politically speaking, Republicans have fed
speaking, Republicans have fed
their babies. Find it could
be that many other Texans are
left a little bit hungry.
>> With your thoughts
about that. Well, I think this is a bill that wasn’t on the
is a bill that wasn’t on the
plans are of either Lieutenant
Governor Patrick or
governor Abbott. But speaker
Dade Phelan because he was
getting a lot of pressure from
the right for being too
accommodating with Democrats
sort of pulled a fast one on the Governor and sent this Pat
the Governor and sent this Pat
rapidly through the House to
the Senate. Lieutenant Governor
Dan Patrick who always has run
to the right of the speakers.
Probably Joe Straus a while back. Found himself pressure.
back. Found himself pressure.
He tried to block this bill.
I say he didn’t have the votes,
but there was so much pressure
from the base that he felt
compelled to push it through.
I think is Brandon mentioned this is a bill that made
this is a bill that made
it through and is now law of
the land, but it isn’t a bill
that’s supported by a majority
of Texans. The majority of
Texans want to see more
restrictions on guns, not last. And and this if we have any
And and this if we have any
shooting between now and
November of 2022 that involved
handguns as part of this bill
that’s going to come back to
haunt Republicans doctor running out said to talk the
running out said to talk the
speaker and the conflict
between him
Governor.
>> How did the speaker do in
his first session and has not
yet. We’ve not seen this kind
of infighting amongst the Republicans quite like this in
Republicans quite like this in
a while.
>> it’s been decidedly
negative. I think for I don’t think Dan Patrick speaker.
think Dan Patrick speaker.
She’s lying. In fact, we now
see kind of basically a very
unhappy family reunion where
because of questions about their lines like you showed
their lines like you showed
in the back in a moment ago.
I think that feeling has John
an adequate job. And that is to
say that he’s given Republicans
the priorities. They wanted she’s allowed for Democrats to
she’s allowed for Democrats to
be committee chairs. He’s
allowed for some of these
moments to be able to be slow
down like we talked with
respect to the voting rights bill. So there are I think a
bill. So there are I think a
lot of hurt feelings. But at
the end of the session.
Sometimes that’s just the way
to go. But I do think that the
race for the next speaker is going to be more competitive
going to be more competitive
than the last one. So I don’t
know that she will somebody
who’s running by himself he’ll
probably opposition because
there are Republicans who
didn’t like the way he and his business. He’s made Democrats
business. He’s made Democrats
him in this. I think we are
going to see that more friction
coming for the next one says
session, doctor John Harvey
laws now in effect as well, which was certainly one of many
which was certainly one of many
like other
Republican legislators.
>> Any shock about that bill is
a track toward trying to get
the Supreme Court to weigh in
on road these forces way.
Well, I mean, that’s a really the heart. The bill would that
the heart. The bill would that
would ban abortions effectively
at 6 weeks, which means that it
pure it’s patently
unconstitutional and doesn’t
come close to passing constitutional muster. We did.
constitutional muster. We did.
It was symbolic for the base.
It’s it was it’s pretty much
cost is for the Republican
Party because they pass
legislation the base lights.
They also passed a ban on
abortion. If Roe V Wade is overturned. None of that’s
overturned. None of that’s
going to happen. So therefore
the bases happy. But then they
don’t lose any votes in the
Senate or because the reality
of what of the access to
abortion isn’t going to change because of this legislation and
because of this legislation and
the time we have left. Tell me
what I did this legislative
session which.
>> One or 2 bills that passed
were most surprising to you that we should know about.
that we should know about.
>> Why I say surprise. I would
say I focus on SB 3 that was
weatherization
omnibus bill. It passed with bipartisan support that was
bipartisan support that was
with at least maybe isn’t
surprising that disappointing
is that’s 2 plus. It’s not
going to make the electric
utilities or natural gas
companies do anything really
that they wouldn’t otherwise do, which means that despite
do, which means that despite
that record winter freeze with
winter storm or E. We’re not
quite the Legislature, did not
pass any legislation that
really is going to require
electric generators. A
transmission companies, natural gas pipelines to do anything to
gas pipelines to do anything to
prevent in the future. So if we
have another freeze like or E.
And when the winter of
2022. We’re likely to have
similar problems. Likewise, we could even have problems later
could even have problems later
this summer. So that was, I
think, a real failure yes, they
passed legislation that the
lobbyist for the utility
companies are just so strong that nothing really substantial
that nothing really substantial
crowding House. You.
>> I agree with Mark and echo
what he said. I think that the
ledge focus more on red meat
over reform efforts. And I
think that’s going come back and bite them. A lot of things
and bite them. A lot of things
that have been left and on in
terms of the policy issues that
are facing the stadium. One
surprise to me was turn on expansion of medical marijuana.
expansion of medical marijuana.
This was a bill that there was
a bill that would have allowed
for an expanded amount of TC and for extended number of
and for extended number of
little bit. So there’s a small
expansion but not being one.
So I was a bit surprised by that. But a lot of bipartisan
that. But a lot of bipartisan
though. He’s a bipartisan let’s
can now get liquor to go
so your you’re going to go on
the way to study political
science that rest is Mark. Don’t brand riding out.