Sen. John Carona is mad as hell and he isn't going to take it anymore.
The Dallas Republican railed against how key lawmakers, in his view, had negotiated a massive transportation bill behind his back in order to keep language allowing for local option elections for transportation funding out of it.
Calling Sen. Glenn Hegar "deceitful and dishonest" for his actions on the conference committee, Carona promised to filibuster the bill if that's what's needed to kill it.
“For 250 pounds, I’ve got a lot of energy and I feel very passionate about this,” Carona said.
Carona disputed any suggestions that the votes weren't there in the House to get the local-option language to Gov. Perry's desk. He promised there was a list of 81 House members who had signed on to vote for it.
Rep. Joe Pickett, who led the negotiations on the bill in the House, said yesterday that many members who support local-option don't want to vote on it if it's not going to pass. Pickett said those members are worried about getting beat up in the next primary or election for voting for or against the controversial measure.
“Every issue in the Senate can’t be decided on a 31-0 vote," Carona said. "There are times when we as a legislature are expected to act as leaders.”
Carona also took time to swipe at Perry for not vocally supporting local-option, and the entire leadership in Austin for bungling the issue.
Carona said he wasn't going to kill HB 300 as "an act of vengeance" but rather because the bill was developed dishonestly and because there are a few provisions in it he doesn't like.
One thing was clear, he said: "Local option is absolutely dead."
-Aman Batheja
The Startlegram might explain just exactly what is meant by "local option elections for transportation funding". That would be COMPREHENSIVE and USEFUL reporting.
Posted by: Citizen | May 31, 2009 at 08:31 PM
The lack of leadership has not been from the Guv's office this session but from the Speaker and from Carona's type of semi-RINO Republicans. His idea of betting things done of substance seems to be growing government and empowering more local government growth along with high taxation.
Posted by: Robert | May 31, 2009 at 09:49 PM