Sunday, June 23, 2013

From the Chron: Dewhurst: Second special session likely unless ‘certain items’ pass

The "certain items" appears to be the abortion measures introduced in Senate Bill 5:
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst strongly hinted Sunday that Gov. Rick Perry would call lawmakers back to work if certain bills failed to pass during the current special session.

Dewhurst, talking to reporters shortly after the Senate recessed for the day, declined to say specifically which proposals Perry would call a second special for if they failed. But a package of bills containing some of the toughest abortion restrictions in the country has been the center of attention.

Aside from the abortion measures, a bill to boost transportation funding and a proposal dealing with sentencing guidelines for 17-year-old murderers are also currently in limbo. The Legislature must pass those measures before the special session wraps up Tuesday or face the potential for Perry to call a second special session.

“Unless I’m misreading him, we’re going to be called back in,” Dewhurst said. “There are certain items on this call that he shared with me that are a must pass.”

The most pressing of the issues still up in the air for Republicans, which control the House and Senate, is clearly the abortion proposals. Dewhurst, along with Republicans in both chambers, lobbied Perry to add the measures to the special session.

A catch-all anti-abortion proposal — Senate Bill 5 — would ban the procedure at 20 weeks, would allow abortions only in surgical facilities, require doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and place greater controls on abortion-inducing medications.