Texas Tribune by Julian Aguilar
The state’s contentious sanctuary cities bill failed to move out of the Senate late Tuesday — a move some senators said effectively killed one of the most controversial measures the Texas Legislature has considered this session.
As late as 11 p.m., an aide to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said the Senate leader was still intent on bringing up the matter for a vote. (The Senate debates bills on the floor in the order they come in. Going out of order requires a two-thirds vote.)
But Republicans' efforts were unsuccessful on Tuesday. Democratic senators stayed true to their word to block the bill — an item designated by Gov. Rick Perry as an emergency piece of legislation — by voting along party lines to keep the bill from making it to the floor.
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With the way the legislation has come, gone, and come back again several times this session, opponents of the bill would be well advised to hold off on celebrating until the session officially expires Monday. As recently as last Wednesday the measure was believed dead after Williams replaced the text of the bill with a committee substitute that instead addressed homeland and border security issues. It was revived two days later when Williams made a motion in a Senate committee to reverse the switch and revert back to the immigration-related language. If the legislation is truly incapable of surviving the remaining days of the session, Perry could possibly bring lawmakers back to Austin for a special session in July to tackle the measure.
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