Speaking to reporters this afternoon at a roundtable on national energy legislation, Gov. Rick Perry said there will definitely be a special legislative session. But he declined to say when, or how many issues it will include.
“We’re in the process now of making the decision,” he said.
Perry said immediately after this most recent session, he got some “bad advice” from senators that he could extend the lifeline of state agencies by executive order. At least two agencies ended the session clinging to life.“That was blatantly bad information,” he said.
Asked about speculation that the session must take place this summer to protect Texas’ bond rating, Perry did not comment.
“Anytime there’s something that could affect the cost of doing business it’s of concern,” he said.
Obviously, if these things require the Lege to fix them, then there’s no choice. The concern, of course, is that Perry can add things like voter ID to the call. It’s possible he won’t – Burka thinks he won’t bother, but then Burka thought the Dems should have rolled over and played dead on voter ID precisely because of the Governor’s ability to force the issue in a special, so I can’t say that his opinion here reassures me. To me, the best scenario is a call that’s limited to just these issues and nothing else. Needless to say, I don’t expect the Governor to care what I think.
UPDATE: Legeland has some useful speculation on the timing of and the reason for the special session.
UPDATE: Here’s some reaction from Tarrant County. Put me down as agreeing fully with Rep. Lon Burnam.
UPDATE: Ouch!
Gov. Rick Perry broke his right collarbone Tuesday evening in a mountain biking accident near his home.
Perry also suffered a minor abrasion on his right elbow, his office said. He was taken to the emergency room at Seton Medical Center and was expected to be released Tuesday night.
This reminds me of the series premier of “The West Wing”, where President Bartlett ran his bike into a tree. Leo McGarry’s description was priceless: “The President, while bicycling, came to a sudden, arboreal stop.” All kidding aside, my best wishes to the Governor for a full and fast recovery.
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