Delay over technicality could kill border bill
By Brandi Grissom / Austin Bureau
El Paso Times
Article Launched:05/04/2007 12:00:00 AM MDT

AUSTIN -- Gov. Rick Perry's plan to spend $100 million on the border stalled out in the Texas House on Thursday after a tearful and emotional debate over rules that govern the chamber and political priorities.
"Members, this is stupid. I'm ashamed to be here, and I'm ashamed of this House," said a teary-eyed, frustrated state Rep. David Swinford, R-Dumas, who is sponsoring the border plan.

After more than three hours of debate over the bill, lawmakers pointed out a technical error that required the legislation be sent back to committee, delaying a vote for several more days.

In the waning days of the session, as deadlines loom, delays could result in the death of a bill.

Swinford said the border security bill, which would determine how the $100 million from Perry is distributed, was too important to stall on a technicality.

"It's all about me and not about thee," he said. He added that he cried because he was thinking of the stories he had seen and heard about death, drugs and exploitation on the border.

House Speaker Tom Craddick told legislators they could vote to suspend all of the rules governing legislation in the House to proceed Thursday and vote on the bill.

That was a move many legislators said they had never seen. Swinford delayed his bill before the House was set to vote on whether to suspend the rules.

Nearly all legislators agreed they wanted to increase security on the Texas-Mexico border. The disagreement centered on who would be responsible for overseeing those functions.

"It's got the basis of a lot of good things," state Rep. Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso, said. "The question has become 'Who is in charge?' "

The bill would give Perry's office primary control over distributing the money and would allow his staff access to a law enforcement database containing sensitive information.

Swinford said moving control of border security money out of Perry's office could jeopardize a deal he has made with Texas congressmen to get border sheriffs more federal money. "I will kill the bill before I go back on my word," he said.

Critics of the bill said a political office should not control law enforcement operations. They also argued that the bill had too few accountability measures to ensure that funds were distributed and used appropriately.

Swinford met with lawmakers and said he would attempt to respond to concerns about distribution and accountability for the dollars.

The bill could be back up for a vote in the House as soon as Monday.


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