The Texas House sets a trap and the Senate takes the bait

| 5:14 pm EDT May 24, 2017
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I know it’s not over until its over but you have to love it when State Representative Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, set his trap for the TX State Senate and they all fell for it. HB 4180 reads “An Act relating to issues affecting counties and other governmental entities.” A bill that looks innocent enough, right? Well, Representative Coleman wrote this bill never intending for it to become law. HB 4180 was the trap.

After HB 4180 was sent to the Senate it sat there until late last night, then the Senate came up with what they thought was brilliance… and then the trap snapped shut!

Late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning the Texas State Senate added 48 amendments onto House Bill 4180. The other amendments tacked onto the House bill by state Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, were entire bills ranging from a short one on a Houston flood study to a 54-page Texas Emissions Reduction Plan. They included both Senate and House bills that hadn’t passed in the House and would have died if not attached as amendments.

After Texas state Republican Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, added her “Bathroom Bill” SB 6 to HB 4180 as an amendment she stated, “I had looked for days for something to put this on”. Sen. Kolkhorst was the Senate sponsor of the House bill that was loaded up wth the amendments. “There was no other vehicle to put this on.” Little did Senator Kolkhorst know she had been played.

Once Representative Coleman saw that Kolkhorst had taken the bait he said, “I sent this bill over knowing they would do this, and they fell for it. I’m not moving that bill. It’s all dead . . . In fact, I get to kill a couple of Senate bills twice.” After Coleman saw the 48 other bills that had been added to his bill he stated “This thing looks like an encyclopedia now” (link). You know he was just was just thrilled that the entire Senate fell for it hook, line and sinker!

It looks like the Senate won’t send the amended HB 4180 to the Texas House but even if they do pass it on it’s dead upon arrival. This won’t be the end of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s threats to force the legislature into a special session until they pass a “bathroom bill” that meets all of his requirements. It’s just so wonderful to see Texas Democrats fighting for transgender rights and forcing this discriminatory bill into purgatory for the time being. I’ll be keeping you informed as Texas Republicans try to force a “bathroom bill” on a state that does not want one. Follow Palmer Report on Facebook and Twitter.