Hadn't seen this diaried yet. Wendy Davis will be filibustering SB5, a bill being pushed through by Texas legislators during a special session called by Rick Perry. This is the bill that limits abortions to 20 weeks. It will also close down almost all of the 42 abortion clinics currently operating in Texas.
The earliest they can bring it up for debate is 11 am Friday, which means Davis will have to filibuster for 13 hours. Much better than the 36-hour filibuster that Republicans expected.
The second filibuster of her career — which could stretch as long as 13 hours — is likely to further stoke Davis’ persona as a potential Democratic candidate for governor or other statewide office. Davis is currently running for re-election in her Tarrant County Senate district but has not ruled out interest in a future statewide race.
This is extensive and tortuous, but Texas Democrats have fought so hard for this. 700 people testified against this bill in the House, and delayed the passing of the bill for a day. Then the sluggishness of the bill meant that it was a day and a half late arriving in the Senate. Texas Republican factions are playing the blame game as to why this went so slowly.
This isn't the first time Wendy Davis has filibustered a bill. In 2011, she fought against the $4 billion cuts that Perry wanted to do to the public schools. She was successful in keeping it from reaching the regular session. Perry had to do a special session to ram that one through.
Wouldn't it be nice if our federal government had such strict rules for a filibuster?
The tactics impose stringent physical demands, requiring lawmakers to stay in place without leaning on their desks and to talk or read for hours. They are forbidden to leave for bathroom breaks and often rely on so-called “astronaut packs” to dispose of human waste.
Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/...